Calibrachoa: The Petunia Look-Alike That Outperforms the Original

They look like small petunias, and for years botanists thought they were. More recently, Calibrachoa came to be recognized as a separate genus. This plant spreads and mounds like petunias, but its 1-inch-wide flowers resist the geranium (tobacco) budworms that chew petunias. Since Calibrachoa freely drops its faded flowers, you never have to deadhead.

Treat Calibrachoa as a warm-season annual in Sunset climate zones 2–24. However, in mild-winter areas of California (zones 8, 9, 14–24), it can be grown as a perennial (hardy to about 23°F).

Popular Series

• Million Bells – first series on the market, comes in trailing and mounding forms
• Superbells – slightly larger blooms in blue, pink, red, and white range
• MiniFamous – warm tones