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Garden, Plants

The all-purpose annual that carries the garden

July 22, 2022

easy wave petunias

Thank you to Wave Petunias for partnering with me on this post. 

I’m often asked a question that is perplexing to me: “Do you grow annuals or perennials?”

I don’t fault the people asking the question as I think there are some people who grow one or the other, and perhaps that was more typical in the past. But the best parts of my garden rely on the combination of annuals and perennials, not to mention, shrubs, trees, bulbs and even vegetables. 

Annuals, with their season-long color and seemingly endless array of colors, are perfect for tucking around the garden to fill in a gap until another plant fills in or just generally brighten things up. And perhaps the best all-purpose annual is the petunia.

This year I have Easy Wave Petunias in containers as well as in the ground where they bring a much needed splash of color as other plants (ahem, dahlias) take their time getting around to blooming. Easy Wave Petunias bulk up quickly (in fact I mostly bought 2-inch plants sold in six-packs) and have a nice mounded habit that works well in containers but also fills those pesky holes in the landscape.

Easy Wave Petunias come in oodles of colors and I was feeling a strong monochromatic vibe this year. For one container I combined Lavender Sky Blue and Blue (which reads purple to me) with purple sage for a dark, textural vibe. 

I used those same colors in a nearby bed right off the patio, bringing color to an area with dahlias and alliums, including the seedheads of Allium christophii.

In the circle garden, where I like to mass plant in segments, I mixed together all the different pink Easy Wave Petunia colors I could find, from Rose Fusion to Plum Vein. A few surprises snuck in there, including a couple of reds and one white, but the overall look is pretty interesting, especially since different colors have slightly different sized flowers.

A mass planting of a variety of pink tones is brightening up a corner of the circle garden and the red stems of the nearby rhubarb help complete the look.

Easy Wave Rose Fusion has beautiful dark pink veining that looks perfect with a setting sun to highlight its best attributes.

All of these are really just getting going. Easy Wave Petunias get about 6 to 12 inches high and can grow to more than 30 inches wide, so these will keep bulking up all summer.

Here’s what that all-blue container looked like shortly after planting. If you look at that photos above you can see how much it has filled in already.

GROWING TIPS

Like all heavy-blooming annuals, Easy Wave petunias appreciate regular fertilizing. I fertilize my containers with a synthetic water-soluble fertilizer every week to 10 days starting in July. I like to keep things organic for my in-ground beds so I usually use a seaweed or fish fertilizer every couple weeks on those plants.

Petunias are also one of those plants that appreciates the occasional trim, so as soon as mine start getting a little leggy, I will cut them back by half (or even more sometimes). 

Budworm can be an issue on petunias. I’ve only dealt with them once in my life, so I don’t do anything more than keep an eye on them when I’m watering, like I do with all my plants. An organic spray with BT can be used to control budworm.

Petunias will do best in full sun, but you can push them into part sun without a problem.

Petunias are a classic annual, perhaps the classic annual that have been popping up in and around my garden for years. 

Last year I used Easy Wave Lavender Sky Blue in the window box where it put up with a lot of pushy neighbors and provided that gorgeous color all season.

Easy Wave Petunias seem to nail that happy in between place of filling in well and holding up to other perennials in mixed containers and the ground without outcompeting its neighbors. It’s pretty much a perfect partner.

annuals container gardening easy wave flowers petunia wave petunias
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
14 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Teri Bergman says: July 22, 2022 at 4:11 pm

    Erin, do you think that the Wave
    Petunia grows as well as the PW Vista’s?

    Reply
    • Vivian says: September 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

      I second the question.

      Reply
  2. Carol says: July 22, 2022 at 5:08 pm

    In the third photo with the Allium christophii and the blue petunias what is the plant with the little red and yellow flower? A dahlia? Love it.

    Reply
  3. Jeri B says: July 22, 2022 at 5:09 pm

    Great article as always!!

