If you鈥檝e ever grown Wave petunias, you鈥檙e in good company. It鈥檚 America鈥檚 No. 1 selling petunia, and a new national celebration honors its 30th anniversary.
May 3 has been designated National Wave Day, becoming an annual celebration dedicated to honoring the beauty and lasting impact of the petunia that transformed the gardening world.
ADVERTISEMENT
It鈥檚 difficult to remember a time without Wave petunias, because they鈥檝e been gracing containers, window boxes and flowerbeds for three decades. These are good times for flower gardening, as today鈥檚 Waves and other flower cultivars provide greater options with lower maintenance and higher impact than many older types.
Wave petunias came on the market in 1995, and my wife, Mary, and I remember it well. We were 12 years into our greenhouse business when this new All-America Selections award-winning petunia, named Purple Wave, was introduced. We grew it in our greenhouses, offered it for sale, and it was an instant hit with customers.
What made Purple Wave (recently re-named Purple Wave Classic) so special? It first wowed the All-America Selections judges with its reliable garden strength, vibrant magenta color and low-growing, spreading form. Purple Wave maintained its resilience and bloom power throughout the entire growing season.
Purple Wave was the first petunia developed that grew 2 to 4 feet in one season. Its trailing habit made it perfect for container growing and mass plantings in large flowerbeds, where it spread widely while only growing about 7 inches high.
Wave petunias are now marketed in pink pots and packs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e absolutely tickled pink to have a day that celebrates not just Wave, but our community of gardeners who鈥檝e helped grow the brand over the past three decades, 鈥� said Sarah Makiejus, global marketing manager of PanAmerican Seed, developer of Wave petunias. 鈥淣ational Wave Day is about happiness in the garden 鈥� from planting the season鈥檚 first blooms to sharing the joy with friends, family and neighbors.鈥�
Since its debut in 1995, Wave petunia has become a household name in gardening, known for vibrant color, exceptional spread and ease of maintenance. It began humbly as a wild petunia growing in a Japanese field that was spotted by a plant breeder, submitted to the All-America Selections organization for testing, and the rest is petunia history.
ADVERTISEMENT
It only took four years after its launch to become the best-selling petunia in North America. Plant breeders have been prolific, and now there鈥檚 an entire Wave family to accompany the original Purple Wave.
Wave petunias now include popular varieties divided into five series: Original Wave, Tidal Wave, Easy Wave, E3 Easy Wave and Shock Wave. All offer dramatic color, exceptionally long bloom time, and fantastic mounding or trailing habits for garden beds and containers.
How do you know which Wave to select? Each series offers unique qualities.
The Original Wave series provides ground-hugging carpets of color spreading up to 4 feet, perfect where low-growing petunias are wanted, or filling quickly over retaining walls, landscapes, window boxes or balcony planters. Besides Purple Classic, colors now include Carmine Velour, Pink and Misty Lilac.
The Easy Wave series is fast-growing and the most versatile. They can be grown in the ground or in pots and plants. They tolerate both heat and cool night conditions. They are more mounded in shape than Original Waves, and the series includes dozens of colors and designer mixes.
E3 Easy Wave series is a special collection of early-flowering Easy Waves. Their shape is tidy and mounded, yet they provide easy, spreading color with about a dozen shades and mixes from which to choose.
The Shock Wave Series has petite flowers perfect for hanging baskets or tucking into mixed flower containers, where they spill over the sides without overpowering other plants. Shock Waves are great for small-space gardens and come in 10 designer colors and mixes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Petunias in the Tidal Wave series are the largest and most vigorous of the Wave family. These fast-filling plants spread across big spaces, crawling along and over walls and fences. The height and spread are determined by how closely the plants are spaced.
If spaced 12 inches apart, Tidal Waves create a massive hedge 2 to 3 feet high. If spaced 24 inches apart, they become a groundcover spreading up to 5 feet wide.
We love our Waves and every year include Tidal Waves in our ground beds, and Easy Waves or Shock Waves in containers. Our lives are richer, thanks to the humble petunia that transformed the gardening world three decades ago.
The Trust Project
