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Seasonal Stars for a Vibrant Garden

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. As the cold season ends, the blooms of annuals planted now will be at their best. Here are some to look out for in your local garden centre or nursery in seedling form.

Pick petunias for colour

Colourful stripes, edges, dots and tints are featured in the thousands of varieties of petunias and their smaller cousins, calibrachoa. These versatile annuals cover a hanging basket in masses of blooms, add pops of colour to a garden bed, or become the stars of the show in pots on their own or mixed with other annuals, grasses and flowering perennials.

What petunias need

  • Rich soil with plenty of added compost and a few handfuls of slow-release fertiliser for garden beds. For containers and hanging baskets, add compost to a good potting mix with water-retaining granules. 
  • They prefer full sun but will do with some shade for areas with very hot summers.
  • Space plants according to their type – compact, upright types plant 15-20 cm apart, mounding petunias can be spaced 30 cm apart and trailing petunias 40 cm apart.
  • Regular watering is essential for petunias. The soil should not dry out and should be well-draining so that it is not waterlogged. Water the soil, not the flowers or foliage. 
  • Feed every two weeks with a liquid fertiliser to keep them flowering and lush.
  • Deadhead the flowers regularly to encourage more blooming.
  • Look out for slugs and snails.

Try the new ‘BeautiCal’ range, which is a Petchoa – the best of petunias and calibrachoas combined into one range in the colours of a beautiful sunset.

What is pelargonium power?

Pelargoniums come in various forms, with different leaf shapes and colours, some trailing and some scented with a multitude of colourful blooms. They all have one thing in common: bright colour in summer and drought-tolerant.

What pelargoniums need

  • Full sun, but some varieties like some shade. Read the labels carefully before buying.
  • Plant only after the danger of frost has passed or plant in containers that can be protected.
  • Rich, fertile, well-draining soil for garden beds and enriched potting soil with added compost for pots and hanging baskets.
  • Moderate watering in spring and summer.
  • Feed with a liquid fertiliser every two weeks in the growing season.
  • Pinch back growing tips in early spring to encourage bushier plants.
  • Deadhead regularly to encourage flowering.

Proper watering for seedlings

One of the most important ways to keep seedlings healthy and ready for their performance is to keep them well-watered. The watering frequency will depend on the weather and how quickly the soil dries out. Seedlings may require watering once a day or every two days. Stick a finger into the soil; if it’s dry 5 cm down, it may need water.

Containers and hanging baskets will need more watering as they dry out quicker. Adding water-retaining granules at planting will reduce the necessity of constant watering.

Plants like petunias need to be watered at the soil level and not over the leaves and flowers, which can cause blemishes and possible diseases.

Ranunculus in Romantic Colours

With layers of tissue-paper petals in colours ranging from soft pastels to vibrant red, pink and orange, bedding ranunculus are perfect for garden beds and containers to plant now for early spring colour and plenty of material for the vase.

What ranunculus need

  • Plant the corms in rich, welldraining soil. Enhance potting soil with compost for planting in containers. Plant after the chance of frost has passed in the garden.
  • Find a position in full sun for the best blooms.
  • Water frequently but be sure not to overwater.
  • Once the buds appear, start a feeding programme. Use a liquid fertiliser every two weeks throughout the flowering season.
  • For the longest vase life, cut flowers just before they open fully.

I like my gazanias ‘Sunnyside Up’

There is no other gazania quite like ‘Zany Sunnyside Up’. Each flower is like a mini sun, with a golden-yellow centre and an outer halo of light-yellow petals. The large flowers open early and stay open for longer on cloudy days. The compact plants are exceptionally heat-tolerant and will survive dry spells.

These bushy, 20 cm high and wide plants look good in single pots or combo plantings, and in the garden as low-growing massed bedding plants. They flower best in full sun.

Gazania growing tips

Plant in soil that drains well. Although drought-tolerant once established, they perform better with regular watering. Deadhead to bring on new flowers.

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

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