    Reply
  4. Payton says: July 22, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    I also use a lot of petunias in my garden. As they are so very easy to start from seed under lights, that means more money in the budget for other plants later in the season. I have found the Wave petunias larger bloom size to fit in better in certain areas, than PW Supertunias. Therefore, I use both in different ways.
    P.S. Please make sure to do another “what went right” video this year, as they are very helpful to watch, and I usually learn of a new plant to try from your gardening tips. (Thanks to your suggestions,, I now grow: Purple Hyacinth Bean vine, green nicotiana, thalictrum, and wild ginger.)

    Reply
  5. Maureen says: July 22, 2022 at 11:11 pm

    Wonderful article. I love the fragrance of petunias, it reminds me of my grandmother’s garden. Love your color choices and would like to pin this article. How can I pin it?

    Reply
  6. Heather says: July 24, 2022 at 9:33 pm

    I have zero annuals in my garden this year and boy do I miss them! I’ll have to keep these in mind for next year. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Vivian says: September 9, 2022 at 5:35 pm

    I dig up a few of each of my petunias and winter them over inside. Take clipping in the late winter, use rooting hormone powder, and have started my own this year. From about five plants I wintered over to at least 25 in my garden. Didn’t have to buy not even one.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: September 9, 2022 at 9:57 pm

      Good for you! That’s great and it’s wonderful to hear you’ve had such success.

      Reply
  8. Katherine says: December 13, 2022 at 1:30 pm

    I live in an climate that is hot and dry during the summer. All of our plants are on a drip system. I sank 3 gallon pots in the soil so that the top of the pot is only 1 to 2 inches above the soil, and placed a tube from our drip system in the pot, and placed mulch around the perimeter so the pot won’t show. Every year I plant 3 small wave petunias in the pots, fertilize with long acting fertilizer, cut back leggy stems by half, and enjoy profuse blooms all summer.

    Reply
  9. Margaret Greene says: January 5, 2023 at 3:39 am

    Wonderful article. I love the fragrance of petunias

    Reply
  10. Betty Waters says: March 11, 2023 at 4:48 am

    “Watching a garden grow is like witnessing a miracle unfold before your eyes. With patience, dedication, and a little bit of love, you can cultivate a world of beauty and abundance right in your own backyard. So get your hands dirty, feel the sun on your face, and let nature work its magic. The rewards of gardening are truly priceless.”

    Reply
  11. Sadie Lear says: March 11, 2023 at 7:55 am

    I love how easy it is to navigate your website and find the information I need. From planting guides to pest control, everything is organized so well and easy to understand, which is fantastic.

    Reply
  12. William Wallis says: March 12, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    wow your website is very helpful . I am happy And I Trust your website .

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
In a few days ‘Rosy Teacups’ dogwood is going In a few days ‘Rosy Teacups’ dogwood is going to be absolutely spectacular. There are so many bracts!
I just love doubledile viburnums that present thei I just love doubledile viburnums that present their flowers on a serving plate all neat and orderly. This is ‘Shoshani,’ which I got from Classic Virburbums.
When choosing plants for a container I think it’ When choosing plants for a container I think it’s best to start with one “hero” plant. It can fill any role in the container, but it should be the one that’s non-negotiable in your mind. The one you love the most. Then work from there to decide what plants you need to make the design work. For me, and in particular when it comes to this urn in the middle of my patio garden bed, which is a riot of color and texture that borders on chaotic, texture is the key. So I designed this container with an out-of-box hero plant (Lemony Lace elderberry) and then chose a few other plants to create a simple but bold design that will stand out from everything happening around it. See the whole design and how I chose the plants in my video today (easy link in stories).
On the far edge of the property there is an only l On the far edge of the property there is an only lilac that in our 20 years here has done nothing more than produce a few sporadic blooms. The other night I looked out and saw it full of blooms (well, more than it’s ever had) and immediately made myself a bouquet. To be honest they are almost too fragrant. I need to have a window open to have them inside or it’s full-on Yankee candle (an apt description borrowed from a friend). I absolutely love them in this mustard vase from @wakefield_handmade
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