2018 Annual Plant of the Year- SUPERTUNIA® Bordeuax™

What I like about the Supertunia® Bordeaux™ is that it is a very reliable plant for me year after year. I use it in many of my combinations. Here is one example: This hanging basket was planted in the front landscape at the garden center. This is a combination of Supertunia® Bordeaux™ and Supertunia® Mini Silver . It is in an area that has full sun and a lot of wind, but with proper watering and fertilization it still looks amazing at the end of August.

A large hanging basket overflowing with white and light purple petunias is suspended from a wooden pergola post in a well-maintained garden, with grass, bushes, and a greenhouse in the background.

Another great use for Supertunia® Bordeaux™ is planted in the landscape as a border plant. Annuals are a great choice for garden borders as they will add color to the garden all summer long. This combination of Supertunia® Bordeaux™ and Superbena® Violet Ice is planted in a part shade location with sun from morning until early afternoon. This low growing annual ground cover is maintenance free, no picking or deadheading required.

Two garden gnome statues, one in blue and one in white, face each other among blooming clusters of purple flowers and green foliage, with a white wall in the background.

As I had mentioned earlier proper watering and fertilization are the key to keeping your annuals looking good. I water my hanging baskets every day until they drain out of the bottom of the pot. For my in the ground plantings I water every 1-3 days depending on how hot it is. Earlier in the season and later in the season you can leave a few days between watering, but in the heat of the summer I recommend watering every 1-2 days. Water is not the only important piece to keeping your annuals looking healthy, they also need proper nutrition. I recommend fertilizing your annual baskets and planters with a water soluble fertilizer every 1-2 weeks. The product that I trust for my plants is the Proven Winners Water Soluble Fertilizer. What I find is that this fertilizer formulation keeps my greens greener and the flowers more plentiful. My pride and joy container combination from 2017 was this trio of annuals including: Supertunia® Bordeaux™, Superbena® Violet Ice and Supertunia® Royal Velvet Petunia.

A large blue pot filled with vibrant purple and lavender flowers sits on a brick in a garden, next to a bright turquoise chair, surrounded by lush greenery and other blooming flowers.