Wave Around the World

Sarah Makiejus

If there’s one thing I know in life it’s that you have to commemorate the milestones: Acknowledge where you started and recognize all the progress that’s been made over the years to get you where you are today. It’s especially important to call out the hard work and dedication of the teams that have helped contribute to your success.

Now admittedly, I’m a total “newbie” to this great industry, having just a few years under my belt as the steward of the Wave Petunias and Wave Pansies brand. But I know a winner when I see one and Wave is one to celebrate!

In 2025, PanAmerican Seed marked a very colorful anniversary of 30 years of Wave. Can you believe how the time has flown? What started with Wave Purple Classic in an All-America Selections trial bed has grown into a world-wide phenomenon and a household name in gardening known for vibrant colors, exceptional performance and remarkable ease.

Wave in 1995 was a garden game-changer—a new spreading petunia benchmark that inspired a revolution in greenhouses, as well as home garden flower beds, baskets and containers across the globe. In just four years after its launch, Wave Petunias became the No. 1 selling petunia in North America and evolved quickly into a full lineup of beloved varieties:

Tidal Wave (2000)
Easy Wave (2003)
Shock Wave (2008)
Cool Wave Pansy (2012)
E3 Easy Wave (2022)
Top Wave Pansy (2026)

The brand’s signature pink packaging amplified its appeal in garden stores; it’s easy to spot and so easy to love. “Pink” is the color of playfulness and sweetness. In short, it makes you smile—and a happy garden shopper oftentimes turns into a passionate gardener.

Let’s party!

We really wanted to build a big year for Wave. You’re only 30 once, after all! So PanAmerican Seed kick-started 2025 with special promotional kits of signage, social marketing, handouts and logos to get our customers pumped for a year of celebration (panamseed.com/wavebrand).

Then (you may have heard the news once or twice) we collaborated with iconic photographer Anne Geddes on an exclusive photo series featuring adorable babies nestled among blooming Wave Petunias. Anne is known globally for her enchanting portraits of children in whimsical natural settings. What a fun, artistic way to combine color, creativity and outright joy.

We’re so proud of this partnership, which captures both the wonder and vibrancy of life, and it has bloomed into a national sweepstakes to award a baby photoshoot with Anne in New York City this September. Stay tuned for the big winner announcement soon.

We didn’t stop there—we registered Wave for its first-ever National Wave Day holiday May 3 and will continue to celebrate this exciting brand’s colorful legacy year after year with worldwide communities of plant lovers. National Wave Day will spotlight the impact Wave Petunias and Wave Pansies have had in transforming outdoor spaces and inspiring a love of gardening for the past 30 years and counting.

For our inaugural National Wave Day, we were tickled pink at our headquarters in West Chicago, Illinois, to host an office-wide party complete with social photo ops, a who-wore-it-best pink outfit parade, a visit from the Masterpiece Flower Company Wave semi-truck and a fierce potting competition. It was an amazing celebration!

To encourage the holiday festivities across all of our PanAmerican Seed global partners, we supported a friendly contest to see which facility could out-Wave the others. Gosh, we know how to have fun with Wave! Take a look at these images to see a sampling of the smiles Wave brings around the world.

What’s next for Wave?

I’m thrilled to be at the marketing helm of such a cherished brand, and I’m joined by such a fantastic team of plant breeders, seed producers, technicians, and customer service and sales mavens that it was a no-brainer to make 2025 such a memorable year.

But, hey, it’s only August! There’s still plenty of time to capitalize on the consumer buzz around Wave’s 30th anniversary year with a fall season filled with Cool Wave Pansy and brand-new Top Wave Pansy colors, plus commemorative signage for retail stores to engage shoppers.

GO HERE to visit our promotional page, and for you grower-retailers, don’t forget to register your store with us to appear on the “Where To Buy” webpage at wavegardening.com. We’ve also launched an online merch store to gear up on Wave-themed SWAG. Shop our handpicked, sustainable pieces that fit today’s gardening lifestyle.

The future absolutely looks PINK to me and I hope you agree. Wave is growing every year—thank you all for keeping the party going. GT

Sarah Makiejus is Global Marketing Manager for PanAmerican Seed.