Surdiva scaevolas are summer scorchers

Surdiva pink

Scaevolas have become an essential part of summer annuals programs by demonstrating their ability to take the heat in the toughest climates — whether it be hot and dry conditions in Texas, hot and humid in Georgia, or just a typical hot summer up North. Surdiva scaevolas bred by Suntory Flowers go the distance!

Native to Australia and Polynesia, scaevola is grown as an annual but is a perennial by nature. While the native species has a wild, rangy habit, Surdivas have a mounding, semi-trailing habit, producing distinctive fan-shaped flowers on short terminal spikes. These traits make the plants more manageable to grow and maintain.
In the past, growers relied on labor-intensive pinching to shape scaevola plants and keep growth in check. Surdivas have also been selected for continuous floral coverage on top of the plants, improving their presentation in pots and landscapes through the summer.

The three Surdiva colors — Blue, Light Blue and White Improved — are uniform and fill out containers nicely. For 2016, Suntory introduced ‘Surdiva Pink’ at the California Spring Trials, bringing more possibilities to landscape color schemes. In combinations, Surdiva can serve as filler in hanging baskets that is more durable than bacopa.

Observing Surdiva scaevola varieties for many years at the University of Georgia’s trial gardens, Dr. Allan Armitage says, "Among the finest scaevolas in our trial gardens, they associate well with other plants in the ground but are especially useful for mixed containers. Light Blue is one of my favorites.”

Going for carefree color, the Disney parks in Florida routinely use scaevolas in mixed baskets year after year. As you walk around Epcot during the flower festival, it’s common to see white scaevolas filling out the bottoms of large baskets with red geraniums on top.

For more information about Surdiva scaevolas, visit www.suntorycollection.com.