Check out earlier thread "....coolest petunias."

I have been looking all over for the tidal wave petunias. I've seen the regular wave ones, 'easy growing' wave and 'spreading' wave. But no tidal waves! They are all wave petunias, in the pink containers and have the 'ride the wave' plant label. If they don't have the pink containers and 'ride the wave' label, they aren't waves. None of the ones I saw said anything about a mounding plant or 'hedge' plant, which they say about the tidal waves petunias. This really irritates me! I bought the tidal waves last year and they are even better growing then the regular waves.
Kath, I've since the pink waves, there all around here. In fact I bought 2 pink and 2 lavendar 'spreading' waves. The 'spreading' ones have larger flowers than the regular waves. I'm really hoping they act like the tidal waves. If yours doesn't have the 'ride the wave' label in a pink container, I really don't believe they are waves. They may grow good, but they may also need deadheading. I'm not sure. That's one of the big reasons I like waves...no deadheading. Saves me plenty of time.
Let's hope for the best!

Kat

"If they don't have the pink containers and 'ride the wave' label, they aren't waves."

That is simply not true. A grower is NOT obliged to purchase the special wave packaging, and many of the independants do not use it.

No, all spreading petunias are not waves, but most are still very similar and I'd wager a lot of people couldn't tell the difference unless they were professional growers.

Waves do not have to be sold in the "identifier" pink containers, nor ones with the word tidal wave imprinted on it. They should, however have a wave label in them.

The pink container is a good marketing plan and most box stores I have seen waves sold at sell them in those containers, but I've grown waves before the pink containers came out and don't use them. Anybody can purchase wave seeds, including the retail consumer. I know of few independant garden centers who DO NOT sell waves. They're a staple item and if they're tagged waves, most likely are.

Competetor seed companies who sell the spreading types offer them under the names of things like Avalanche and ramblin' series and I've used both, tagged them as such and liked them all. I sell my waves in different price points, and the containers the growers can purchase do not fit all my needs.

I haven't seen any here without the pink containers and labels. Granted I haven't been to all the nurseries, but the ones I've been to, small and large use the containers and labels. One of the main reasons I like the wave petunias is you don't have to deadhead. Another is because they hold out and look better in the hot summers. I know there are other trailing petunias that you do have to deadhead. They also don't look as good or perform as well in the hot summers.
The tidal wave series is different than the regular wave. People on these forums and other gardening ones I go to have really loved this kind. To not put 'tidal' on the label when they are 'tidal waves', could hurt sales. If a nusery person, even one I know slightly, tells me that 'oh, these are the same as the tidal wave'or 'they really are tidal waves', believe me, I probably won't buy them. I've been burned too many times to believe that (not with the waves, but other plants). I spend a lot of time and money on plants and I want to make sure I get the right ones.

Kat

I don't think all spreading petunias are Wave petunias, but I also don't think that a petunia has to be a Wave in order to spread like one.

A friend who works at a large nursery here says she gets customers who fall in love with a display of trailing petunias, then they refuse to buy it when they learn it's a Supertunia plant instead of a Wave plant. I just don't get that way of thinking... if you love the way the plant looks and it's perfect for your setting, then what does it matter what the name is on the little plastic stake in the dirt?

I got a hanging basket of "silver" Supertunia last night (it's really a white flower with the teensiest bit of lavender at the very center....are the people who name flowers colorblind or what?) It was about a 10" pot, and the flowers trailed down about 18" all the way around, and it was so thick and bushy that you couldn't see any of the pot. When I set it in the back of my car, this thing was over 3' across! I dug around inside it to see how many plants it took to make such a gorgeous display..... FOUR! Four little plants spread and trailed enough to completely engulf a huge hanging pot... it looked like a humongous snowball! Even my husband said it was absolutely gorgeous, and he's not one to notice things like that. Obviously, neither of us care that it is a Supertunia instead of a Wave! ;o)

Katusha, I know it's too late to start them by seed now, but for next year, keep in mind that they are very EASY to start from seed, provided you have the set up for starting seeds indoors. They are also easy to take cuttings from the ones that you started to get more plants. I buy all my Waves & Tidals seed in all colours including Silver from Veseys. They sell them pelleted and send them in plastic vials so they don't get crushed in the mail.

