Make your bedding plants look like a dream
PETUNIAS, pelargoniums, busy lizzies and other tender annuals are essential for adding a pop of strident colour to summer containers. With regular care and attention, these seasonal wonders will earn their keep until the first frosts of autumn, but neglect them and they’ll fizzle out prematurely.
Regular watering, feeding and the removal of fading flowers will keep plants in good condition.
Most bedding plants are thirsty things that might need watering twice a day in the height of summer. Aim to water first thing in the morning or early evening, giving plants plenty of time to soak up moisture with minimal wastage. If a container completely dries out, revive it by standing it in a bucket of water for ten to 15 minutes, removing when compost is thoroughly moist.
Feed bedding plants often during the growing season, with a weekly pick-me-up of general-purpose fertiliser. In late summer, switch to feeding a product that’s high in potash, such as liquid tomato fertiliser.
In order to keep plants floriferous, remove flowers once they’ve gone past their best – either pinch off with thumb and forefinger, or use a pair of plant snips. At the same time, remove any fallen blooms from ‘selfcleaning’ types that might be accumulating at the bottom of pots or trapped in foliage.
Apart from deadheading, bedding plants need little pruning. Snip out dead shoots, along with any damaged leaves, trim back the stems of trailing plants if they look unbalanced, and lightly pare leggy specimens to encourage bushier growth.
Get in the habit of inspecting bedding plants regularly. Look out for pests and diseases, and get to grips with them immediately so there’s little or no check to growth.
If there are other problems, such as poor growth because of a lack of light or over-watering, then these can be remedied, too.