Botanical Name: Petunia × hybrida ‘Bee’s Knees’ Common Name: Petunia Hardiness Zone: Grown as an Annual in All Climates Size: 10–14" Tall × 18–24" Spread Growth Habit: Mounding to Lightly Trailing Habit Sunlight: Full Sun Soil: Well-Drained, Fertile Soil Water Needs: Moderate; Drought Tolerant Once Established Bloom Season: Late Spring through Frost Fertilizer: Regular Feeding for Best Performance Features: Bright Golden-Yellow Blooms, Early Flowering, Heavy Bloom Count, Excellent Heat Performance Uses: Containers, Hanging Baskets, Window Boxes, Borders, Mass Plantings

Patent: ✔ Patented Propagation: ❌ Propagation Prohibited Without License

More About Petunia ‘Bee’s Knees’

Petunia ‘Bee’s Knees’ is celebrated for its vibrant, true golden-yellow flowers, a color that has historically been difficult to achieve in petunias. Unlike older yellow varieties that faded to cream, ‘Bee’s Knees’ delivers rich, saturated yellow blooms that hold their color well through heat and bright sun.

This variety is also known for its early flowering and exceptional bloom density, quickly covering the plant in color and maintaining heavy flower production throughout the growing season. The habit is full and spreading, making it equally effective in containers and landscape beds.

Why We Like It (Our Trials)

In our trials, ‘Bee’s Knees’ has been a reliable standout from early spring onward, blooming earlier than many petunias and continuing strongly through summer heat. It maintains a balanced shape, rebounds well after stress, and performs best with consistent feeding.

We especially appreciate its color impact. The bold yellow brightens mixed containers, pairs beautifully with purples, blues, whites, and dark foliage, and adds instant energy to garden designs.

Bee’s Knees vs. Other Petunias

Bee’s Knees delivers some of the cleanest, brightest yellow flowers of any Petunia while maintaining a tidy, upright habit. Compared to Supertunias®, Bee’s Knees is far less aggressive and much more upright, prioritizing flower presentation over coverage. Against Crazytunias®, it trades novelty patterns for pure color saturation. It doesn’t sprawl or dominate space, but it stays remarkably tidy. This makes it easier to slot into mixed containers. Bee’s Knees is about polish, not power.

When viewed alongside Painted Love™ Purple, Bee’s Knees comes across as more straightforward and decisive—where Painted Love feels artistic and softly blended, Bee’s Knees is clean, bold, and immediately readable. There’s less nuance in the color play, but far more clarity, which is exactly why Bee’s Knees performs so well in strong designs. In contrast with Amore™ Queen of Hearts, Bee’s Knees feels restrained rather than ornamental, relying on intensity instead of pattern to make its statement. Amore invites closer inspection, while Bee’s Knees registers instantly from a distance, giving each a very different role in planting schemes.