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. They are widely utilized as a groundcover for this reason. 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.
What distinguishes Easy Wave petunias from Shock Wave petunias?
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.
Do blue Wave petunias exist?
During the growing season, the 2-inch, velvety dark blue blooms cover this trailing plant. The plants can grow out 3 to 4 feet to act as a ground cover. Plant height at maturity ranges from 4 to 7 inches. Wave Blue’s enhancement is merely minor garden work. Wave Blue doesn’t require any pruning or pinching to bloom all season. For the plants to continue to blossom freely, the soil must be reasonably fertile. Wave Blue can fit into any kind of container. This spring, flowering pot plants will be sold in retail establishments.
What shades do petunias come in?
Petunias in this next kind will look lovely in pots and hanging baskets. Each plant will have a large number of blossoms to cater to because the flowers are quite small. Most of these flowers are purple and pink in color, which will go well in most gardens.
Potunia
This cultivar is excellent in luring hummingbirds and other small pollinators thanks to its trumpet-shaped flower. These plants don’t become much taller than a foot, so they’re perfect for bordering a garden area. Deep blue, deep red, red-orange, lavender, raspberry, light blue, cappuccino, and other hues are available for petunias.
Prism Petunia
It only gets to be around eight inches tall, but this little petunia can stretch out to be more than 30 inches broad. Petal centers can be pink, yellow, purple, rose, or white, and they are frequently lighter than the rest of the petals.
Shock Wave
Another excellent version, this one suitable for pots or gardens with limited space for larger plants. It only grows to a height of 10 inches, but if there are no other plants around, it will quickly spread to a width of three feet or more. Coral, raspberry, white, pink, and purple blooms are all possible.
Petunia ‘Supertunia Pink Star Charm’
This variant, which stands 10 inches tall, will look fantastic around the garden’s perimeter. This plant typically comes in shades of red, peach, pink, lavender, yellow, and white. I also enjoy the color honey in this.
Wave petunias: Should I deadhead them?
Another method to induce more blooms on your plant is to deadhead petunias. Wave plants naturally do not need deadheading because of their abundant flowering, but doing it sometimes will increase flower production even more.
What is the lifespan of Wave petunias?
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To answer the first portion of your question, petunias can live for two or three years, but they typically behave like annuals because they can’t withstand the harsh winter weather. See more below on that.
It’s challenging to accurately assign a timeline to each particular blossom in the second part. Despite the fact that they don’t have a long lifespan, the plant produces so many of them that you might not even notice.
Can you prune back Wave petunias?
Wave petunias frequently flourish all season long without requiring pruning. In the middle of the summer, if the plants start to appear sad, lanky, and ragged, it’s okay to trim them back to about half their original length. After pruning, water and fertilize the plants right away to promote strong new growth. To prevent spreading illness to your plants, always remember to disinfect your pruning tool blades before using them.
What petunia bloom is the bluest?
True navy blue blooms with golden stamens are produced by damask blue plants. Although it keeps close to the ground, this small variety makes a great container spiller.
Do red Wave petunias exist?
A mounded, spreading annual or perennial known as petunia “Shock Wave Red” blooms in profusion from late spring until the first frost with masses of vivid crimson-red flowers that are 1-2 inches (3-5 cm) across. The earliest to flower is this small-flowered Petunia, which is compact and closely branching. It is ideal for baskets and pots since it blooms continuously throughout the season and will gracefully cascade in a riot of color. It tolerates heat well, recovers rapidly from rain, draws hummingbirds, and is great for putting up a stunning display throughout the summer.
- reaches heights of 7–10 in. (17–25 cm) and widths of 30–36 in (75-90 cm).
- Petunias grow quickly and easily in full sun to partial shade on soil that is moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist, and well-drained.
- In hardiness zone 11, petunias are perennials, but in colder climates, they are grown as annuals.