On Gardening: Pink Cloud will make its debut in 2026

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Jul 24, 2025

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There will be a cloud hanging over the Supertunia Mini Vista Petunia group next year, but I promise you will jump for joy.

It will be even more cloudy if you plant the new Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud petunia in hanging baskets. But those of us provided with the opportunity to trial them this year are finding they are perfect for window boxes and raised beds too! The thing most surprising to The Garden Guy is that this pink blossom with white throat is so incredibly gorgeous, and I am not a pink guy.

The last few years have seen the Supertunia Moni Vista petunias exploding in number of selections, popularity and awards. Kim Mixon in Phenix City, Alabama, has become famous for her landscape of color including a long window box that has been home to several Supertunia Mini Vista petunia varieties.

Susan Middleton Turner in Miller County, Georgia, electrified all who saw her coconut fiber banister baskets full of Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo petunias. This variety has won 34 awards including 5 Perfect Score All Season.

Speaking of honors, the last time I wrote about the 10 varieties of Supertunia Mini Vista petunias, they had won 176 awards. As we shift from 10 varieties to 11 with the addition of Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud, I predict that the award trophy case will have to add more shelves.

If you have not given Supertunia Mini Vista petunias a try, jump on the bandwagon the next time you see them for sale at your favorite garden center. As a rule of thumb, they reach about 12 inches tall with a 24-inch spread. So, if compared to the famous Supertunia Vista Bubblegum that can reach 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide, the Mini Vistas are more controlled.

The past three years the Young’s Plant Farm Annual Garden Tour in Auburn, Alabama, has showcased Supertunia Mini Vista petunias in hanging baskets. This year was no exception as Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud was dazzling against the baby blue sky. They also showed some great combinations in raised beds with blue salvias, pink gomphrena and lantanas with their kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors.

James Winter and the Eden Estate Management team had the opportunity to incorporate the Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud in window boxes, again in Phenix City, Alabama, and a location in Columbus, Georgia. The copper boxes in Columbus featured Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud with Superbena Violet Ice verbena, and the new Laguna Royale Azure lobelia.

The window box in Phenix City has been like a testing ground for Supertunia Mini Vista petunias over the years, and 2025 was no different. This year’s rendition featured Supertunia Mini Vistas, Yellow, Scarlet and the new Pink Cloud which was intertwined between. Other companions were Angelface White summer snapdragons and Superbells Grape Punch calibrachoas.

If you feel you want to give some of the Supetunia Mini Vistas a try, select a site with plenty of sun. Susan Middleton Turner in south Georgia was happy with her mornings of direct sun and protection in the afternoon heat. If planting in the ground, try growing in raised beds. Make soil fertile, organic-rich and well-drained. Incorporate controlled release granular fertilizer when doing soil preparation.

In baskets, boxes and containers, use a really good potting mix. I do like the blends that have slow-release fertilizer in the bag. But don’t be fooled: As you water daily, particularly in the South, you will be leaching out nutrients and will need to feed more often. I like to use a diluted water-soluble mix and pour on with a bucket that has a spout.

Most of us in the South find it necessary to cut back at least once, probably twice to stimulate growth, happiness and blooms. Lately many of us have been coaxing some through the winter and a little snipping with the advent of spring growth will have you in bloom before your friends are even planting.

It is perfectly fine to be a Supertunia Vista Bubblegum freak (we all are), but you’ve got to try Supertunia Mini Vista petunias too, and put the new Mini Vista Pink Cloud high on the list.

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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.)