Freddie’s favourites – Local and dazzling

Join Freddie to find out what’s new and trending in the world of bedding plants. These Flowering Favourites are available this month at garden centres countrywide ready to be planted in your garden or in a pot. 

Gazanias 

The ultimate daisy flower in shades of orange, yellow, rose, red, pink, bronze, and gold in stripy variations must be sun-loving gazanias. These indigenous plants can withstand the salty conditions at the coast, making them excellent bedding plants for hot areas of the garden, in flower beds, containers, or hanging baskets. 

To grow gazanias 

• Plant in full sun to get the best blooms.  

• Soil can be almost anything as long as it’s well-draining. Add compost when planting to improve the soil.  

• Although drought-tolerant, they will do better with regular watering or rely on rainfall.  

• Extend flowering by deadheading.

New varieties 

‘New Day’ – large, bright colourful flowers. Very Low maintenance and a compact grower.  

‘Kiss’ – uniform plants with multiple flowers. Look out for the gorgeous stripy ones. 

 ‘Gazoo’ – low-growing spreading variety with dark green leaves and big, bright flowers. 

 ‘Zany’ – known for its excellent performance and lovely orange and yellow shaded flowers. 

Flowers will close at night when the sun sets and on cloudy days. 

Pelargoniums 

With their sunny flowers and drought-tolerant nature, evergreen perennial pelargoniums are the perfect choice for containers or garden beds. For summerlong enjoyment, plant the same flowering colour in a contrasting-coloured window box to get that iconic Mediterranean look. 

How to care for them 

• Plant in full sun but check the label; some will do better with a bit of shade.  

• Plant in well-draining, fertile soil enriched with compost, bonemeal and a handful of slow-release fertiliser.  

• Water moderately in spring and summer and reduce watering in the cooler seasons.  

• Feed every two weeks with a liquid plant food in the growing season.  

• Once they get a bit leggy, take cuttings or discard them on the compost heap and replant the next year.  

• Pinch back the growing tips to make them bushier.  

• Deadhead regularly to promote new growth and flowers. 

Look out for 

‘Turkana’ – a uniform plant with dark foliage contrasting with various colourful flowers.  

‘Kariba’ – strong plants with a spectrum of vibrant colours.  

‘Tacari’ – a variety with a compact shape and loads of neat flowers in many colours.  

‘Champion’ – a winner in the genus with lovely double flowers and hardy growth.  

‘Marcada’ – semi-trailing with high heat tolerance in a strong, vibrant plant. 

TIP: Choose the aromatic varieties and crush the leaves for a fresh room scent. 

Dianthus 

Known for their spicy fragrance, dianthus, also known as pinks, carnations, or sweet Williams, are long-blooming bedding plants that are perfect for garden beds or containers. There are hundreds of species, but they mostly have flowers that are pink, salmon, red or white. The different species grow at differing heights and volumes and may have growing distinctions, but they all need the following requirements: 

To grow 

• Plants should receive at least six hours of sunlight daily, with afternoon shade beneficial.  

• They prefer moist soil and should be watered regularly, particularly in hot weather. However, overwatering can also be a problem, and it is best to water at ground level to avoid fungal diseases.  

• Plant in well-draining soil. They can adapt to many soil types but prefer rich, fertile soil to flourish.  

• Feed annually with a slow-release fertiliser.  

• Deadhead by snipping just below the flower heads to the first set of leaves. 

Take your pick 

‘Diamond’ – a variety with excellent performance in the garden in a mix of reds, pinks, whites, purples and picotee.  

‘Amazon’ – a taller variety (up to 45 cm) with long-lasting flowers ready for the vase.  

‘Super Parfait’ – large bicolour flowers on stems up to 25 cm. Vigorous plants.  

‘Diana’ – large single flowers in an unusual colour range. Low growing up to 25 cm.

‘Ideal Select’ – frost-resistant with many flowers with pretty lacy edges. 

Lobelia 

Annual and perennial lobelia are known for their startling blue shades, some upright and some trail over containers and hanging baskets with myriad tiny flowers. There are more than the blue shades in flowers; now you can find white, pink, purple and even red on sturdy plants that produce masses of flowers. 

Did you know 

Lobelia erinus is one of the nearly 70 species indigenous to South Africa. 

How to grow 

• Choose a position in full sun or shade.  

• They all prefer fertile soil that is well draining, so prepare the soil well with loads of compost before planting. Add slow-release fertiliser to keep them going and give them a good boost.  

• Water regularly and don’t allow the soil to dry out. A lack of water will cause the plant to die back and affect flowering. In hot weather, you may have to water containers daily. • Feed every two weeks with a liquid plant flood to keep the plant vigorous and producing flowers.  

• You don’t need to deadhead these plants, but they could sometimes use a trim to keep them neat. 

Choose from these 

‘Curacao’ – brilliant blue flowers on a mounding habit plant. It grows to 25 cm and has excellent heat tolerance.  

‘Heatopia’ is a compact mounding habit with free-flowering striking flowers performing well in cold and heat.  

‘Riviera’ – a dwarf variety with a compact habit reaching only 13 cm. Available in a variety of colours.  

‘Crystal Palace’ – dark blue to purple flowers in a compact plant (13 cm). Low-maintenance and frost-tolerant. 

Don’t forget 

Seedlings of chives, garlic chives and mint will be at their best in the garden centres. Did you know that mint and chives are besties in the garden? They partner well by repelling insects, improving growth, and increasing the number of beneficial insects in the garden. In ideal conditions, mint grows rapidly and takes over, so it’s best in containers and in pots planted in the ground. Look out for fun varieties of mint, including chocolate, pineapple and apple. 

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