Petite Substitutes for Petunias in the Annual Border

I don't like petunias. There - my prejudices are out in the open. I won't try to justify my dislike for the ubiquitous petunia, but if you're looking for an annual flower that will fill in some space in your flower border, and you're tired of petunias too, here are three of my favorites.

One of my favorite petunia substitutes is Calibrachoa, which is actually a distant relative of the petunia. Calibrachoa, sold as 'Million Bells', is a low-growing plant that spreads and trails over baskets and walls, much like a miniature petunia. The flowers are much smaller, though, and the leaves are finer than the petunia. The plants continue to spread and bloom from late spring to frost in a carefree manner that any busy gardener will enjoy.

The Calibrachoa blooming in my garden has continued to look fantastic in spite of several weeks of weather in the upper 90's. The blossoms self-clean, so no deadheading is needed. Unfortunately, this also means that the Calibrachoa will not set seed, and new plants will need to be purchased each spring since these hybrid plants are patented.

The 'Million Bells' we find each spring in the nursery were originally part of an extensive breeding program conducted by a Japanese company called Suntory Ltd, which now holds its patent. The hybrids were bred from a plant found growing naturally in South America in 1988. These plants will grow in any sunny spot where petunias are happy, but will be much shorter. They also look fantastic trailing over the sides of hanging baskets. The plants will eventually fill in a space at least 12" wide or more, but to fill in garden space more quickly they can be planted as little as 8" apart.

Calibrachoa are available in shades of blue, pink, red, yellow and white.