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Veseys

Crazy Gardener, I do have quite a few small plants from last summer's tidal wave that reseeded. I'm just hoping they are like that one. It was beautiful! I also had a couple in the past years from the regular pink wave petunia that reseeded. Now they looked just like the parent plant. I really don't have the room to start seedlings. I have so many regular house plants by all the windows, and in my spare rooms, I have my ferrets and all their stuff and the other one is my puter/storage room. :)
Hockeymom, there can be a difference. I don't know about supertunia, but I've tried many others that just don't compare to the wave petunias. They don't hold up in our hot summers and look like a mess after it rains. You have to deadhead or they go to seed. I love the looks of a lot of other petunias, but by midsummer they just aren't the same. I know I'll have good plants with the waves, that's why I buy them. One other plant I've had very good luck with in planters is million bells. They have looked good all summer. The tidal waves are the best for me. I love they way they look and grow. I haven't seen any other petunia grow like they do. Seeing something look good now, right from the growers, is one thing...but seeing it in a hot July and August may be another. I hope your supertunias do well. If they do well or not, please put a post on them. I would like to know how they do.
Enjoy!

Kat

Kat -- great minds think alike! I've already got six different hanging baskets of calibrachoa / million bells out in front of my house on shepherd hooks! I needed something that could take the blazing full-day son that would also forgive me once in a while if it missed a day of watering, and the calibrachoa is GORGEOUS.

This is my first year doing hanging baskets and trailing plants... I'm also trying bacopa and torenia in the back yard, and hope it ends up looking like the picture in my head in a month or so! ;o)

Katusha, my thinking is the same as Crazy_Gardener (Hi Sharon!), you should learn to grow them from seed!! It is so easy, and so rewarding. Petunias are one of the easiest things to grow.

You can grow your own plants for about 50 cents each, since you wont have the expenses that a greenhouse has. I grew so many waves, tidal waves, avalanche and others this year, I ended up selling many of them.

Learning to grow from seed is a total eye opening and addictive gardening experience. Let us all teach you!!

I had to chuckle at all the petunias for sale at various locations that were labeled as waves, but were not waves at all. One business even had Chiffon Morn Celebrities (my favorite multiflora) packed in recycled pink pots. I almost said something to the owners about it, just to see what they would say. Another business owner said that Avalanche petunias do not sell because they are not in the pink pot! He had no Avalanches to offer. Do people really go looking for the pink pot?? I mean, you would think that they could tell the difference just by looking at the plants and their growing habits.

Ellen, when I first started gardening, I used to start all my plants by seed. Back then, I would put the trays right by my sunny windows. I had good luck too. But other the years I just didn't have the time to start them. Also I was getting more house plants that needed the area. So then I just started buying them. Now I use some of the annuals that have reseeded from the previous summers. I have several of the tidal waves plants that reseeded from last year. I'm really hoping they'll at least 'act' like their 'moms' did! LOL! I don't care about the color so much as the growth of the plant. I've had marigolds and some other annuals that have looked as good as the parent plants. It's a thrill to me to get some annuals that can make it thru our cold winters. And your question about looking for the pink pots....yes, many look for them, myself included. I have a several annuals I stick with over the years because they perform so well where I live. I do try others, just to try different things. But there are those that I do buy year afer year. :)

Kat

Didnt mean to offend you about the pink pots! I just meant that if a person knows the difference between wave-like and standard petunias, they ought to be able to tell by looking at them. I guess, though, if they are small plants when being sold, it would be hard to tell, for those who dont know the difference by looking.

The Avalance petunias are great plants, it is a shame they go unrecognized, simply because they are not "waves". They perform just the same to me! The white ones are by far the best this year for me.

Are Tidal waves sold in pink pots as well?

Not all waves are sold in pink pots. There isn't any "requirements" to do so. I hope people don't think just because a wave isn't in a pink pot, it isn't a wave. I have grown and sold waves since their introduction when they didn't show up in box stores. The pots are a great advertising gimmick, but just an additional expense to a grower. The pots, btw, are sold seperately and an unscrupulous grower could plant something else in that pink pot, just as easily as any other pot.

