Bubblegum petunias, officially known as Supertunia Vista Bubblegum, are a popular plant for landscape growing. Supertunias are different than other petunias. This brand of the plant was developed to bloom more, be more resistant to disease, and grow hardier.
The plants’ ease of care makes it a great candidate for landscape plantings. In fact, Bubblegum petunias are considered one of the top annuals for landscape planting — depending on the climate.
In this guide, we’ll be reviewing some things to consider when planting and growing your Bubblegum petunias in your landscape.
Planting in landscape
Once you have purchased your Bubblegum Supertunia Vista Bubblegum, you are all set to start planting!
Preparing your soil
Like most annuals, you’ll want to choose ground that is well-drained. Soil that doesn’t drain well can make the plant more prone to get diseases, like root rot.
If you planted annuals in your landscape before and they did alright, it is likely that Bubblegum petunias will also do well with that level of soil drainage.
Building up the soil to give it the necessary nutrients is also a great idea. Natural fertilizers, such as organic matter, can be used to build up the soil months ahead of time.
If you are planting the soil without a lot of organic matter, you can use a water-soluble fertilizer to feed the plant initially and ongoing.
When to plant outside
You always want to be careful when planting any kind of annuals early in the spring. Choosing when to plant annuals can be tricky, but fortunately, for Bubblegum petunias, it’s often the earlier the better.
These plants are usually very hardy, especially when they have been hardened off at the greenhouse you purchased them from.
Some greenhouses harden off Supertunia Vista Bubblegum — as a result, you can have some Bubblegum petunias outsides in freezing temperatures and they’ll survive. You can always check with the greenhouse you purchase them from to know when it’s safe to plant outside.
Where to plant
Bubblegum petunias grow best in full sun, so make sure you plant them in a spot where they’ll get at least 6 hours of sunlight.
Since Bubblegum petunias spread a lot, they can be grown in various landscape applications. Scroll further down in this post for 6 ideas on where to grow Bubblegum petunias in your landscape.
How far apart to plant in the ground
Make sure to plant your Bubblegum petunias with plenty of space surrounding the plant. They can spread 2-3 feet in any direction and will mound up to 2 feet high.
Many growers will plant their Bubblegum petunias closer if they want them to grow into each other. This can result in a beautiful, non-stop display of pink flowers.
Caring for Bubblegum petunias in landscape
Once your Bubblegum petunias are planted, here are some tips for caring for Bubblegum petunias in the landscape.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is best applied to the soil early on either through a water-soluble solution or a slow-release fertilizer. After the plant has matured, the general rule of thumb is to fertilize it with every third watering.
Always monitor the plant’s health before fertilizing it to avoid under or overfertilizing it. A plant that is fed too much or too little can become unhealthy.
Watering
Fortunately, Bubblegum petunias don’t need as much water when planted in the landscape as opposed to a hanging basket or another type of container.
You’ll still want to make sure the plant gets enough water early on and throughout the summer when it gets really hot.
The key is to water consistently rather than over or underwatering for brief intervals. Consistent watering will help them produce the flowers that will make your landscape stand out.
The specific amount of water for a plant will vary according to the season.
6 landscape planting ideas for Supertunia Vista Bubblegum
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is great for any area of your landscape that gets a lot of sunlight and well-drained soil.
Here are some ideas for where and how to grow Supertunia Vista Bubblegum plants in your landscape:
- Flower bed border
- Ground covering
- Pouring over a ledge/edge
- Around your lamppost or pole
- Around your mailbox
- Pouring over rocks
Summary
Overall, Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunias are a great flower for landscape growing. Their vigorous growth and abundant blooms continue to make them a popular choice for gardeners.
Bubblegum petunias are also great plants to grow in hanging baskets and other containers. If you have questions about starting a container garden, we have some great tips for that as well.
NOTE: We focused on the Bubblegum petunias in this post since that is a popular color in the Supertunia Vista series, but most of this guide would apply to other colors in the series as well.
Other colors include:
- Paradise
- Snowdrift
- Fuchsia
- Silverberry
