A Few of the Best Summer Bedding Plants

A Few of the Best Summer Bedding Plants

Summer bedding is an inexpensive and colourful way to fill out spaces in your garden during the summer months. There is a huge array of plants to choose from, some more suited to flower borders, while others best dotted around the flower borders. Whatever plants you choose, make sure you don't bring them out of the greenhouse until the risk of frost is long gone, and when you do bring them outside, acclimatise them first by placing them into a cold frame or leaving them outside during warmer days and bringing them in again at night. Summer bedding plants can be grown from seed, bought as plug plants or as fully grown plants for an instant display. Here are some of my favourites.

Osteospermum or cape daisies are originally from South Africa. They are great ground cover for summer and help to suppress weeds. Flowering heavily from June to October, they come in a variety of colours from creamy white to dark purple. Height 15cm and spread 90cm. Antirrhinums, sometimes called Snapdragons are a popular addition to the garden in summer and are a particular cottage garden favourite. They come in a variety of colours from yellow, pink and orange. They will tolerate full sun or partial shade and flower from May until the first frosts. Nicotiana, commonly known as Tobacco Plant, has pretty trumpet shaped flowers ranging from pink to red and also comes in pale green and creamy white. They are also delicately scented. They tolerate full sun or partial shade and flower from May until the first frosts.

Dianthus is a prolific flowering bedding plant with flowers from coral pink to scarlet and purple. Although it prefers sunny sites it will tolerate particle shade and will flower from May until the autumn. Cosmos is the perfect choice for a summer border. Tall and a prolific flowerer, it will provide colour in the garden until late into the autumn. It comes in shades of pink and white.

I have a number of favourites for hanging baskets and containers. Geraniums have got to be a favourite. In stunning colours from white through to crimson, they come in trailing varieties for hanging baskets or upright for growing in pots. The scented varieties add a subtle fragrance to summer containers. Violas are a particular favourite for all sorts of garden planters. Their cheerful faces brighten up any corner of the garden and as long as you remember to dead head them regularly, they will provide you with flowers all through the summer. Petunias are another favourite for containers. They come in many colours, upright or trailing in habit with double or single flowers.

Jo Poultney is one of two people behind Garden Planters. I have an RHS general certificate in horticulture. Garden Planters source unusual outdoor and indoor planters, and other garden related gifts - whatever your taste, be it traditional, modern or just a bit quirky, we will have something for you. I believe garden planters are an integral part of any garden - they enhance the overall design and say a little something about the person to whom the garden belongs. If you would like to know more about Garden Planters, visit our website at http://www.gardenplantersshop.co.uk

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This video show you the beautiful colours of summer bedding plants;