Two new Superbells calibrachoas are hitting the garden centers this year and will forever change your mind on the incorporation of double flowers in your designs. That’s right: Superbells Double Vintage Coral and Double Smitten Pink will win your hearts.

Yours truly had a mental block on double calibrachoas until a few years ago when I had the opportunity to try Superbells Double Blue. Almost in sequence with the first blooms, eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies and ruby-throated hummingbirds started hitting on the flowers. Like many, I too assumed double flowers were of no use to pollinators, but that is simply not true.

Last year was like a soft release of Superbells Double Vintage Coral and Double Smitten Pink, and The Garden Guy’s misconceptions were simply blown away. It was a feeling I had that these flowers, which looked like they came from Grandma’s house, somehow didn’t have the pizzazz of my treasured Superbells Punch group.

Let’s start with the Superbells Double Smitten Pink. Proven Winners calls the flower shades light pink, rose pink and bi-tone, but I kid you not, to me it looks as if grandma’s wallpaper came to life as flowers.

White plays a prominent role in their color pattern too. It was ever so present the day I was fortunate to photograph a mixed container. The large pot had Double Smitten Pink mixed with Superbena Royale Plum Wine verbena and Supertunia Mini Vista Hot Pink petunias. Though the other flowers were larger, the Double Smitten Pink carried the design to the finish.

Double Smitten Pink will reach up to 12 inches in height with a potential trail of 30 inches, It is already a multi-award winner from North to South.

Double Vintage Coral intrigued me from the start because I am a freak for coral-colored flowers. Proven Winners describe the flower shades as amber-orange, with hints of reddish purple. That alone should make you want to try it.

The Garden Guy combined it with Supertunia Mini Vista Ultramarine petunia, Diamond Snow euphorbia and Queen Tut papyrus. I would do it again in a minute. The blue shades of flowers create a magical contrast. Superbena Violet Ice verbena and Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo petunia would also make stunning partners.

The Superbells calibrachoas have a lot of cold tolerance for the South, though not so much in winters where we have one polar vortex after another like this one. But last year my Superbells Double Vintage Coral came through the winter in dazzling fashion.

It too has a suggested height of 12 inches but with a slightly smaller spread. But with its return from the winter, it resembled the size of a dwarf azalea. Its amber-orange or coral flowers seemed to glow with the warm spring temperatures. It too is a multi-award winner including a Perfect Score in Michigan State University trials.

The Garden Guy uses really good potting soil and feeds his mixed containers every two to three weeks with a dilute water-soluble fertilizer. Cutting back also plays a vital role in their performance. I can’t put a date on it but it usually occurs in late summer. I leave a tuft of healthy leaves, which seems to act as a magical stimulant for new growth and blooms for fall.

If you have misconceptions or hesitance on double flowered Superbells calibrachoas make this the year you try them. There are now a dozen double selections with the addition of Double Vintage Coral and Double Smitten Pink.

____

(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC