Wave Petunias celebrates 25 years of spreading colour

CHICAGO, USA: The iconic Wave, known for being the best seed-raised spreading petunia celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year. The Wave was born in 1995 when a breeder for a Japanese beer company noticed a wild petunia growing in the field. After some fine-tuning, the fast-growing, trailing petunia went on to win high honours at the All-America Selections trials.

Recognising the potential, flower breeding company PanAmerican Seed partnered with Kirin Ichiban to produce and distribute what came to be known as Wave Purple Classic around the world. The brand became a quick favourite for growers, gardeners and landscape designers alike.

“Wave revolutionised the garden industry in 1995, with a plant so unique with its spread, long bloom time and exceptional weather tolerance, not to mention brilliant colour,” says Diane Blazek, Executive Director of the National Garden Bureau. “Wave has given gardeners the opportunity to personalise their outdoor space with ease and is continuing to enhance and create the best and most vibrant petunias.”

Following the success of Wave Purple Classic, new varieties were quickly introduced, including Tidal Wave, Easy Wave and Shock Wave, offering gardeners more options in terms of size and colour. The brand later developed a variety of easy-care combos and mixes for creating containers and beds without the guesswork.

In 2013, the ground-breaking Cool Wave pansy was born, becoming the first “non-petunia” product for the brand.

Today, Wave offers gardeners four petunia collections, one pansy collection, and more than 60 colours and mixes to choose from. After 25 years of inspiring gardeners, Wave continues to evolve with modern colours, gardening trends and projects, all while providing easy spreading colour around the globe.