Supertunia Vista® Bubblegum® – The Toughest Petunia Around

Normally, when one thinks of flowers that can take Florida’s summer heat, Petunia isn’t the first species that comes to mind, certainly not for me.    For our northern neighbors, Petunias are one of the most popular summer bedding plants; their warm days and cool summer nights are perfect for Petunias.  But, in the deep south, we are forced to grow Petunias in the cool months before the summer heat melts them.  However, with the introduction of Wave Petunias back in 1995, the idea of a heat tolerant hybrid Petunia that could extend flowering was born.  Then a decade later in 2006, Proven Winners debuted the next evolution of heat tolerant Petunias came along, the ultra-tough Supertunia Series, and disrupted everything we thought we knew about growing Petunias.

Supertunia Vista® Bubblegum® in mid-June 2025. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.

There are several sub-series of Supertunia, all are good in my experience, but my favorite and the most resilient to heat is definitely the Vista® series, specifically the cultivar Vista® Bubblegum®.  Vista® Bubblegum® is a massively growing Petunia that can spread in excess of 4’ and possesses vivid pink flowers with dark pink veins.  Adding to the appeal of Vista Bubblegum is its self-cleaning nature, meaning no deadheading is required and it will flower more or less continuously throughout the life of the plant.  However, the most outstanding aspect of the plant is its heat tolerance (for a Petunia).  In general, Petunias in the Panhandle are planted in the fall, grow through the *usually* mild winter months, flower in the spring and then begin to languish in the heat of May-June.   Vista® Bubblegum® chooses instead to laugh at the heat and mine (planted in early November) are still going strong, unfazed by the heat, in the second week of a very hot July.  This plant just won’t quit.  Pretty impressive stuff.

Supertunia Vista® Bubblegum® beginning to look a little tired in mid-July 2025 but still going strong! Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.

For best results with Vista® Bubblegum® and all other petunias, be sure to site in a location with full sun and keep regularly watered and fertilized, especially if grown in containers, as these prolific bloomers require a lot of energy to support the months-long flower show.  Unfortunately, unless you already have Vista® Bubblegum® in your garden, you’ll have to wait until the fall to find more in nurseries, but these plants and its series siblings are well worth the wait!  Plant a few this fall and enjoy beautiful color throughout next spring and summer.

For more information on growing petunias or any other horticultural topic, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension County office.  Happy gardening!