I have seen both 'Chiffon Morn' and Ice varieties sold in pink pots, each being advertised as waves, when they clearly are not waves.

I find both the pink pots (in this case with the waves) and the Proven Winners "gimmick" to be genius marketing tools, though they can be misleading. Just the term "proven winner" leads a person to think that they are getting a plant that will "prove" to be a good plant, when in reality, how they grow the plant will be the proof. They can die just like any other plant can!

I hope I didnt get "gimmicky" this year when I sold certain plants to people and had noted that they were AAS winners. I sold many plants that my "customers" had never grown before, nor heard of, and the fact that they were award winners was something they liked to hear. That, out of all the other varieties of a given species, this one in particular was an award winner. I am sure it gave them the same "peace of mind" that they were getting a great plant, though just as misleading as "proven winner". I would never intend to mislead, and made sure they understand the difference (these people are close friends and family, and their friends and family). I am just taking note of what really caught their eye. I sold many plants, without any blooms on them, just by giving them a picture in catalogs of what they plant was going to look like. Worked for me, since I dont have tags!

+ .

Ellen, no offense was taken by me about the pink pots. :) I think with the 'proven winners' they use a stronger fertilizer to get them going really well before selling. The ones I've seen are in a little larger pots too and I do like getting some of my plants bigger. In my cold zone I need a head start on some plants. I have bought a few 'proven winners' that did not do well in our hot summers. I haven't bought those again. As for using the AAS when selling, if that's what they were, there's nothing wrong with putting that down.
I'm not positive, but I believe the tidal waves were sold in white pots or some light color, but had tidal wave written on them. There may have been pink lettering on them, but I just don't remember that. They had a tag in them that explained if you planted them close together, they would grow up higher. I had them in front of some roses last year and they started growing up the roses. That really looked good!

Kat

I am in complete agreement that the Tidals are far better performer. WHY have they not been given the recognition they deserve???

I kept them and added some Tidal Waves in with them. We'll see what happens. They sure look the same to me. Now if we can get some sun in NH.....maybe next month! It's hot and humid but the sun is on and off. If there was more sun (and less rain and humidity, I think all the plants would be happy, not to mention all the people!

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven this year when I saw the wave petunias on sale at Walmart for 87cents each. They were only about 3" tall at the time but a little time in the greenhouse and they were perfect for planting.

I bought a 100 of them. It took awhile to transplant them all into bigger pots but well worth the effort and savings.

Had enough for my house, our business and a friends farm. Can hardly wait to see them all in full bloom as they already look georgeous.

You were really lucky Joyce! I've got several small plants right now that have reseeded from last summer. They're starting to bloom now too. Different colors than the ones I had last year. They're small, but they didn't have the greenhouse headstart! LOL! Now that the weather is warm, they should really start picking up.

Kat

Wave petunias for 87 cents?? Wow, you will not find that in our area. Our Wal Mart sold them, in huge round pots for like $3.97 each. And they only had one color! Pink! In fact, all the businesses locally only had pink ones. Hmmmm.... that is suspicious.

Ellen....The 5th last post here...I have to disagree with, as the Tidal Wave petunias are far superior performers to the Waves, although Waves are still nice. I have grown both for 6 years from seed, and Tidals are the winners. The Tidal seeds are more expensive than Wave, so maybe greenhouses back away from them for retail sales, thus the "less recognition" you mention.

Beleaf, which post are you referring to? I said in my post that I felt the Tidals WERE a better performer. Did you misunderstand me? Or am I somehow misunderstanding you?

Anyone who has grown both knows the difference in them, and that the Tidals are better. That is why I dont understand why there is no hype over the Tidals, like there is waves.

They are all great plants! Has anyone tried the Avalanche Grape variety? What a great purple!

I have not grown petunias until this year. I got several kinds this year and they are really performing- so far. (Also bought Million Bells, too, for the first time)

How do you tell by the form what kind they are?

