For more than 20 years, Suntory’s Surfinia petunias have been winning the world over for dramatically improved garden performance.
Surfinias literally changed the global landscape when they debuted, reinventing the petunia genus and gardening with annuals in general. Up until this point, most annuals were produced from seed. Suntory Flowers introduced very vigorous varieties propagated by cuttings, leading what would become the vegetative annuals revolution.
As Suntory’s very first offering in flowers and Surfinia laid the ground for future success. Up until that point, the breeders in Japan were focused on ingredients for Suntory’s global beverage business – whiskey, wine, beer and nonalcoholic. But the biotech boom brought Suntory to flowers and the breeding teams ventured out to collect promising plants from all over the world. One that caught their attention was a wild petunia with a spreading habit and high flower count. It offered traits seed petunias had been missing. Suntory’s breeders chose the name Surfinia for its spreading habit, like the surf.
Surfinias offer superior summer performance, weather tolerance and disease resistance. Plants fill out beds, baskets and containers quickly. The legendary Surfinia brand has expanded to include more than 30 petunia varieties in four different types:
Surfinia Trailing petunias – These are the original Surfinias that became a sensation. Plants are very vigorous to fill out beds and baskets. Each year, new trailing varieties are introduced and improved, offering the most modern, top-performing genetics. Surfinia Mounding petunias – These varieties were bred specifically for large patio containers and grow to create a nice, full rounded mounded of blooms. Choose from the Patio types, with larger flowers, or Baby Compact varieties with smaller flowers. Surfinia Bouquet petunias – These varieties are ideal for smaller spaces. Bouquet varieties have a compact growth habit but a high flower count. Perfect for pots and window boxes. Surfinia Summer Double petunias – These are brand new for this spring season! Unlike other double petunias, Summer Doubles are weather and heat tolerant. Flowers are smaller and tightly held to shed water. Choose from Rose, Pink and White.
Check out the new Surfinia Summer Doubles here: http://suntorycollection.com/gardeners/surfinia-summer-double/
More than 20 years later, Surfinia is still the world’s No. 1 petunia and Suntory’s breeders keep introducing the best new petunias. Today, under the Surfinia brand, you can find 18 trailing colors, 7 mounding, 5 compact Bouquet types and three new Summer Doubles with double flowers.
About Delilah Onofrey: She is director of Flower Power Marketing and supports Suntory Flowers' marketing efforts in North America. For 18 years she was an editor with Greenhouse Grower magazine, serving commercial flower growers.
Posted March 8, 2013
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