Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Other Names:  Million Bells, Mini Petunia

Group/Class:  Dream Kisses Series

Brand:  Westhoff

Description:

Mounded with trailing tendencies, this series produces brightly colored blooms with dramatic dark centers all throughout the season; vigorous growth, ideal for hanging baskets and patio containers; easy to grow and low maintenance

Ornamental Features

Dream Kisses™ Orange Sunset Calibrachoa is bathed in stunning orange trumpet-shaped flowers with red centers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. Its small pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Dream Kisses™ Orange Sunset Calibrachoa is a dense herbaceous annual with a trailing habit of growth, eventually spilling over the edges of hanging baskets and containers. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Dream Kisses™ Orange Sunset Calibrachoa is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Dream Kisses™ Orange Sunset Calibrachoa will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 6 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Dream Kisses™ Orange Sunset Calibrachoa is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its trailing habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.