None of the ones I bought were labelled "Wave". I did see some Wave ones but they weren't the color I wanted. I also bought a hanging basket a month ago that was simply covered in blooms, and is still going strong. The flowers on that one are smaller than a standard petunia, but are definitely not the same form as Million Bells.

The issue of whether Tidal Waves are "better" is a personal judgment. I prefer the waves over the tidal waves. The Tidals are really strapping plants and they are great space fillers, but....

They are too floppy and lank and open for basket work. Sometimes a great deal of height is not wanted and the Tidal series rambles if left on the ground spaced far apart and is more open. Whether one series of waves is "better" than another depends on your personal likes and dislikes, and the situation in which one wishes to use them.

I find the non-wave petunias(grandiflora types) to be a much larger bloom, more ruffly, and are taller than waves, which, when available in nurseries around here, the waves already have a foot of vine on them. I have yet to see waves sold in cell packs or in a pot smaller than 4 inches. As in, I have never seen them sold in a jumbo six pack, the way non-waves (grandiflora) are. The waves have a few to several blooms per stem. Non-waves have all the blooms atop the stems, on sturdy thick plants (hopefully).

Maybe things are just different here.......apparently some places sell waves in cell packs or smaller pots.

As far as Tidals being better, I guess I was referring to the growth habit of the plant. I love them both, but if you look down into a bed of tidals and waves, the tidals will look.......tougher, fuller, thicker. Does that make any sense?

My only issue is why there is no real hype over them, and I feel they deserve more recognition. To each is own, I guess.

Ellen, you said...'but if you look down into a bed of tidals and waves, the tidals will look.......tougher, fuller, thicker. Does that make any sense?'. I've seen the same difference. Since I use them as ground cover I've noticed the difference, that's why I like the tidal wave more than the regular wave. I can't believe I haven't seen any in the stores and nurseries I've gone to...unless they were already sold out of the tidal waves.
I've got more plants blooming that reseeded from the last year's tidal wave. I have all different colors...purple, dark shocking pink, a lighter pink and even a reddish one. These are all from the same plant I had last summer. Didn't grow any others in that garden. The tidal wave was a dark shocking pink. I just love seeing these 'suprises'! LOL!

Kat

Kat, you and I are on the same page!

Can anyone explain how she got all these different colors from one self seeded plant?? I am interested to know, as I thought there were only two colors of tidals: pink and silver. I thought there was a white one once, but I cannot seem to find seeds for it. I understand that collected seed from a hybrid may or maynot come true to its parent, but isnt this odd to have that many different colors?

I hope they never quit with the color selection, and I hope to see some "ice" varieties incorporated in there. My favorite petunias (by color) are the Celebrity Ice mixtures, which, in my opinion has a much truer blue than the blue wave.

I also wish the cascading petunias and supertunias would be available from seed for all of us, but I guess that wont be happening anytime soon.

Hi Ellen, there are cascading petunia seeds out there, one in particular is a series called Supercascade Series, those are really nice too, I believe Stokes sells them. Tidals also come in Hot Pink, Cherry and Purple and of course the famous Silver that we so much adore.

Supertunia® can only be proprogated by cuttings for your own use, my understanding is that the seed is sterile?

As for saving seed from the Waves and Tidals or any F1 hybrid Petunias, you'll never know what you'll end up with, mother nature plays in mysterious ways, I can only suspect that the bumble bees were visiting KatÂs neighbors yard too to end up with such variations ;)

Sharon

Well, I'll be darned, Stokes does have the cascading petunias. How did that get past me? However, after reading through the page, these are regular type petunias, right? That just have a cascading habit? The type of cascading I had in mind are the pink and blue ones sold as plants in the Park Seed catalog (and others), and are only sold as plants. Surely these are not the same as the supercascading ones sold by Stokes?? If they are the same, I am angry with myself for not realizing this sooner! I have been ogling those photos for years, yet I usually just stick with seeds every year.

Sharon, have you begun doing some cuttings this year? I remember you saying that you were going to experiment with that this year. I also have started cutting back stems, like you recommended doing, and those stems are what I am doing cuttings with. I am really just "practicing" right now. I will continue doing this all season, till I feel like I have good enough success at it. I just learned last year in class how to do cuttings, and those tips I learned have resulted in about 85% success in everything I have tried. Let us know how your cuttings do! And let us see many more pictures!!!

