Pretty, tough and colourful

Four flowering favourites for long-lasting garden colour

Ready to bring your garden back to life?

Whether you want to brighten a garden bed, refresh your containers or fill hanging baskets with cascading colour, these flowering favourites are ready to put on a show.

From bold petunias and dainty calibrachoas to cheerful daisy bushes and fairy-like primulas, look out for these beautiful varieties in the seedling section of your local garden centre.

Petunias

Petunias are classic garden favourites, and it is easy to see why. Available in an incredible range of colours and patterns, their large, long-lasting flowers make an instant impact wherever they are planted.

Choose compact varieties to create neat edging in garden beds, or let trailing varieties spill beautifully from pots and hanging baskets.

What petunias need

• Plant in well-composted soil enriched with bonemeal.
• Give them at least five hours of sunlight each day.
• Water regularly at soil level while they establish.
• Once established, water approximately once a week, depending on the weather.
• Feed monthly with a liquid plant food.
• Remove spent flowers regularly to encourage more flowering.
• Keep an eye out for snails and slugs.

Varieties to look out for

Keep an eye out for ‘Wave’, ‘Limbo’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Eagle’ and ‘Merlin’. With so many striking colours available, choosing just one may be the hardest part!

Calibrachoas

Small flowers, big impact! Calibrachoas produce masses of colourful, petunia-like flowers for months at a time. Their cascading growth makes them perfect for hanging baskets, window boxes and raised containers where their flowers can tumble over the edges.

Best of all, these easy-going annuals are low-maintenance and do not need regular deadheading.

How to care for calibrachoas

• Give them at least six hours of sunlight each day.
• In very hot climates, position them where they will receive some afternoon shade.
• Plant in rich, slightly acidic soil that drains well.
• Water regularly, but never allow the soil to become waterlogged.
• Feed every two weeks with a liquid plant food.
• If the stems become long and leggy, cut the plant back by about a third to encourage fresh, bushy growth.

Varieties to look out for

‘Cabaret’, ‘Conga’ and ‘MiniFamous’ offer bright colours, beautiful combinations and plenty of flower power.

Argyranthemums

Few plants can compete with the charm of an old-fashioned daisy bush. Argyranthemums produce cheerful flowers over a long period and are wonderfully versatile in the garden.

Use them to add pops of colour to sunny beds and borders, or plant them in pots for an easy seasonal display. Newer varieties are compact, neat and covered in flowers in a lovely selection of colours.

How to keep them healthy

• Plant in a position that receives plenty of sunlight.
• Add generous amounts of compost when planting.
• Water thoroughly and regularly, as Argyranthemums do not cope well with drought.
• Feed with a liquid plant food during summer.
• Once flowering has finished, prune lightly and feed to encourage healthy new growth.

Varieties to look out for

Try the ‘Lollies’ and ‘Angelic’ ranges for compact plants with world-class daisy flowers.

Primula malacoides

Often described as the fairies of the winter garden, Primula malacoides produces clouds of delicate flowers that brighten shady spaces when the garden needs them most.

These hardy, fast-growing plants are wonderfully easy to care for. They flower freely without regular deadheading and provide beautiful colour throughout winter and into spring.

What primulas need

• Position them in filtered light, semi-shade or full shade.
• Plant in rich, well-draining soil enriched with plenty of organic material.
• Water consistently and do not allow the soil to dry out completely.
• Feed monthly with a liquid plant food to support continuous flowering.

Add something edible

While refreshing your flower beds, why not make space for a few edible favourites too?

Introduce colour and texture to the winter veggie garden with lettuce varieties such as ‘Vera’, ‘Great Lakes’, ‘Rosa Frilly Red’, ‘Blond de Paris’ and ‘Little Gem’.

In the herb garden, plant Rosemary ‘Barbeque’ in preparation for summer entertaining. This fast-growing variety produces long, straight stems that are ideal for using as fragrant skewers.

With the right care and a few carefully chosen varieties, your garden can enjoy months of beautiful colour, whether you are filling a flower bed, dressing up a patio pot or creating a hanging basket that steals the show.

Brought to you by the Bedding Plant Growers Association (BPGA).