With Father’s Day just around the corner, do you think it’s finally possible that mother nature will turn the heat up and let the sunshine? I think we are all ready for summer to arrive.

I absolutely love being the annual greenhouse manager. Every day I come to work and get to enjoy all the summer color annuals provide throughout the summer and well into the fall season.

Early spring, we have show stoppers like nemesia, osteospermum daisies, petunias, snow princess allysum, and of course the number one favorite PANSIES!!

But, once the summer heat arrives so do the full-on summer colors.

For the best of all summer color, you can choose from a wide array of thriller plants such as:

• Hibiscus, mandevilla, lantana, jasmine,and cannas.

Next, choose a great filler plant:

• Angelonia, verbena, pentas, gazanias, vermillionare, ageratum, geraniums, lantana, new guinea, and sun impatiens just to name a few. Oh, and we can’t forget diamond frost my all-time favorite.

And last we need a great creeping/spiller plant.

• Petunias, million bells, verbena, lantana, vinca flower, bacopa, lobelia, and even though they don’t flower also Lysimachia and sweet potato vine add great contrast in color against the foliage of all the flowers.

Whether the annual color is in your garden or in pots on your patio any combination of the plants mentioned above will have you saying, IT’S FIVE O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE. “ L.O.L “

Every day at work I get asked, where are your wave petunias.

As I take you all over, I ask the question. Why wave petunias?

Most of you know only of wave petunias as the ones that cascade and you don’t have to deadhead.

Back in 1995 or so wave petunias took the united states by storm. They were marketed as a gorgeous trumpet-shaped flower, very low maintenance, one in which you don’t have to deadhead. Who doesn’t love a flower you don’t have to deadhead? And so, everyone’s love affair grew with this gorgeous petunia. Now fast forward to 2006. A new variety has made its way across the country, Proven winners Supertunia.

Before I tell you the difference between these two petunias, let me explain something about both varieties.

They are self-shedding petunias. This doesn’t mean no deadheading. It simply means that the spent flower will fall off when finished blooming. This allows for the plant to always look its best. But you still need to get in there and deadhead old stems of the flowers occasionally to promote more new and healthy flowers. Just like you or I, plants also need a haircut now and then to look their best.

Now onto our original question. Wave petunia vs supertunia?

I always asked this question. Are you planting in the ground or in a container? If the answer is ground I would tell you to go with a wave petunia. The reason for this is because wave petunias are vigorous growers with a lower growth habit. So if you plant these in your yard you will get a great plant that will fill in fast and create a carpet of color.

If your answer is container I would suggest going with the supertunia. I would choose these because not only does this petunia have a great trailing habit but it also gets a little height. So not only is it a great spiller plant but it also makes a great filler plant.

IF it was my choice to choose I would always choose supertunias. They are exceptional performers that will bloom from early spring until the first frost. And the colors they offer are truly beautiful. Our favorites here at Van Wilgen’s are Supertunia bubble gum, silverberry, and Bordeaux.

Whether you choose wave or supertunias just remember, deadheading or a good haircut along with some slow-release fertilizer a few times during the season makes for a happy healthy plant.