Colors available
Supertunias and Wave petunias come in a wide range of hues. Supertunias, the more varied of the two plant species, exhibit unusual flower color patterns.
While Supertunias may come in a hue called “raspberry blush,” which contains splotches of purple and scarlet in the same bloom, Wave petunia types mostly come in standard colors (red, white, blue, salmon, etc.).
Both Supertunias and Wave petunias provide excellent color possibilities overall. If you can’t locate a hue in one series of petunias, it’s frequently available in another.
Blooming
If you provide the right fertilizer and irrigation, Wave petunias and Supertunias will both grow for you all summer long.
Supertunias will typically bloom more aggressively, sometimes to the point where the plant’s green foliage is hardly noticeable. Wave petunias can also grow to produce a lot of blooms, but not as many.
Size of flowers
The blooms of the Wave petunia kind will be extremely similar to, if not exactly the same size as Supertunias.
While Tidal Wave and Easy Wave petunias have bigger blooms that are more equivalent to Supertunias’ blossoms, Shock Wave petunias will have smaller blooms.
Growing habits
The prolific spreaders known as wave petunias. For this reason, they are frequently utilized as a groundcover. Their long vines could become straggly if they aren’t routinely pruned back.
As far as 3–4 feet in some situations, some Supertunias, including those in the Supertunia Vista series, will spread similarly to how long a Wave petunia does. Supertunias will also significantly mound and can reach heights of 2 feet.
Fertilizer requirements
Supertunias and Wave petunias will both gain a lot from fertilization all summer long. Because of the quality of Supertunias, they might be a little more understanding if you neglect to fertilize or water them.
Shape
Petunias are frequently recognized by their trumpet-shaped blooms. Each flower has a stamen in the middle, which is darker, and a brighter area that gets lighter as it gets closer to the edges.
What distinguishes Wave petunias from regular petunias?
Wave petunias bloom extremely frequently and have a distinctive trailing growth habit. They are excellent summer performers and drape over the sides of containers and raised beds. A typical petunia grows erect or in a bush. While it might spread a little, it won’t fall as dramatically as a Wave petunia. An older hybrid than Waves, Cascade petunias are named after the Cascade mountain range rather than after how they grow. A shrub type petunia is called a cascade petunia.
What distinguishes wave petunias from simple wave?
Compared to Shock Wave petunias, Easy Wave petunias have flowers that can grow up to 3 inches across. Ball Seed claims that Easy Wave has the Wave petunias’ broadest range of colors. It is simple to create bespoke color combinations because the variously colored plants flower at the same time.
According to Wave Rave, Shock Wave’s little flowers are available in vibrant pastel shades and work well in smaller baskets or containers. Of all Wave petunias, they bloom the earliest. Both plants produce a single, trumpet-shaped bloom that draws hummingbirds and blooms all season long until the frost kills them off.
by Cynthia W. Mueller, Galveston County Master Gardener
With more options now available at nearby nurseries, wave petunias, a favorite of gardeners everywhere, are still creating an impact in the garden. Because these low-growing “spreaders” are extremely low-maintenance and can tolerate extremes of heat and cold, rain and humidity, millions of these super performers, introduced by Ball Seed Company, are planted by gardeners and experts alike. In Texas’ milder regions, flowers can bloom profusely long into the fall and perhaps even through the entire winter.
These types no longer have many of the issues that were present in older petunia strains, which were occasionally too big, too ruffled, too sensitive, and too susceptible to disease to be useful in all but the most favored settings.
Wave types don’t require pinching back or deadheading like traditional petunias because they can take care of themselves. Simply feed them well with an all-purpose plant meal once every few weeks, water them, and observe them flourish.
The Ball Company claims that the Wave petunia family is currently offered in five distinct series and a wide range of colors. The Wave, Tidal Wave, Easy Wave, Double Wave, and Shock Wave series are now available in noticeable Pink Pots at your neighborhood home improvement or garden center.
