Supertunias vs. Wave Petunias: Find the Best Variety For Your Garden
Petunias are a highlight of summer in the annual border and spilling from hanging baskets and pots. Top-performing hybrids, like the reliable Wave and the wow-factor Supertunia, bring loads of blooms on vigorous stems. Garden expert Katherine Rowe explores the nuances of Wave petunia vs. Supertunia to hone in on the best pick for your landscape.
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Petunias are among the most popular annuals for good reasons, especially for their easy care, prolific blooms, and lasting color. They enliven the summertime display with trumpet blooms in a rainbow of colors. They quickly fill hanging baskets, containers, and border edges with cascading stems lined with pollinator-attracting flowers.
Star hybrids among the group include Wave® petunias and Supertunias®, with more vigorous growth and adaptability over traditional varieties. When it comes to Supertunias® vs. Wave® petunias, Wave® petunias are reliable favorites that spread vigorously with long stems. Supertunias® are a cross of cascading and standard petunias, giving them outstanding performance on a full, trailing form. With nuances in their growth habit, heat-tolerance, and maintenance, it helps to decipher the differences when making your upfront investment.
Both petunias lend an abundant look to the front of the border. Plant them en masse for a full sweep of annual color, placing them in front of taller annuals, perennials, and shrubs for a bank of blooms. Or, use them in combination planters to fill and spill. Full and showy, they also stand alone as single potted specimens with eye-catching appeal.
Shock Wave® Purple Tie Dye Petunia Seeds
The bold purples of this petite petunia with 1½”–2″ variegated flowers will make your hanging baskets pop. No two blooms are exactly alike; color patterns continue to change as they react to seasonal temperature and light variances.
Petunia Growing Preferences
Petunias thrive in full sun, with at least five to six hours daily. They tolerate partial shade, but too much shade leads to a lack of flowers. The sun provides the energy these fast-growing annuals need to grow, flower, and seed in the warm season. The more sun, the better for petunias growing in mild summer climates.
In hot, southern climates, petunias benefit from protection from direct midday sun. They’ll appreciate light shade or dappled sun in afternoon heat, and ample morning sun is ideal.
Petunias, such as Supertunia® and Wave®, do best with consistent moisture. While the annuals are somewhat drought-tolerant and withstand slight drying between waterings, they bloom best in evenly moist soils. Well-draining soils, too, benefit overall health. Containers dry out quickly in summer and may require daily watering. In-ground plantings may need it once or twice a week, depending on the climate.
Growth Habit and Garden Use
When it comes to Supertunias® vs. Wave® petunias, it helps that there are subsets within each series with variations in growth and habit. You can’t go wrong, but you can get the best fit by checking the specific variety you’re eyeing at the local garden center.
Generally, Wave® petunias flush quickly to spill over a container, ramble along a border edge, or cascade over a low wall. They’re prime for groundcover color. With long stems, the spreaders reach three to four feet wide. They maintain a low profile at around six inches tall.
Supertunias® and their breeding result in a plant that has both mounds and trails. It retains a taller, fuller form than the spreading Wave®.
Wave® varieties grow from seed, making them a budget-friendly option for growing in numbers or sourcing favorite colors. Supertunias® grow from vegetative cuttings. They’re protected under a plant patent that inhibits propagation. Wave® types also usually cost less than the super-hybrid Supertunia®, making them a great investment if you don’t want to spend a lot upfront but want a vigorous groundcover or trailer.
Supertunias® perform well in hanging baskets and containers as a single specimen to fill and spill in a large pot. Their full form gives them more body in the space.
Types of Supertunias®
Top Supertunias® from Proven Winners include the standard selection, the Vista series, and Mini Vista.
- Standard Supertunia® – boasts vigorous growth with a slight mounding habit and medium-to-large blooms. These are best at the front of the border or filling and spilling over a pot in mixed arrangements.
- Supertunia® Vista – also vigorous and mounding, this series represents the largest Supertunias® in height (two feet tall) and width (three feet wide). In flowerbeds, place them in the middle or front. Blooms are medium-sized.
- Mini Vista – smaller in stature and in flower with a profusion of blooms covering densely-branched forms; Similar to calibrachoa (million bells), the annuals remain under one foot tall. They spread 18 to 24 inches wide. Use these as accents in containers or hanging baskets, or pack them in the front of other blooms.
Types of Wave® Petunias
The Wave® series includes petite bloomers and large-flowered selections in varying forms.
- Standard Wave® – the pioneering groundcover with low, spreading stems for a sea of color; out of Japan, introduced in the U.S. in the mid-1990s.
- Easy Wave® – high color on free-flowering plants for a show all season with more heat and chill-tolerance; available in dozens of colors and versatile across garden spaces with a habit that mounds more than the standard.
