Four years ago or so, Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo was extensively used in our area and was like the shot heard round the world. We all looked at each other with a sense of bewilderment asking how a Mini Vista could compete with the Vistas for a long, hot summer show of color. With every new variety or addition to the series, it has been the same. This year in university trials and in our home settings Supertunia Mini Vista Plum Veined swept us off our feet.

Supertunia Mini Vista Plum Veined will make its debut at garden centers in the spring of 2025. This year in the hottest summer many of us could remember, we had that feeling that this variety was maybe getting put to an unfair test. Perhaps we were thinking that in a summer where everything seemed to struggle, we might be able to say, "That’s OK, it wasn’t fair that you were put to the test in 2024."

If the Supertunia Mini Vista Plum Veined could talk it would have said, "Don’t worry, I’ve got this." All of the trial results haven’t come in, at least with what I have been able to see, but Penn State University and University of Georgia, two of the most prestigious trial locations, had Supertunia Mini Vista Plum Veined scoring 4.83 and 4.96 respectively on a scale of 5.

Like the others, the write-up says 12 inches tall with a 2-foot spread, and like the others you can expect more, particularly in the South. Proven Winners says they will excel as both fillers and spillers in mixed containers. In Young’s Plant Farm Annual Garden Tour in Auburn, Alabama, however they have demonstrated the past couple of years that the Supertunia Mini Vista petunias can stand on their own as a monoculture. This year Supertunia Mini Vista Plum Veined and Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow were featured in separate hanging baskets bringing out the plant paparazzi.

The tag says the flowers are fuchsia pink with plum veins. And that is certainly right, but these have a certain richness to these shades. Almost any color will partner well other than a flaming orange. Son James used Luscious Royale Cosmo lantana with it in a bed and it looked awesome. I partnered mine with the new Hollywood Hibiscus America’s Sweetheart and it was nothing short of dazzling. Certainly Luscious Golden Gate or Luscious Citron would sizzle and even more so if you incorporated some blue.

Proven Winners has four recipes online. My favorite is called Boost of Energy and features Supertunia Royal Magenta petunia, Blushing Princess sweet alyssum and the star of this week’s column, Supertunia Mini Vista Plum Veined petunia.

The Supertunia Mini Vista series will now total 10 varieties, and while they may seem new to many gardeners, know that they have already won 176 awards. You will feel like you won the Green Thumb Award if you give them good potting soil in your container with plenty of sunlight. In the ground, make your soil fertile and organic rich. I feed mine every two to three weeks with a water-soluble mix.

You don’t think about petunias attracting pollinators, but the Supertunia Mini Vista series has a history of bringing in bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all of which make the garden more enjoyable.

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(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.)

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