The view across your neighbours’ back gardens can be a varied and instructive sight during the month of June for there are those who still regard this valuable space as nothing more than a place to hang the washing and
exercise the cat.
Others have a sole interest in, say, roses, and for the better part of every year all one can see from the upstairs windows are gaunt bushes against a cold and forbidding foreground. There is no excuse, because with a minimum of effort even the novice gardener can add interest and colour to their garden by introducing bedding plants.
Bedding plants are a marvellous source of instant colour and should, if watered well and regularly dead-headed, keep blooming throughout the summer right up until September and even later.The majority of bedding should be strategically placed so that it can be enjoyed from the house and can easily be watered every day in hot weather.
Preparation
Prior to planting, the soil requires forking and breaking down to what is known as a fine tilth (crumbly texture). A balanced fertiliser should be incorporated and the ground raked smooth. Additional feeding with liquid preparations can follow once the plants have become somewhat established and made a little growth.
Planting
Spacing should be regular at around 30cm but much will depend on variety chosen. More precise information can be obtained when making your purchases at the garden centre. By all means create patterns of colour when planting large beds and use as many varieties as you wish but don’t randomly mix or jumble them together.
Care
Water immediately after planting and give additional water on a twice weekly basis until they’re fully established and growing strongly. You can add a liquid feed at every watering if diluted to half the recommended amount. Finally, deadhead (pinching off the dying blooms) often in order that the varieties chosen continue to produce further flushes of bloom. To do less than this would be a signal to the plants to stop producing follow-on blooms, for stimulation is vital from planting to removal.
Next time! Our next blog article will focus on the top ten bedding plants in Ireland!
Bord Bia It’s Garden Time
With thanks to Bord Bia for this article. For more information on Bord Bia and for further gardening tips and advice, visit http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/gardening/itsgardentime/pages/gardentips.aspx
Care
Water immediately after planting and give additional water on a twice weekly basis until they’re fully established and growing strongly. You can add a liquid feed at every watering if diluted to half the recommended amount. Finally, deadhead (pinching off the dying blooms) often in order that the varieties chosen continue to produce further flushes of bloom. To do less than this would be a signal to the plants to stop producing follow-on blooms, for stimulation is vital from planting to removal.
Next time! Our next blog article will focus on the top ten bedding plants in Ireland!
Bord Bia It’s Garden Time
With thanks to Bord Bia for this article. For more information on Bord Bia and for further gardening tips and advice, visit http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/gardening/itsgardentime/pages/gardentips.aspx 
