Where to Plant Calibrachoa
If you’re looking to quickly fill a container or hanging basket, this plant is up to the task and mixes well with other plants. Tuck it into the front of a border, where it can spill out onto sidewalks or patios. Use calibrachoa to fill gaps in a rock garden with other colorful perennials. It doesn’t typically get much taller than 4 inches. Its spread draws attention: Some plants can extend over 2 feet of ground.
How and When to Plant Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa thrives best when the risk of frost has passed, so wait until after the last expected frost in your region before planting. To plant, dig a hole that's the same depth as the nursery pot and slightly wider. Gently remove the plant from its pot and loosen the soil around the roots. Place the calibrachoa in the hole, fill in with soil or potting mix, and press down gently to remove air pockets. Water the plant thoroughly. Space plants at least 12 inches apart to give them room to grow. For the first few weeks, water the plant consistently so the soil remains moist until it's established.
Before acquiring a new plant, make sure your environment meets its needs. Not every plant will do well in every location.
Calibrachoa Care Tips
Calibrachoa will bloom continuously throughout the summer if its care needs are kept at an optimal level.
Light
Calibrachoas require six to eight hours of sun daily for the best blooms. They tolerate partial shade but produce fewer blooms.
Soil and Water
Use an all-purpose potting mix in containers or hanging baskets. Calibrachoas do best in containers with good drainage. When planted in beds outdoors, they benefit from well-draining soil that has been amended with nutrients.
Temperature and Humidity
Calibrachoa prefers temperatures between 55°F and 65°F, but the plant is heat-tolerant and drought-tolerant. If hardened off, it can stand a light frost in spring, but it doesn’t enjoy high heat and dry soil. The plant grows well in moderate humidity of 40% to 70%.
Fertilizer
Calibrachoa plants are heavy feeders that need regular applications of fertilizer to support their continuous bloom period. Add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil before planting, or apply a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks.
Since it’s such a fast grower, calibrachoa requires a decent amount of food and will let you know if it needs sustenance. Sensitive to low amounts of nitrogen, calibrachoa turns yellow when it needs to be fed. So, if your plants look a little golden, it’s time to give them a dose of fertilizer.
Pruning
Pruning calibrachoa plants is not required, but you can pinch back the plants to keep them bushy and deadhead spent blooms to encourage more blossoms. If it becomes leggy, the plant can be cut back by as much as one-third.
Potting and Repotting
Calibrachoa plants are beautiful additions to hanging baskets, window boxes, and container gardens. Choose a container with excellent drainage and fill it with good-quality potting soil. Space the plants 6 to 12 inches apart and locate the container where it receives six to eight hours of sun daily. Calibrachoa plants produce fewer flowers when planted in a shady area. Because these plants are typically grown as annuals, repotting is not needed.
Innovations
Recently, some interesting work has been done with calibrachoa plants. An example is the creation of the petchoa, a cross between a petunia, a close relative, and the calibrachoa. This hybrid looks a lot like you might expect, considering its parents: a giant flowering plant with a mounded habit—the best of both worlds.
Types of Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa can be treated as an annual in most of the United States, but it is perennial in USDA Zones 9-11.
‘Cabaret Hot Pink’ Calibrachoa
‘Cabaret Hot Pink’ Calibrachoa bears multitudes of bright pink flowers on trailing stems to 8 inches.
‘Cabaret Purple Glow’ Calibrachoa
‘Cabaret Purple Glow’ Calibrachoa trails to 8 inches and tolerates part shade. It grows 12 inches wide.
‘Can-Can Mocha’ Calibrachoa
‘Can-Can Mocha’ Calibrachoa offers creamy flowers with a chocolate-purple throat. It has a mounding-trailing habit and grows 15 inches tall and wide.
‘Colorbust Chocolate’ Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa ‘Colorburst Chocolate’ is a compact, mounding selection to 8 inches and offers burgundy blooms blushed with chocolate-brown.
‘Million Bells Terra-Cotta’ Calibrachoa
‘Million Bells Terra-Cotta’ Calibrachoa offers orange flowers streaked with shades of red and gold on trailing stems to 8 inches.
‘Million Bells Coral’ Calibrachoa
‘Million Bells Coral’ Calibrachoa offers lots of coral-pink flowers on trailing stems to 8 inches.
‘MiniFamous Compact Dark Red’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Compact Dark Red’ Calibrachoa produces rich red flowers on a compact 8-inch trailing plant.
‘MiniFamous Double Blue’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Double Blue’ Calibrachoa shows off fully double velvety-blue flowers on a trailing plant with 10-inch-long stems.
‘MiniFamous Double Blush’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Double Blush’ Calibrachoa bears gorgeous double pink flowers on a vigorous trailing plant with 10-inch-long stems.
‘Minifamous Double Pink’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Double Pink’ Calibrachoa produces double pink flowers on a plant that trails to 10 inches.
