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When it comes to fall faves, a Littletunia'll do ya

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2009

During last weekend's Dirty, Dirty Tour of Riverview Flower Farm, gardeners got a preview of the annuals and perennials bound for Home Depot garden centers this month.

November is the fourth biggest production month at the farm, which supplies Home Depots throughout the state. Owner Rick Brown grows lots of old favorites, like purple showers and coneflower, but new plant varieties are constantly being introduced. Those that seem like they might actually like a Florida lifestyle get a trial run. The wimps never make it to the store; the winners generate lots of excitement.

And this fall, that's Littletunias. The mini petunia, developed by a grower called Danziger in Israel, was a big favorite of gardeners on the tour.

"This is a good new thing that replaces the calibrachoa (Million Bells, Superbells), which really isn't a petunia," Rick says. "Calibrachoa has a lot of problems."

The biggest is it gradually turns yellow when watered with tap water; it needs acidic soil, and tap water changes the pH.

Danziger also developed the Ray series of traditional-sized petunias. Both the Littletunias and the Rays are resistant to botrytis, noble rot, which can make other petunia varieties a slimy mess. And though petunias usually flower best when days are long, Rick says these flower well through the shorter days of winter.

Neither variety carries a special "Ray" or "Littletunia" label at Home Depot. Look for them in white, gallon-sized pots marked Premium Flowers.

Penny Carnathan
Littletunia - Petunia hybrida

Available in pinks, purples and reds, including a peppermint bloom called Bicolor Illusion, Littletunias don't require dead-heading, and they'll pop back after a rain. They have a trailing habit, so they spill prettily over the side of a container. Remember, they want sun to flower.

Purple showers, Mexican petunia Ruellia brittoniana

You'll hear warnings that this tall, hardy plant is invasive. And it is - if it's the type that produces seeds. Rick grows a sterile variety that also has bigger flowers than its wild cousin.

Purple showers is great for yards with sandy soil because it's not bothered by root-attacking nematodes. It will survive in unamended sand, but as with most plants, it'll be much happier if you dig some organic material like compost into the bed. It likes the sun and usually gets by on rainwater.

Dwarf coneflower Echinacea

A Florida-friendly flower, the dwarf variety grows to about 24 inches tall (its standard-sized siblings grow to 40 inches). Coneflower is native to North Florida, so it should love Bay area winters but may not be able to stand up to our summers. Plant it in a sunny spot in soil that drains well. Coneflower is drought-tolerant once established.

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