On Gardening: This petunia will add Cool Jazz to your garden

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Dec 18, 2025

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Several months ago, The Garden Guy told you about a new Supertunia Vista making its debut in 2026. The color is rare in the garden, especially in petunias. It is called Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz. The Vista series has become the go-to for petunias in both the landscape and containers, which means you should be able to find them at your garden center for spring planting.

Much of the credit for the Supertunia Vista popularity must go to Bubblegum. I’m not talking about the kind you put in your mouth but the one that generated the gardener catchphrase, "I need my Bubblegums!" Because of Supertunia Vista Bubblegum, we have fallen in love with Vista Paradise, Vista Fuchsia, Vista Snowdrift, Vista Silverberry and Vista Jazzberry Petunias representing hundreds of awards.

The tag for Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz says cool orchid pink, which is certainly true, but if you are like me, you will see hints of blue. You will love it grown as a monoculture, but step it up to a complementary color scheme or my preference: triadic harmony.

One thing that will be fun is hearing everyone’s vision of what is complementary and triadic for Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz. The Vista Cool Jazz color is not found on the artist’s color wheel. Plus, Vista Cool Jazz has subtle changes throughout the day, as sunlight varies. When the first Proven Winners photos came out, they were showing pink. For one brief moment in time, I saw that in one of my containers, but never again.

Even your humble garden guy, the author of "Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden," can feel stumped in picking partners for Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz petunia. The first thing that I am certain of is that Supertunia Saffron Finch is pure magic with it. Saffron Finch with its own gradient of yellow is just perfect.

Then I added Supertunia Vista Jazzberry. If you are like me, you’ll feel like shouting glory. It is like spring bouquets that just burst forth not only in spring, but summer and even as I write this on Dec. 8. At first, I was thinking I had created the perfect triadic harmony with flower colors. Triadic harmony is three colors equal distance on the color wheel. But the more I thought about and looked at more color wheels and color charts, this may indeed be the perfect scheme called split complementary.

A split complementary is a color, let’s say the Supertunia Saffron Finch, which is basically yellow, then we pick out the two colors on either side of its complementary color or its opposite. In this case red violet and blue violet are the two colors. The big question is: What color is Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz petunia?

If you like our three colors, you certainly have options. Instead of Saffron Finch you can select Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow or Superbells Yellow. If you like Supertunia Vista Jazzberry but find yourself out of these at the garden center, try Supertunia Hoopla Vivid Orchid or Superbena Royale Plum Wine verbena.

Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz will reach 12 to 24 inches in height with a potential spread of 36 inches. You'll need sunlight, and regular water and feeding if growing in mixed containers. In your landscape beds, fertile and well-drained is the key. Build your bed as needed with raised bed soil mix. In my zone 8 Georgia, cutting back is always part of the regimen. This occurs most often in August.

Supertunia Mini Vista Cool Jazz will be a hot commodity during planting season so the day you see it at the garden center is the moment you should buy it.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)