Bedding plants
Bedding plants are a wonderful way to add seasonal interest to your garden, and provide a burst of instant seasonal colour for beds, borders, and containers.
What are bedding plants?
Bedding plants are a wonderful way to add seasonal interest to your garden. Typically, bedding plants will bloom for a season, and are best grown in garden beds, borders, and hanging baskets.
Bedding plants are a wonderful way to add seasonal interest to your garden. Typically, bedding plants will bloom for a season, and are best grown in garden beds, borders, and hanging baskets.
The best time to get started on your bedding plants is after the risk of frost has passed, usually around the end of March. For summer bedding plants, we'd recommend waiting until May.
The amount of sunlight bedding plants need depends on what you're growing - some thrive in full sun, whilst others appreciate a little bit more shade. Be sure to check any packaging to see what your plant prefers.
Choosing which bedding plants to grow depends on the size of your garden, the purpose for planting, and the season. We've put together our tips for choosing the best bedding plants for your space here.
If you're planting in beds or borders, the first thing to decide is where you want your flowers to go.
Then, prepare the ground by turning over your soil with a fork or spade, making sure to remove any weeds and large stones as you go.
Mix multipurpose compost or soil improver into your soil which will enrich it with nutrients to keep your plants healthy.
Dig a hole with your trowel slightly wider but at the same depth as your plant - the root ball should sit level with the soil when planted.
Finally, take your plant out of its container and pop it into the hole, filling in any gaps using compost or the surrounding soil, and finishing with a thorough water.
To keep your bedding plants looking their best, be sure to water your flowers regularly, we'd suggest once a day during particularly hot or dry weather. You can also deadhead any flowers to preserve your plants' energy and produce new flowers!
If you're short on space or want to create a display in pots, containers, or hanging baskets, then bedding plants are perfect for this, just be sure your container is big enough for the plant you've chosen.
Our favourite bedding plants
Pansies
Give your garden its first splash of seasonal colour with stunning pansies, perfect for borders, pots, and hanging baskets.
Violas
Violas are popular in spring gardens thanks to their petite petals and delicate fragrance.
Dahlia
Create a show-stopping display with dahlias. Available in many different varieties, dahlias make a beautiful focal point in the garden.
African Daisies
African daisies, also known as Osteospermum, produce beautiful long-lasting displays and come in an array of colours.
Petunia
Easy to grow and low maintenance, petunias are a popular summer bedding plant and come in pinks, purples, reds, whites, and yellows.
Marigold
Marigolds are cheerful blooms that brighten up any outdoor space, and their fiery colour palette makes them perfect for summer gardens.
Begonia
Bright-coloured and bold, begonia produce glossy foliage that contrast against their pink, red, and white flowers.
Lobelia
Trailing lobelia bloom as a mass of small flowers, making them great for filling containers and trailing down window boxes and hanging baskets.
Fuchsia
Known for their fountain-like shape, fuchsias are elegant plants that come in a range of pastel shades.
Geranium
Geraniums give months of colour and thrive best during summertime.
Nemesia
Dainty and jewel-toned, nemesia area cottage garden favourite and add pops of colour to hanging baskets, pots, and borders.
Bedding plants inspiration
How to plant a hanging basket
Have a go at creating your own hanging basket just in time for summer. It’s a simple and fuss-free gardening project that will instantly brighten up your outside space - plus many bedding plants look amazing in a basket!
Top five spring bedding plants
Create a dazzling display of colour, aroma, and interest in your spring garden with our top five picks for this season’s bedding plants.
How to choose the right bedding plants for your garden
Knowing what bedding plants to pick can depend on many factors, so we've taken the guesswork out of picking and put together our top tips on choosing the best bedding plants for your garden.
Bedding plants collection
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