Here are some ideas for using Wave petunias to create a style statement without putting in a lot of work:
- Make a Promenade. Make a warm, vibrant welcome by filling a container with any of the fantastic colors of Shock Wave petunias, like the vivid “Rose” type. Shock Wave petunias pack the area with a ton of tiny blooms, making them the ideal choice for containers and small-space gardens.
- Outdoor chandeliers.
A basket of Easy Wave petunias in a single color set on a conventional pedestal would provide a classy focal point. Easy Wave petunias make the ideal chandelier of petals by piling up and outward. To create a distinct, upscale space, place the pedestal inside the landscape along a walk or place two at any entry.
- Rise to Heaven on Stairs. Pick any color you like. Create a heavenly corridor by lining a path with Wave, Tidal Wave, or Easy Wave petunias; the enormous blooms soon fill in. One strong color might be used, or the colors can be graduated from top to bottom. Space the young plants closer together for a more professional appearance so they can weave around one another and produce a dense mass of color.
- Pots in Spots With pots of Wave petunias, you may provide immediate interest and ongoing color to the garden or perennial border. A trendy design that adds punch and highlights any area of your yard is created by an overflowing pot of a single color, especially when perennials are not in bloom.
- Goodness, what beautiful flower balls. By making holes in the edges of a cocoa-fiber basket and stuffing them with baby Double Wave petunia plants, you can create a huge globe of color. On top and around the sides of the basket, space the plants a few inches apart. From the center, the petunias will expand and swell to form a big, luscious ball of color.
- pots of power You get a powerful effect from a concentration of only one plant in just one color. The porch’s extra-large pot is undoubtedly an attractive draw. You can increase drainage, make your container simpler to move, and use less potting mix by filling the bottom of the container with lightweight materials. Styrofoam packing peanuts, plastic water bottles, and plastic nursery pots can all be reused in this manner to fill empty space.
- Front Appeal Want to improve the curb appeal of your garden without having to completely redo it or break the bank? Petunias from the Tidal Wave collection, especially Tidal Wave Hot Pink, can save the day! These spreading petunias can be planted in a mass or arranged in stripes, borders, or clusters. This easy-to-care-for, rapidly expanding crowd-pleaser will make a striking impression.
- Blend It Up. The Shock Wave and Easy Wave series are offered in a wide variety of stunning single colors as well as ready-made, custom blends. Simply purchase a pack, flat, or more of one of these lovely color combinations from your neighborhood garden center, plant them, and you’ll instantly look like a pro at garden design!
- Don’t Barricade Me In. Unless it’s in a bouquet! Petunias called Tidal Wave practically sprout before your eyes, producing a floral hedge with a plethora of Cherry, Hot Pink, Purple, or Silver blossoms. Tidal Wave petunias will grow an additional two to three feet upward like a vine if planted in a small area with additional support, like a fence or a shrub.
- Follow the flow. For a sparkling look, combine a rainbow of hues and put Wave petunias in a sea. Make a river or a tiny stream of flowers that runs the length of the yard. Just visualize the blooms as smoothly rising bands of free-flowing color around your yard.
All Wave petunias prefer sunny locations, ideally with at least six hours of direct sunlight, but keep them from drying out. In particular when grown in containers, wave petunias require regular feedings of an all-purpose fertilizer because they are hungry plants.
How are Wave petunias kept in bloom all summer long?
It all boils down to how healthy your plant is. A Wave petunia can reach its full potential if it is given the right care. This denotes abundant and robust blooming.
The opposite is also accurate. Your Wave petunia plant might require a little more care if you discover that it didn’t get off to the ideal start or didn’t get the early attention it required.
Your Wave petunias might be able to recover, though, if you concentrate on some of the locations listed below.
Make sure they are getting plenty of sunlight
Petunias in general, including wave petunias, adore the sun. They will require at least six hours of sunlight, with a full day of sunlight being ideal.
