Calibrachoa x hybrida

 Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Purple'

Earlier this year I was sent a sample range of plant labels which included ones depicting the various colour forms of Calibrachoa, a ground cover plant which sometimes goes by the common name of perennial Petunia, for the large flowering variety,  or 'Million Bells' for the smaller types. For the last year or more I have grown a purple flowering one in a hanging basket and it has been constantly in flower. The only down time it has had was when it needed a cut back after a period of constant rain which diminished the capacity of the flowers to open properly, in much the same way it does to annual Petunias.

 

 Calibrachoa 'Cherry Rose' growing with Myoporum parvifolium

In a garden situation, I like the way it can be successfully teamed with other ground cover plants such as in the case above where its fine stems are able to weave amongst the companion plant and still flower well. This overcomes the problem often seen with this plant where leaves may die off along the stem leaving a bare stringy plant with flowers only at the end. There is certainly a case for planting various ground cover plants together to see how well they combine and even letting them fight it out a bit to see which one dominates.

 Calibrachoa colour range of light and dark pink, 'Mango Tango',purple, lavender, tangerine, orange, yellow, also includes flowers with contrasting eye colour or darker veins.

If you have the space, it is terrific when used as a broad patchwork colourful groundcover.

My fantasy planting of Calibrachoa would be in the Cubist garden pictured below which was designed in the 1920's by Gabriel Guevrekian at Villa Noailles in the hills above Hyeres in the Var, South Eastern France. Blocks of colour with larger flowering types in foreground with smaller behind....