PETUNIA CIRCUS SKY SET TO LIGHT UP GARDEN CENTRES AND BEYOND

Petunia Circus Sky set to light up garden centres this spring and beyond

By Matt Ross

This spring will see the launch of Petunia ‘Circus Sky’, the newest addition to the Sky family of vegetative petunias, supplied by Ball Australia and grown by Piggy Back Farm Nursery. ‘Circus Sky’ is tipped to be a best seller at garden centres this year and every label sold will see a percentage go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), meaning the more sales, the larger the donation.

Having viewed ‘Circus Sky’ at Ball Australia’s impressive Trials Week in 2021, the Piggy Back Farm Nursery team is making it their hero line this year. They’re extremely excited to take the plant to retailers in spring and anticipate it being one of their bestsellers ever.

‘Circus Sky has fantastic growing habits. We’re putting lots of energy into it, we’ve committed to growing it in large volumes and allocated a lot of space in the nursery. There’s a lot of enthusiasm from our retail customers and rightly so, it’s a standout plant,’ enthused Shaun Koster, partner at Piggy Back Farm Nursery.

And there’s an extra personal incentive for Piggy Back Farm Nursery to have success with ‘Circus Sky’. It’s one of a number of new products being released this spring in support of NBCF’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2022 which begins on Saturday 1st October 2022.

Piggy Back Farm Nursery is a close-knit family business that has been impacted by breast cancer. ‘My grandmother has survived three bouts of breast cancer. Knowing that a percentage of the plant sales is going to a cause that has impacted our family, and many others, so significantly is extra motivation for us to get behind ‘Circus Sky’ and see it succeed,’ explains Shaun.

‘However, we wouldn’t be putting so much energy into growing the plant in such large volumes unless it had outstanding growing habits. It’s a semi upright petunia, neat, tidy, and compact, with good internodal gaps. It’s really wellrounded and even growing.

‘Circus Sky’ flowers at a really good size and is perfect for growing in a 140mm pot or a hanging basket. As they continue to grow out, they still look stunning and don’t get too big and leafy.

‘I’ve visited a number of our retail customers and explained the project with NBCF and the excellence of the plant. They’re all right behind it and enthusiastic to give ‘Circus Sky’ prominent positioning and promotion in their stores.’

Ball Australia has been supporting NBCF for 11 years now with similar plant promotions. With 20 cents from every label sold donated to the NBCF, Ball Australia has raised nearly $130,000 during that time.

‘Any assistance to improve breast cancer research and survival rates is enormous. As a business we see this as a significant contribution to give back and bring a focus to the program through the avenue of plants,’ explained Kate Grant, Marketing Manager at Ball Australia.

Along with Petunia ‘Circus Sky’, Petunia ‘Pink Diamond’, Petunia ‘Bees Knees’, Calibrachoa ‘Starjump Hot Pink’, and Petchoa ‘Supercal Sunray Pink’ are the other new products being released this spring in conjunction with the NBCF fundraising initiative.

Ball Australia’s fundraising efforts are certainly appreciated at National Breast Cancer Foundation.

‘We are really grateful for Ball Australia’s support. The loyalty from this partnership is a testament to both parties and their commitment to reaching zero deaths from breast cancer,’ said Peter Allwood, Chief Operating Officer of NBCF.

How you can support National Breast Cancer Foundation

The simplest way to support NBCF is to donate – every dollar counts, and the money raised goes towards game-changing breast cancer research. Since 1994, NBCF has invested $190 million into 575 world-class research projects. In that time, the five-year survival rate has increased from 76% to 91.5%. With your help, we can change the stats to improve breast cancer outcomes.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia with over 20, 000 people diagnosed each year and 9 people losing their lives to the disease every day. The only way to stop deaths from breast cancer is by funding research to improve our understanding of how breast cancer originates, grows and spreads so that we can stop it in its tracks. The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) are on a mission to end deaths from breast cancer.

Find out more at nbcf.org.au.

Plant profile:

Petunia ‘Circus Sky’

Petunia ‘Circus Sky’ is sure to be the main attraction in your garden this summer! This novel new variety produces a long-lasting display of bright pink blooms, each splashed and starred with dazzling white. Every flower is utterly unique, with patterns never seen before. This gently semi-trailing petunia will cascade over the sides of baskets, containers and window boxes. Boasting good vigour and superb weather tolerance, you can rely on ‘Circus Sky’ to create a show-stopping feature that will last from spring to autumn.

Height: 30cm Width: 80cm

More information

Contact Piggy Back Farm Nursery to stock Petunia Circus Sky in your garden centre. www.piggybackfarm.com.au Contact Ball Australia to find out more about growing Petunia Circus Sky. e: orders@ballaustralia.com