Ellen, yes I did many cuttings from the Tidal Silvers early this spring from the plants that I started from seed, very easy is all I can say ;)

I also bought 2 Supertunia® 'Priscilla' and 3 'Royal Magenta' this season, I'll probably take cuttings around September before the frost hits and try to keep them indoors under lights all winter long ;)

Supercascade Series is classed as a Grandiflora (huge flowers), there is also another cascading series called Ramblin Series, classed as a Multiflora (manyflowers). There are soooo many different varieties nowadays of Petunias, it's mind boggling which ones to choose!

IÂm not sure what Parks cascading petunia could be, it doesnÂt say a particular TM name, other than it is only vegetatively propagated by cuttings. Trails up to 5 feet long, WOW!

My petunias put on their best show around July, I'll for sure be taking photos when its time.

Happy Gardening!
Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: NEW PETUNIA VARIETIES - HOW DO YOU CHOOSE??

Sharon, thanks a bunch for the link! I admit, I am the worlds most impatient web surfer. Anything I want to look up, I never make it past gardenweb! Someone here always have the information that I need, ready to go.

Now my question to you: did you take your cuttings BEFORE you hardened off or after? The reason I ask is, last fall I took several Sweet Potato Vine cuttings, with the intent of taking tons more cuttings off of these cuttings during the winter. However, my cuttings did grow as nice plants, but the stems were very weak, and would never have made a nice cutting. I had thought they would have been thick and tough, just as they grow in summer. I admit that I didnt give them all my attention, I needed my space for growing my annuals. After these plants were hardened off, they wilted terribly, and then the rabbits finished them off overnight. I was terribly dissapointed! Now, the lesson I need to learn is whether or not cuttings can be taken from non-hardened off plants. I am sure this applies to those of us using grow lights, I am sure they are better cuttings if done in a greenhouse.

I need to update myself on all the kinds of petunias out there, not available from seed. I havent given these plants much attention, because I do not intend to buy them, when I can grow hundreds from seed, for the price of these plants. However, if I think I can do good cuttings, I feel I would get my moneys worth out of them. However, I must be careful, as I have started selling plants this year, and I am hesitant about selling anything grown from cuttings, as I know many plants are patented. Just today, I started cleaning out my grow room, and found some sweet potato vine tags from several years ago. The tags say there are "Proven Selections". That struck me as funny. Is this the same type of company as "Proven Winners"?? If so, then, wouldnt I be in violation of the PW company if I were doing cuttings and selling them? I know there are lots of different types of SPV, how can a grower possibly keep them streight?

Just today I saw that Harris Seeds has a new page on their website all about petunias. I'm glad to see that they are offering more information. I prefer tidal wave petunias myself. I'm a bit of a lazy gardener. I like flowers that cover a lot of ground so I need fewer plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harris Seed Petunias

Nice old post to dredge up, jessi! Swallowtail also has a nice variety of trailers & spreaders, including several Waves (Tidal).

I used the Cascade doubles several years ago in a container, and they were fantastic. I was very pleased with them. Double Blue or Double Purple as I recall. Sorry, don't know the other one in this tub:

{{gwi:10164}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Swallowtail Petunia page

. Regarding Ride the Wave verses spreading petunia. Ride the Wave or Proven Winners is a patented name ie Name Brand. The ones that just say Spreading petunias is the exact same thing without the pink pot.Your paying extra for that pink pot.The problem I have with the the ones that just say spreading petunia is you don't know if its a wave or supertunia. Greenhouses have only within the last couple yrs been able to buy the wave seeds and they will know what variety it is. Or you can ask home depot where they get their plants and you can ask their supplier, or wait till they grow. Write down the color you bought and the one you think is. The wave petunia gets about 10- in height but spreads 21\2 to 3 1\2'ft. Great trailing plant in large planters or baskets The supertunia is great to cover a ugly chain link fence. It grows out 3-4 ft height and width. 2 you won't be able to see the half barrel if you put just 2 supertunias in it. Youll need to put at least 6 wave to get the same affect of fullness, Wave petunias are trailing plants.All you have to do is choose generic or name brand. The price difference is noticeable for the same thing. you just have a little work to do to figure out which petunia the generic one is.