‘MiniFamous Double Yellow’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Double Yellow’ Calibrachoa produces intricate double flowers on a vigorous plant that trails to 10 inches.
‘MiniFamous Sun Violet Veins’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Sun Violet Veins’ Calibrachoa bears soft blue flowers with violet-purple netting on a vigorous plant that trails to 10 inches.
‘MiniFamous Tangerine’ Calibrachoa
‘MiniFamous Tangerine’ Calibrachoa offers soft yellow flowers with orange markings on a vigorous plant that trails to 8 inches.
‘Superbells Blackberry Punch’ Calibrachoa
Blooms of the ‘Superbells Blackberry Punch’ feature a deep raspberry-red outline with an almost black center.
‘Superbells Blue’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Blue’ Calibrachoa is a floriferous variety with loads of violet-blue flowers on trailing 8-inch stems.
‘Superbells Cherry Star’ Calibrachoa
A Calibrachoa hybrid, ‘Superbells Cherry Star’ was one of the first to produce this bright yellow star pattern in the center. This particular series showcases a cherry-colored backdrop.
‘Superbells Dreamsicle’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Dreamsicle’ Calibrachoa is a vigorous variety that shows off creamy orange flowers on a plant that trails to 3 feet or more.
‘Superbells Lavender’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Lavender’ Calibrachoa bears an abundance of lavender flowers on trailing 36-inch-long stems.
‘Superbells Peach’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Peach’ Calibrachoa offers salmon-orange blooms with a darker throat. It holds up well to rainy weather and trails to 30 inches.
‘Superbells Saffron’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Saffron’ Calibrachoa bears yellow flowers with a red-orange throat. It trails to 36 inches.
‘Superbells Scarlet’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Scarlet’ Calibrachoa bears bold scarlet-red flowers on a vigorous plant that trails to 30 inches.
‘Superbells Tequila Sunrise’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Tequila Sunrise’ Calibrachoa produces a plethora of orange flowers with yellow streaks. This vigorous variety can trail to 30 inches.
‘Superbells Trailing Lilac Mist’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Trailing Lilac Mist’ Calibrachoa bears lots of cream flowers with dark blue veins and has better heat- and drought-tolerance than most. It trails to 3 feet.
‘Superbells Yellow Chiffon’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Yellow Chiffon’ Calibrachoa produces soft yellow flowers on a floriferous plant that trails to 30 inches.
‘Superbells Yellow’ Calibrachoa
‘Superbells Yellow’ Calibrachoa features large, clear yellow flowers and a low, trailing habit. It trails to 30 inches.
‘Voodoo’ Calibrachoa
‘Voodoo’ Calibrachoa produces plum flowers with yellow streaks and flecks. Each bloom is different. The plant trails to 30 inches or more, making it a good choice for hanging baskets and large mixed container gardens.
Calibrachoa Companion Plants
Angelonia
Angelonia is also called summer snapdragon, and once you get a good look at it, you’ll know why. It has salvia-like flower spires that reach 1-2 feet tall, studded with fascinating snapdragon-like flowers with beautiful colorations in purple, white, or pink. It’s the perfect plant for adding bright color to hot, sunny spaces. This tough plant blooms all summer long. While its varieties are beautiful, the sweetly scented selections offer a bonus. Most gardeners treat angelonia as an annual, but it’s a tough perennial in Zones 9-10. If you have a bright, sunny spot indoors, you can keep it flowering all winter.
Coral Bells
Exciting selections with incredible foliage patterns put coral bells on the map. Once enjoyed mainly for their spires of dainty reddish flowers, coralbells are also grown for the unusual mottling and veining of different-colored leaves. The low clumps of long-stemmed evergreen or semi-evergreen lobed foliage make coralbells fine groundcover plants. They enjoy humus-rich, moisture-retaining soil. Beware of heaving in areas with very cold winters.
Zinnias
Zinnias are vigorous, fast-growing annual flowers that make beautiful additions to the garden. They vary from tall, stately plants suitable for borders to dwarf varieties that work well in containers. The flowers come in a range of colors, including red, pink, yellow, orange, and white. Plant them in full sun and provide consistent moisture.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do calibrachoas need to be cut back?
- Calibrachoas do a good job of "burying their dead"—meaning they grow so fast, they quickly cover over old blossoms. This is a plus for low-maintenance gardeners, as there’s no need to manually remove dead growth.
- Which creatures eat calibrachoas in the garden?
- Calibrachoas are not classified as deer-resistant, but deer don’t usually munch on them. Neither do rabbits. However, tobacco budworms are a different story; they happily dine on buds and petals. They are large enough to pick off, but an application of Bacillus thuringiensis will also take care of them.
- Is calibrachoa toxic?
- Calibrachoa is not toxic. It is a safe plant to have in your garden in locations where children and pets play.
