Wave Petunia Info

Here's a better pic of grape avalanche

Wow, Joanna, your petunias are all fantastic. I really like your combos and colors, and I like your suggestions about fertilization. I definitely have to dip into the darker colors.

Donna

Beautiful flowers.

Karen

I put petunias everywhere and with everything. Here's a all around the pack yard set of pictures from last summer. I started a paving stone project and it will hopefully be completed in the spring, so ignore the grass/base.

Back door of house

Garage

Bak yard along house

veggie garden

containers in front of trampoline

Window box.....got boxes made for all the windows for year year

Tital wave with starfighter lilies

JoannaB - Thank you! Ask and you shall receive right? I was hoping to see more pictures from you! Gorgeous!

Oh, Joanna B, let me break out all my seed packets. Great creativity! I grow tons of lilies and it never occurred to me to add petunias to their beds. Thank you for the fabulous images.

Donna

Okay, experts,
Quick question. When I'm first starting my petunia seeds under grow lights, do I need to cover them with plastic, or do I leave them open to the air?

BTW, your photos are so inspirational - just beautiful!

cover them (like a little greenhouse) until they sprout.

JOANNA b,

Started easy waves and avalanches today. Thank you for the inspiration.

Donna

Edited for typo

This message was edited Mar 15, 2009 6:55 AM

I started my waves today too, Donna! I'm afraid that they might not germinate. I had them stored in what I thought was a cool dark closet that we don't really use for anything. But, I wasn't thinking about how the closet is right next to our fireplace chimney when I stored them. It's been a cold winter, and we've been using our fireplace daily. Anyway, when I went to get the seeds out of the closet, it fell like it was about least 80 degrees in there! I just placed a new order for some waves from swallowtail gardens just in case these don't work out. I figure I'll get my new seeds in about 10 days - around the same time that I'll know whether I've killed my original seeds.

I was also wondering whether you and Joanna have a favorite place that you order your petunia seeds from . . .

Pam.

Bingo! I switched to Swallowtail in 2005 because I found their germination rates to be extremely high. I had used Park's previously, and they weren't bad, but Swallowtail is great. What say you, Joanna?

Donna

Since I am in Canada, I use the Canadian suppliers. Most of my petunias are from Stokes Seeds. I like their planting instructions and have had excellent germination. I ordered Baby Duck from Veseys and Lilac Ice Opera Supreme from McFaydens. I have no will power with petunias and the new stuff that claims to be the best. Started some last weekend, but my seed orders are still arriving. The only one that I hold off on is the tidal wave. I grows very fast & needs to be a 6" pot within 6 weeks, so I will seed it mid March. This is the 1st year I will have a greenhouse set up and ready to use March 1st. Very excited and already have a plan of what gets moved in there 1st. I'm going to start stuff in there as well that won't need bottom heat. What an exciting time of year. I made myself a promise that I would make labels for everything before I seed it. So the next few days I will make the labels for all the petunia seeds I received today.

What a great thread! I just started some petunias last night for the first time, and I am very excited. I don't think that I will have as many as you Joannna, but your garden is certainly inspirational.

Thanks. I started quite a few this year. Opera Supreme Pink Morn and Lilac Ice are new from seed for me. Also, T&M had a "must have" yellow Limoncello F1 Hybrid. Started Dble Cascade & Superblissima. Shockwave mix, Baby Duck trailing, Easywave mix, Blue Wave(my favorite), Lavender Wave, Hot Pink and Silver Tidal Waves and a new Picobella trailing mix

It will be SUPER floral this year! It so exciting to see all the little seedlings. I suspect it will be a bit overwhelming when they need to be transplanted into 4" pots. Still fun!!

I wintersowed just a few shock wave seeds so far. The first 2 seedlings in the milk jug popped up yesterday.

Karen

ok y'all, I've been reading this, so I went looking locally for seeds - nada. where's best place to get seeds FAST?

I want to start them on heat mats. my first time trying to start seeds. have the mats. any extra advice?

Bonjon,

Sorry to be critical, but avoid Parks this year. I ordered seeds of all the Cascade petunias (they are double) and Tidal Wave Silver on February 26, which they stated would be for "immediate shipping". I called on March 12 to inquire about them. They said one set was shipping that day. Still haven't received them.

