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There is nothing quite like a garden bursting with colourful summer bedding plants. Geraniums, petunias, begonias, fuchsias, verbena, cosmos and many other favourites can provide months of spectacular colour—but only if they receive the right care.
The good news is that keeping your bedding plants looking their best isn’t difficult. Just a few simple jobs each week can make the difference between displays that fade by mid-summer and those that continue flowering well into autumn.
One of the most important jobs is removing faded flowers.
As flowers die, plants naturally begin producing seed. Once this happens, the plant slows down its flower production because its job is complete. By simply pinching or snipping off spent blooms, you encourage the plant to produce more flowers instead.
Just a few minutes every few days can dramatically improve your displays.
Summer bedding plants are hungry plants.
Growing continuously and producing masses of flowers uses a tremendous amount of energy, especially in hanging baskets and containers where nutrients are quickly washed away.
Applying a liquid fertiliser every 7–10 days will keep plants healthy, encourage strong growth and help produce a continuous display of vibrant blooms throughout the summer.
During warm weather, containers and hanging baskets can dry out surprisingly quickly.
Rather than giving little and often, water thoroughly so moisture reaches the roots. Early morning or late evening is the best time, reducing evaporation and allowing plants to absorb as much water as possible.
On particularly hot days, hanging baskets may need watering twice daily.
Some bedding plants, particularly petunias and calibrachoa, can become long and straggly by midsummer.
Don’t be afraid to trim them back by around one-third. They will soon produce fresh shoots and another flush of flowers.
Warm weather can encourage aphids, whitefly and red spider mites.
Regularly inspect leaves and stems so any problems can be dealt with before they become serious.
Healthy, well-watered plants are naturally more resilient.
Many summer favourites will reward you with colour until the first frosts when cared for correctly, including:
With just a little regular maintenance, these plants can continue producing spectacular displays from now until autumn.
