Wave® Pink Petunia Seeds

Why doesn't Pink Wave® have an inferiority complex? It's the only one of the ultra-famous, high-performing, bells-and-whistles Wave® series not to be plastered over with AAS awards and more. I know why. Because despite its strange lack of ribbons and plaques, it's every bit as beautiful and productive as its cousins. I should know—last year it was my petunia of choice for the patio.

Petunia Wave® has taken the gardening world by storm since its introduction a few years ago. Its spreading habit is just stunning, covering ground at the rate of several inches every single day, and trailing lots of big, colorful blooms as it goes. Pink is the brightest of all the Waves, with hot-pink blooms that just glow in the sunny garden or hanging basket. Densely-branched, it reaches about 5-to 7-inches-tall and spreads 3 to 4 feet wide before you can turn around.

If you want to pair Pink Wave® with some of its cousins, just take your pick among the all-stars. The latest and most highly decorated is Blue, winner of both the 2003 AAS and Fleuroselect Gold Medal. Not only are these blooms midnight-blue—a very hard-to-find and prized color in the petunia world—but they erupt from the center of the plant instead of at the ends of the stems, so that even an older plant looks fresh and new. Lavender (2002 AAS) has the same center-blooming habit, and a rich shade of purple just crying out for Pink accents. Misty Lilac (AAS winner) takes a softer approach to bloom-happy coverage, with white-splashed pale lilac flowers I find terrific alongside the pink. And then there's the Wave® that started it all, AAS-winning Purple.

Easy to grow from our convenient pelleted seed, which should be started indoors 5 to 6 weeks before transplant to the early-spring garden. Set out plants when all danger of frost is past. Wave® will begin blooming 10 to 12 weeks after sowing. It is magnificent in hanging baskets, window boxes, and large containers, as well as an unrivalled ground cover for bright sun. Stupendous.

This seed comes as a "pellet". "Pelleted" seeds are small seeds that have been clay-coated to make them larger and more uniform in size and shape, making them easier to handle when planting.