Hi, At the beginning of summer, I bought some petunias called "Supertunias". What makes these different than other petunias? Is this just a hybrid? Attached are the pics of them. And yes, as you can tell from the one pic, it rained that day. Thanks
Supertunia is a trademark of Proven Winners, which provides plugs to other growers to finish off. I think Suntory Brewing Co. in Japan developed the Supertunia hybrid, at least the early ones. The petunias are noted for being floriferous. The are supposed to not need deadheading. The sterile flowers don't waste the plant's efforts on seed production.
Thanks! That's the explanation I was looking for! I haven't dead-headed these at all, and they are still blooming without getting leggy.
Yes: Supertunia is a registered trademark, rather than a plant. http://www.provenwinners.com/plants...&searchSeries=Supertunia&searchGenus=Petunia& With modern marketing by large companies, new plant introductions may have multiple names attached to them in an attempt to assert ownership and control that assures profitability. For example, the above introduction is designated as Supertunia® Blushing Princess 'Kakegawa S38' US PP14,146; Can. PBR 1398 In the above line only 'Kakegawa S38' refers to the specific cultivar, the rest being either marketing terms (the part before the cultivar name) or legal claims (PP = Plant Patent, PBR = Plant Breeder's Rights). Detailed descriptions of patented "inventions" such as this can be located on the USPTO web site using the plant patent number provided in commercial literature (as here). This is handy because there may be no other ~full accounts available of patented plants.
Thanks. I Love information!!! I had suspected that this was a marketing/company thing, but I did notice a difference in these petunias and my others. Usually by the end of the summer, there are a lot of dead stems on my petunias, even with deadheading. The supertunias haven't shown this yet. They don't seem as full as my wave petunias, but they do seem very hardy. I appreciate the clarification you've given. Thankgs again!
I think it interesting that the Kirin and and Suntory brewing company conglomerates are so involved in horiticulture. Hard to imagine the U.S. King of Beers getting into plant breeding. Suntory (I know them for a melon liqueur) has created a genetically modified blue rose.
That is amazing, when you think about it. I've never had a lot of luck with "blue" roses. I know PH has a lot to do with it, but even after altering ph, I end up with lilac roses, not blue. Thanks for all of the info
