Shock Wave Red Petunia Seeds

The Original Wave Petunias transformed the way American gardeners grew petunias. Once a bedding plant, suddenly these new spreading types made every hanging basket and window box awash with bold color that just kept coming and coming. Well, now there is an even better Wave—the new Shock Wave series of earlier, more weather resistant, self-cleaning blooms. They begin much sooner in spring, thanks to less day-length sensitivity, and they keep coming all summer and into fall. And the old blooms obligingly drop from the plants, so no more deadheading for you.

These trumpet-shaped 1½- to 2-inch blooms simply blanket the plant beginning in mid-spring, weeks before other spreading petunias are even setting buds. Reaching 7 to 10 inches high with a very full, mounding shade, these plants spread 20 to 30 inches wide, and keep setting new buds in the center of the plant instead of just at the end of the stems. This way, Shock Wave looks as full and fresh in August as it did in May.

And the Shock Waves stand up to rain, humidity, heat, and other environmental stresses better than older Waves, bouncing back from summer showers and thunderstorms very well. Compact and very well-branched, they keep their lush, full habit even in the dog days of August, when every other plant around them wilts at noonday and struggles to keep going.

Now, the one thing Shock Wave needs for its powerhouse blooms is food, so fertilize this plant a bit more heavily than you normally would to keep those flowers coming. Then settle back and enjoy.

Red grows and flowers at exactly the same time as Pink Shades, and also makes a good companion to Coral Crush and Purple. There’s even an economical collection of all 6 separate colors, perfect for a large planting or to share the wealth with friends.