spreading petunias are wave petunias. Difference is when you see the pink pot and price you pretty much know its a Wave. The spreading petunia is the generic wave. Problem is you don't know if its a supertunia or Wave they both spread just differently.. You can either contact the supplier who delivered the generic flowers store to find out or wait till it grows. you pay more for the pink pot because the flower inside is registered. Ones that say trailing are generic). . So with a little work you can save money buying the generic.

Michelle65, sorry, but I have to dispute most of your claims. First of all, Wave petunias are spreading petunias, not the other way around. Spreading (Supertunia series, Surfinia series, etc.) petunias grown from cuttings have been around for decades. The Wave series (introduced in 1995) was the first commercially successful spreading petunia that was propagated from seed. Your statement that "the ones that say spreading petunia is the exact same this without the pink pot" is entirely erroneous, as is your statement "greenhouse have only been able to buy Wave seeds for the past couple of years". You should also know that there are FOUR separate divisions of Wave petunias. Actually 5 if you include the vegetatively propagated DOUBLE Waves. Wave, Easy Wave, Tidal Wave and Shock Wave all have very distinctly different growth habits. Are you paying extra for the pink pot? Absolutely. If it is in the pink pot and says Wave on it, it is required to be a Wave petunia, however that is entirely up to the distributor if they want them in a POP (point of purchase) pot or not. Waves can be planted in any color of pot, and there is no law saying that they have to be identified as a Wave. However, if it is NOT a Wave, and the signage identifies it as a Wave, THAT is illegal. The difference you see in price at retail is a factor of a number of things. If it is a spreading petunia grown from a cutting, it will always be more expensive than one grown from seed. But....if is a seed grown spreading petunia (Wave, Avalanche, Ramblin', Plush, Opera, Explorer, Trilogy) and it has all of the marketing POP items associated with it, it drives the price up.

All Kleenex are tissues, but not all tissues are Kleenex. All Waves are spreading petunias, but not all spreading petunias are Waves. And for the record, there are no "generic" spreading petunias. Everything has a specific variety name, you just don't always see it at retail.

I have been growing Petunias from seed under fluorescent lights for the past few years. There is so much more to choose from that what is available at the stores in the area.

This year I grew Silver Tidal Wave, Blue Tidal Wave, Celebrity Niagara Mix, Yellow Horizon, Dolce Flambe and Ultra Burgundy.

I had very poor germination with the Ultras, but everything else was easy.

The Tidal Wave seed were expensive, and only 10 per pack, but I started them early and took cuttings as they sent out runners. Out of 18 seeds that germinated, I ended up with over 40 plants by the time they were ready to go outside.

I planted almost all of my Petunias in baskets (many of which I gave away to family and friends), and they are all growing beautifully. The link at the bottom of the page explains the different types (multiflora etc.)

And this page at Stokes seeds lists many different Petunias separated by their types, which is helpful.

http://www.stokeseeds.com/category.aspx?CategoryID=153 (you have to copy and paste this one into your browser)

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Petunias

Jung Seed Co. has always had the best selection of petunias. Their catalog is the best. I'm not related, just an old customer.
Pat

Jung Seed Co. has always had the best selection of petunias. Their catalog is the best. I'm not related, just an old customer.
Pat

The few petunias I planted this year were just regular mixed color petunias in 8-plant flats. They have been performing beautifully. The real stars this year, however, have been my calibrachoa (million bells). I found a gorgeous fuschia one with yellows rays coming from the center (Cherry Star) which I paired with a double flowering yellow tuberous begonia in a pot. Stunning! I used yellow, a deep pink suffused with yellow (Tequila Sunrise), and a white one suffused with yellow and pink veins as a ground cover around my Easy Does It rose. They have tripled their size and are just delightful. Hurray for calibrachoa. The breeders of cali's have been outdoing themselves in developing new stunning colors in the past few years, and no deadheading.

esther, pictures, pictures, please.