Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Petunia 'Wave Purple' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Wave Purple Petunia, Spreading Petunia (Petunia × atkinsiana 'Wave Purple').

More about petunia 'wave purple'

About Petunia 'Wave Purple'

Petunia × atkinsiana 'Wave Purple' · also called Wave Purple Petunia, Spreading Petunia · flowering

Petunia 'Wave Purple' is a low, vigorously spreading seed petunia that pioneered the trailing 'Wave' series, smothering itself in violet-purple trumpet flowers from late spring until frost. Grown as a half-hardy annual, it needs no deadheading, makes superb ground cover, hanging-basket spiller and container filler, and thrives in full sun with steady feeding.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Sparse, leggy growth: Insufficient sun or skipped feeding leaves plants thin and stretched with few flowers. Grow in full sun and feed regularly; pinch back overly long stems to encourage branching.

The reasons petunia 'wave purple' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming petunia 'wave purple' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding petunia 'wave purple' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get petunia 'wave purple' to flower

Maximise sun. Give petunia 'wave purple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for petunia 'wave purple' and get the feeding right with the petunia 'wave purple' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Petunia 'Wave Purple' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full petunia 'wave purple' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Petunia 'Wave Purple' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my petunia 'wave purple' flower?

Petunia 'Wave Purple' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make petunia 'wave purple' bloom?

Give petunia 'wave purple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does petunia 'wave purple' normally bloom?