Lack of exposure to sunshine may be the cause if you planted your Wave petunias in a shaded area and the plants aren’t flowering as you’d like them to.
Begonias are a common choice if you’re seeking for a plant that will still bloom even with less sunshine.
Wave petunias are frequently planted in hanging baskets by growers. One of the most often used plant species by gardeners for hanging plant arrangements. Simply relocate the container to a location where it will receive more sunlight if you are growing them in a hanging basket or pot.
Keep them wateredbut don’t overwater them
On the other hand, you might notice that your Wave petunias don’t bloom as much if they receive too much sunlight and insufficient water.
Make sure the plant is adequately watered because it needs sunlight and water to survive.
Checking the soil’s moisture in the top inch or so is a smart technique to make sure. It’s probably fine if the soil near the surface is at least slightly damp.
If you’re growing Wave petunias in a hanging basket, you can lift the basket to feel how much water it needs by doing so. If it is adequately watered, it should feel noticeably heavy, and if it is dehydrated, visibly light.
If overwatered, wave petunias are susceptible to root rot and other illnesses, so take careful to water them just enough to keep them healthy. Your Wave petunias will recover in this way and produce an abundance of blooms.
Fertilize the plants when needed
A water-soluble fertilizer should be added when necessary while watering. Wave petunias require nutrients, just like other plants, thus it’s critical to maintain a healthy fertilization level.
Follow the directions on any fertilizers you use, and consider the season. During the summer, when you might be watering every day, you might only need to water once or twice a week, but this frequency will probably change in the spring and fall.
If you neglect to fertilize the plants, Wave petunias are less understanding than Supertunias. You may tell they need more nutrients if you notice the vines starting to turn yellow.
Give them space
Make sure you give the space that spreaders like wave petunias need! It is advised that you plant them at least a foot apart because their vines may get up to 4 feet long.
When wave petunias are grown in containers or hanging baskets with restricted root space, they might not be able to reach their full potential and produce as many blooms.
Trim the plant to promote growth
Last but not least, pruning back your Wave petunias is a fantastic strategy to encourage the development of new flowers. Cutting back a plant when you want it to grow more may seem counterintuitive, yet it is frequently necessary when dealing with a straggly plant.
Treat it for budworms
It’s likely that despite your best efforts, the Wave petunias are still in bloom. The budworm might be to blame.
Budworms are an insect pest that wreak havoc on a variety of garden plants, particularly petunias.
If your Wave petunia plant is being affected by budworms, you’ll probably notice holes in the blossoms. These seem to be a problem in Pennsylvania in the late summer.
Budworm can be handled in a variety of ways. Thurocide has proven to be efficient in eliminating budworms and reviving Wave petunia blooms.
What is causing my Wave petunias to turn yellow?
Petunias frequently turn yellow because of improper planting techniques, inadequate sunlight, ill-drained soil, or a lack of fertilizer. Yellowing of the foliage can also be brought on by the tobacco mosaic virus.
Great garden performance
The high-performance petunia Easy Wave produces an abundance of vibrant color for landscapes and containers. Easy Wave may gracefully flow from baskets and containers and swiftly cover a sizable area in the garden with a spread of up to 36 inches. These plants have abundant blooms throughout the entire season and do well in both hot and cold climates.
Easy Wave is fantastic when used in conjunction with other annuals and is lovely on its alone. The deep, velvety tones of the Velour series all the way to the more delicate tones, such Silver and a new Yellow, are included in the spectrum of flower hues. Who can resist a gorgeous pink petunia? Pink Passion, new for 2016, is likely to be popular.
Easy Wave is no different from other petunias in that they prefer to be fed frequently. Petunias prefer moist soil that drains quickly (no “wet feet”) and try to stay away from wet foliage at night. Even though Easy Wave doesn’t need to be pruned back, a light trim now and again will assist plants regenerate if necessary.