On Gardening: More 'Magic' for your garden

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Aug 14, 2025

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Logic would tell you that if you put the magic in pink lemonade, you can do it to grapefruit too. That’s just what happened, and the horticultural blogosphere is rumbling with excitement.

Superbells' Magic Pink Lemonade calibrachoa has been out for a couple of years and has won awards like Perfect Score, Top Performer. Director’s Select and Leader of the Pack.

Proven Winners explains the "magic" this way: “This dynamic plant shifts its coloration through the seasons as it reacts to varying light levels and daylength. The large blossoms open lemon yellow and transition to a vibrant pink with both colors continually present at once on the plant.” If that wasn’t enough, you will have butterflies too!

So, this brings us to the second act of magic with Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit calibrachoa making its debut in 2026. The early feedback is through the roof. It too is amazing to watch. How in the world do the small double yellow flowers transition to a larger size and the color of a ruby red grapefruit? It is indeed "Magic." You’ll love all stages of the transformation, which like Pink Lemonade will have all colors and shades at once.

Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit pretty much has the same stats, 12 inches high with a 2-foot spread. Penn State University’s large containers and University of Georgia's hanging baskets hit the "Holy Wow" button. If you haven’t grown a double calibrachoa yet you are in for a treat.

There are a lot of double varieties and to be honest I feel like categorizing them like camellia blooms. By that I mean some are formal double, some peony form and others look like perfect miniature roses, but of course on a petunia-like plant.

As typical with plant trials they showed us a simple design idea and that is a monoculture. You can see why though as you really see a bunch of colors and shades. In the landscape and mixed container design world though, everyone has started conjuring up their own ideas of the perfect combination.

Neighbors Dave and Cynthia combined their Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit with Supertunia Persimmon petunias. James Winter and the Eden Estate Management team created some large hanging baskets in a farm and ranch setting.

They combined Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit with another calibrachoa, Superbells Grape Punch. Grapes and Grapefruit certainly sound like matches. But the baskets were large and specially made. So, they added a hot new Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz also making its debut in 2026. At first glance it seems to me the light lavender blue of Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz is a perfect match and will open the door to a lot of great recipes in the future.

So just like "Magic," you have two Superbells quick-change artist selections. There is Superbells Magic Pink Lemonade and Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit, which will debut in 2026. You will need plenty of sunlight to get the best magic display.

Choose a good lightweight potting mix and a container large enough to maximize your artistic abilities. Don’t get bogged down in the rumors that you can’t grow petunias with calibrachoas. Proven Winners has dozens of recipes that prove otherwise.

You will be watering almost daily in a hot summer so leaching of nutrients is a given. I like to use a water-soluble mix and apply every 2 to 3 weeks. A lot of the large commercial landscape crews will keep their water tanks mixed with a dilute fertilizer that is applied with each visit, even daily. Watch, your plants will tell you when to cut back, which will generate new growth and increase bloom production.

Proven Winners has moved Superbells Magic Pink Lemonade and Magic Double Grapefruit to their own group, which tells me there will be more coming. This is going to be fun!

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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.)