You sow them on the surface. Swallowtail in particular has very high germination rates (they didn't have some of the double cascades I needed, or I would have ordered from them). The pelleted ones are easy since you can see them. The non-pelleted ones are a bit dustlike (I use my little fingernail), but you should feel pretty safe putting one to a cell. Expose them to light, preferably florescent bulbs suspended about two inches above them. I have not found heat to be necessary but perhaps other know more.

Donna

Donna,
I also ordered a bunch of my seeds from Swallowtail Gardens, and the germination rate has been great (even in my amateur hands). I also like that they are not one of those mega-businesses. They are a nice sweet family run business. With that said, I've found that it can take 2 weeks or so to get seeds from them, but I think that it's worth the wait, b/c it feels good to support a small business, and b/c it's small I think they have an excuse for things taking a bit longer than it might from the big conglomerates. I've been VERY pleased with them. I've also spoken with them on the phone, and they are always nice and friendly and eager to help out.

How about Stokes Seeds, they had a great selection of petunias

You may be able to find some at WallMart or Home Depot.

Joanna, your pictures are truly an inspiration. This is my first time starting petunias. I'm already regretting that I didn't start more, because I would love to have them all over like you.

Joanna,

What type of tierred planter are you using for the petunias at your back door? This is the picture that you posted on March 7, post #6107943. The top level has pink and purple petunias.

Oh Pam, I agree about Swallowtail. I started ordering from them a couple of years ago and they are my go-tos, along with J.H. Hudson and Fragrant Path, both very small and personal companies (ten years plus with each) with inexpensive shipping to boot. But I think that when a large company promises immediate shipping at the time of order and nothing appears for two weeks, they should be taken to task. If they had informed me that the seeds would be late, it would have been fine. But I had to call them - and that was Thursday, when it was supposedly shipping, so I expected them on perhaps Saturday. I just thought that someone who is looking for seed quickly should know that they will be unable to provide it.

Donna

It is a 3 tier wire basket. I line it with sphagnum moss & plastic (very dry air here). I seen them at a few garden centres and in a number of mail order catalogs, and I had bought mine years ago from T&T Seeds in Winnipeg Manitoba.

thanks everyone for the info. will order from swallowtail post haste

wallie world and Home Depot (I really need to apply there) have petunia seeds, but not wave seeds.

I planted my Wave Petunia last spring and I the bloomed beautifully last year. In January they were green but growing so I trimmed it up and thought lets see if they come back. Well all I can say is holy crap! The plant was starting to flower, so on Saturday I decided to give it some Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer and it is crazy blooming. It is cascading over my retaining wall and starting to take over the garden. I need to trim it again, but it has so many pretty flowers. Here is a picture of them taken about 4 weeks ago, there just past the salvia, that is nothing compared to what it looks like now. I love these little guys. No mattenance (excuse spelling), I don't give them alot of water and they are happy, which in return makes me happy.

that's a wave? I've never seen one two tone like that

Hmm you questioned me and I swear I had a wave petunia. I will have to go home and look on my reciepts or see if I still have the tag. I checkd the wave petunia website and there isn't one that looks like that. I wonder what I have? I swear I remember it being in a pretty one gallon pot that was pink. I'll have to research it.

I've never seen a wave that looked like that, either. But it sure is pretty, whatever kind it is.

Karen

I think it is a supertunia. I had one last year that was similar

I hope my petunias grow up to be a beautiful as all the ones posted here. This is my first year growing them from seed.

Give them a good slow release fertilizer & they should do great

You guys are right it is a Supertunia in Raspberry Blast. It suppose to be an nnual where I live, but because it is near the garage, it must make it a warmer climate for the petunias. It is crazy big. I took a picture of it 3 weeks ago and now it is double in size. I have to cut it back because it is starting to cover my other plants.

I love all these success stories, and I hate to ask my question but here goes. I planted my wave,shockwave,tidal wave, and etc on March 6. They came up pretty well, but now are just sitting looking at me. They (most of them) are the size of the head on a stick pin. Tiny as they are, a 3rd and 4th leaf are showing, so I don't think they are dead from damping off, but just not growing. There are under lights, and I moved from the heat mats a week ago. Any ideas ???. I have grown them from seed in the past with great results, and can't think of anything I have done different this year. On another forum they suggested using a 1/2 diluted fert. so I tried this a couple of days ago, they are still looking the same. What do you think, time to start over??