The Color-Shifting Flower Variety You May Start Seeing Next Year

Selecting the best trailing flowers perfect for hanging baskets is simple if you love million bells (Calibrachoa x hybrida). This pleasant species can be identified easily by its brilliant cascade of flowers. There are many varieties, from the pink ombre hue of Superbells® Strawberry Punch™ to the depth of tone exhibited by the Callie® Dark Red. But now a fresh variety is being released in the Superbells Magic® lineup from Proven Winners. While the new Superbells Magic® Double Grapefruit features bright yellow flowers that transition into pink, you might be wondering if it's worth the attention or a place in your 2026 hanging baskets.

Proven Winners describes Superbells Magic® Double Grapefruit as a double type of their popular Superbells Magic® Pink Lemonade. The Pink Lemonade variety received numerous accolades, including 11 awards in 2022 and 2023. The color combination of both these varieties make them bold plants for eye-catching window displays. One review for the Pink Lemonade said that their plant "just exploded with the sweetest color!" Proven Winners is selling the Double Grapefruit variety as an annual hardy in zones 9 through 11. They also share that it is a heat tolerant, continuous bloomer that prefers partial to full sun. As a 2026 Top Pick Annual, Proven Winners highlights the unique effect of the flowers, which shift to pink when exposed to UV light. 

This color-changing variety of million bells won't hit garden centers until 2026, so you won't find any reviews for it. However, flower trials conducted at Penn State University in 2025 showed promising results, with excellent ratings for foliage, uniformity, and overall growth. Meanwhile, the University of Tennessee shares that although this variety lacked vigor in July, it bounced back in August. And early in the season, Double Grapefruit won an Industry's Choice and People's Choice award from the University of Georgia during their trials. While you can definitely wait to see how other gardeners enjoy it in the spring, you could also take a chance on it yourself. Try growing Superbells Magic® Double Grapefruit to evaluate whether its color-changing flowers are worth the hype.

If you end up testing this new variety out, make sure to set the stage for success. Million bells are generally agreeable flowers, but make sure to follow recommendations and prioritize using this variety as a container flower. Poor drainage can have a negative impact on the growing results of your Double Grapefruit million bells. And one of the most important aspects to remember about how to care for million bells flowers is that despite their low maintenance needs, you cannot go wrong with adding fertilizer on a schedule to help boost the soil. Your Double Grapefruit calibrachoa will surely appreciate the extra organic matter as it works to produce long-lasting, multicolored yellow and pink blooms.