Petunia Bee’s Knees
* Common name: Petunia Bee’s Knees
* Botanical name: Petunia x hybrida ‘Balcobees’
* What it is: Bee’s Knees debuted with much fanfare in 2022 as the first petunia to win a coveted All America Selections Gold Medal award since 1950.
Billed as a petunia with “color that just won’t quit,” Bee’s Knees is a heavy bloomer with large bright-yellow flowers with slightly darker yellow throats – an unusual shade for petunias, which generally come in pastel colors.
* Size: 10 inches tall, 20- to 24-inch spread.
* Where to use: Bee’s Knees are more expensive than annuals so they’re best spotted for maximum impact in front-foundation pots or hanging baskets. They also do well massed in the ground if you’re willing to spring for the investment. Plants flower best in full sun.
* Care: Plant in compost-rich, well-drained soil and water often enough to keep the soil consistently damp. Fertilize monthly with a flower fertilizer or add time-release pellets (i.e. Osmocote) at planting.
In pots and baskets, check for water daily and fertilize half-strength every other watering.
Snip back any too-long shoots any time. No need to deadhead; plants are self-cleaning. Yank after frost kills the plants in fall.
* Great partner: Bee’s Knees are strong enough growers to man a pot or basket alone. Otherwise, a dark-leaf cordyline or a burgundy-leafed fountain grass makes a good upright, color- and form-contrasting centerpiece with Bee’s Knees around the perimeter. Red zinnias make a good in-ground annual partner.