A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some audacious new varieties of begonia that had caused me to reconsider the possibilities of a plant I had considered dowdy and old-ladyish.
Another summer annual that has emerged in exciting new varieties is the petunia. When I told a friend recently that I was writing a piece about petunias, she asked me somewhat doubtfully, “Are they back in fashion?”
Maybe petunias have gone out of fashion for some gardeners, but I have always loved them. Maybe it’s because they were among my mother’s severely limited repertoire of garden plants.
A new generation of petunias rode in on the Purple Wave back in 1995. According to the official Wave website, the Purple Wave was developed in Japan by a beer and wine-manufacturing company. Apparently, these companies hire horticulturalists to look for new components and flavors for their products.
One such plantsman was looking for wine-grape varieties when he came upon a wild, vigorously spreading petunia. After several seasons of experimentation, the company came up with the seed-raised Purple Wave petunia.
The Wave was soon unleashed in the United States. New Wave colors such as pink, lavender, red and white were introduced over the next few years. Related lines have come on the scene, including the Supertunia and Surfinia, a trailing variety with a wave-themed name.
The Wave and its progeny have many fine qualities including their hardiness and spreading growth habit. Their spreading makes them ideal for bedding plants. They are perfect for filling holes in the perennial bed. They’re also great in containers, where they spill over the edges like colorful waterfalls.
But the Wave’s hallmark is that it requires practically no maintenance. While traditional petunias need to be deadheaded to look their best, Wave petunias shed their wilted blossoms on their own.
Waves do benefit from an occasional trimming of long runners. This encourages new shoots and more dense blossoms. Waves also are heavy feeders and enjoy regular doses of a balanced fertilizer.
The Wave phenomenon rolls on with every new season. The aptly named Tidal Wave will spread to 30 inches or so if planted on its own. But supported by other plants, its sturdier stems will grow upright to a height of two feet or so.
Double Wave has frilly double flowers, and Easy Wave is a slightly taller version of the original Wave. The newest varieties are the Shock Waves. ‘Shock Wave Yellow’ has abundant small yellow blossoms, while ‘Shock Wave Denim’ has flowers whose colors change as they mature, turning from purple to lavender to almost white and every shade in between.
Despite the onrushing Wave, I still have a soft spot for traditional petunias such as the Madness series and the Supercascades. They have fuller, bigger flowers and lovely rich colors. One of my favorites is Summer Madness, with its double, pink and red blossoms. If you keep on top of deadheading to keep them tidy, they look great all summer long.
On a recent trip to Andrew’s Greenhouse in South Amherst, I saw a green and magenta striped variety that reminded me of a slice of watermelon. Perhaps the most unusual color I’ve seen is “African sunset,” a salmony orange flower that won the 2014 All-American Selections Bedding Plant Award.
This year Andrew’s is featuring an unusual type of petunia, the Exserta. It was found in the summer of 2007 in Serra do Sudeste, an area of southeastern Brazil known for its unique petunias. Andrew’s veteran Patrick Taylor bought a specimen from a grower in California several years ago and has successfully propagated it here.
With its unusually long tubes and its 2 inch crimson flowers, “it’s custom built for hummingbirds,” said Taylor. It has an upright, bushy form and grows to be about two feet wide and tall. It also happens to be the only petunia that’s pollinated by hummingbirds.
If you’re in the mood for a floral field trip, consider visiting the Newport Flower Show at Rosecliff in Newport, Rhode Island June 24 to 26.
This exceptional show, one of the finest in New England, will offer many opportunities to see judged horticultural specimens and floral designs, special garden exhibits, free lectures and demonstrations, as well as activities for kids, and wonderful shopping at the Oceanside Boutiques and Gardeners’ Marketplace.
Tickets also can be purchased for special parties and events, including afternoon tea and a lunch and lecture by design maven Bunny Williams.
See the website for more information: www.newportmansions.org/events/newport-flower-show.
The 2016 Amherst History Museum Benefit Garden Tour will take place June 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year’s tour of eight expertly designed and maintained gardens loosely follows the theme of “Hidden In Plain Sight.”
With the exception of one private garden, these are all gardens in public spaces not sufficiently known to the general public. Sites include the University of Massachusetts Chancellor’s residence, UMass greeenhouses and the Poets’ Garden behind the Yiddish Book Center.
Advance tickets are $20 for members and $25 for the general public, day-of-tour tickets will be $25 for member and $30 for the general public. Tickets are available online at amhersthistory.org and at the Hadley Garden Center and A. J. Hastings beginning Friday.
Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston has a wonderful exhibit in its library called “Cabinets of Curiosity.” Also called “Wonder Rooms,” these were small collections of extraordinary objects of the natural world. Each cabinet was arranged in an attempt to categorize the various wonders and oddities and also to tell stories about them.
The exhibit is on display Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June 30.