

You can now expect about 20 different colors, including blue and multicolors.
#Calibrochoa supercal light blue series
The SuperCal series is the trade name for the petchoa developed by the breeder Sakata. New colors include Bordeaux, Caramel Yellow, Premium Cinnamon, Premium French Vanilla, and Premium Pink. It survives late spring frosts, rain, and heat.
#Calibrochoa supercal light blue update
I have a brief list here, I will continue to update it, but you should not consider it perfect. New cultivars are produced by breeders each year. So that is about how long it has been with us. I found early testing of this plant in public botanical gardens in 2010, with branded varieties in about 2013. In Petunias, Color Is Important-What Colors Can Petchoa Give Us?Īs a new hybrid, the Petchoa has two series of cultivars, each with color choices. As a popular new plant, you will find it in season in the big box stores and in local garden centers too. Say it as if it is spelled Pet-KOA-a, and they will know what you want in the garden center. PETunia (the natural parent) and calibraCHOA-second parent. The name comes from the plant’s two parents. Petchoa is the genus, and you will find about 20 cultivars. The petchoa solves that problem, it does not produce sticky hairs, and you will notice that the petchoa recovers fastest from heavy rain. That’s why it takes us so long to deadhead. The petunia has hairy leaves which become sticky and trap the spent blossoms on the plant. The Petchoa is said to have the best disease resistance of the three. Therefore, the blooms will remain open in light rain and withstand bad weather the best. In addition, petchoa tolerates severe rain storms, a feature it inherits from the calibrachoa. (The Petchoa tolerates high pH levels the best.) So, because it accepts both cooler spring and fall temperatures and late summer heat and humidity, it should outperform either parent! In addition, it can minimize disease as well as pH issues better than either parent. It is well branching (which means no pinching), and the foliage is not sticky (less deadheading). Petchoa withstands heat, wind, and rain better than either of its parents. The petchoa inherits strong roots, good pH tolerance, and general vigor from the petunia parent. Petchoa (pet-KOA-uh) has l arge flowers, as wide as t he petunia and almost as long. So what does it bring us? Here’s Why You Might Choose Petchoa! So why do we need another very similar plant, a recently bred hybrid? It is a cross between a Petunia and a Calibrachoa. It is called “million bells” for the very large number of small but petunia-like blooms. Use calibrachoa for its ability to last longer than petunias in the heat of summer and its unique colors. Later we discovered its unique and valuable ability to be bred in extraordinary colors, and the rest is history, However, unlike the petunia, which was universally loved almost immediately, the calibrachoa was for many years ignored as it was considered hard to grow.

So it has a place in our gardens.Ĭalibrachoa and petunia were both discovered in South America in the 19th century. The flower is similar to the Petunia, and the plant has better resistance to hot, humid summers than the Petunia. We, gardeners, love Petunias and we are happy with the much newer Calibrachoa, which looks like loads of small petunias on a colorful, mounding, and trailing plant.

It fully meets the definition of what we want from a blooming annual plant. It should perform in your garden or in containers from spring to fall and do so every day. It is petunia-like, with large, wide tubular blooms in brilliant colors, and is more tolerant of heat and rain than either of the other plants. And as a cross between the petunia and the calibrachoa, it has features not found in either plant. Do You Wish Petunias Would Last Longer In The Summer?