- Tidal Wave® – the largest specimens among the Wave collection, have a taller, more upright habit than their groundcover counterparts, but also mounds and trails; plant them closer together for a low, upright border or with greater spacing to trail.
- Shock Wave® – brings small flowers on compact plants for smaller spaces and container combinations.
Climate Considerations
Both series show improved hardiness and heat-resistance over old-fashioned garden petunias, which prefer cool, mild summers. New hybrids opened up the world of petunias to warmer climes. In the Supertunias® vs. Wave® petunias heat-tolerance aspect, the advantage leans toward Supertunias®. They tend to tolerate warmer conditions (and slightly chilly ones, too) more reliably than Wave® (although improved Wave® varieties show good performance).
Wave® takes a blooming break in the peak of summer heat in southern growing zones, which is true of many petunias. Both series may become slightly spindly as the season wears on, and their long stems grow leggy. For a refresh, give them a light prune in midsummer. Repeat the trim in late summer or early fall as needed.
Clipping stems revitalizes the sprawling annuals by promoting new growth and flowering. Cut plants back up to 20%. You’ll lose a week or so of flowers, but restoring fresh leaves and buds is worth it to prolong the bloom season. Or, clip individual stems intermittently to retain some flowers while pruning for fresh growth. After cutting back, apply a liquid feed to spur new growth.
Blooms and Color
Both Wave® and Supertunias® are floriferous with sweet blooms that span the color spectrum. Overall, Supertunia® holds more multi-colored petals in its repertoire. Both types are self-cleaning, meaning the blooms drop without deadheading. There’s no need to regularly remove the spent blooms to promote more flowers. Older petunia varieties with large flowers or that produce seeds benefit from deadheading, and in full flower, it’s a regular practice.
Most in both groups are single-flowered, though double-flowered cultivars are available. Regarding Wave® petunias vs. Supertunias® and fertilizer, Wave® may take the upper hand. While both are heavy feeders, Supertunias® need it frequently to sustain their continual, long-lasting bloom season.
As annuals, petunias require plenty of nutrients and minerals to complete their life cycle in a single growing season. At planting, apply an organic balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. A monthly granular or slow-release granular every two months works well.
A liquid feed throughout the growing season gives a hefty boost, especially for potted annuals.. Give an application in June and increase the frequency in July to every two weeks. Use a formula specific to flowering plants, as higher phosphorus (P) is more beneficial than higher nitrogen (N) in the NPK ratio for boosting blooms.
Popular Varieties
There are so many varieties within each series to usher in bold colors or soft pastels. From solid to striped to veined, the ruffly petals shine in the landscape and complement the composition.
Supertunia® ‘Bubblegum Vista® Pink’
‘Bubblegum Vista® Pink’ is the go-to for southern climates (and everywhere else) for reliable, heat-tolerant growth and flowering. With consistent moisture and regular feeding, the blanket of blooms lasts all summer.
‘Bubblegum’ fills a space with its tall, mounding form and spreading stems. Large, pure pink blossoms make for a delicious appeal in a sweeping edge. It doesn’t take many plants to fill a space, and a singular specimen occupies a large pot or hanging basket..
Supertunia® ‘Bordeaux™’
‘Bordeaux™’ is popular not only for its robust growth and flowering but for its unique blooms. In lilac and deep plum, petals have lighter edges and dark centers. Velvety violet veination gives a painterly effect to each blossom.
‘Bordeaux™’ mounds and trails at only 4-12 inches high and up to three feet wide. Feature it among complementary shades like orange and peach. It stands out among silvery or deep purple foliage plants as well as those with white blooms.
The multiple award-winner is a top performer in trials across the country and its climate zones, from Colorado to Minnesota, Georgia, and Massachusetts.
Wave® ‘Misty Lilac’
This sought-after color brings bright pastel tones to a single plant. ‘Misty Lilac’ shows purple-pink petal edges with lighter interiors, some splashed with white in full sun. Soft yellow centers punctuate the delicate petals. The overall look is a fountain of pale pink and white.
‘Misty Lilac’ is part of the classic Wave® series but is slightly taller than the others. Near seven inches high, the spreader reaches up to four feet wide.
Wave® ‘Carmine Velour’
‘Carmine Velour’ is an All-America Selections winner for its reliable landscape performance and color. In deep cherry red, the ground-hugging annual is luxuriously rich and sure to draw hummingbirds. ‘Carmine Velour’ is durable across climates and easy-care.
Pair it with another AAS winner, ‘Tidal Wave® Silver,’ for high contrast. ‘Tidal Wave® Silver’ grows more upright, at nearly two feet tall. Its broad spread measures 60 inches. The continuous spray of light color (the faintest brush of purple and white) brings soft, crisp elegance.
