Bedding Plants - What are they and how to use them?

A fine show of petunia bedding plants.

A Bedding Plant is a flowering plant that is used in the garden to give a few months’ display of colour. It can be planted in a flower bed, a border or even a container/hanging basket.

Most bedding plants are used for either summer or spring flowering. Some, such as Pansies, will give a bit of colour through the winter as well.

Bedding plants can be used between existing mature plants such as shrubs and Perennials. Bedding Plants are normally take out after flowering and either composted or put in the rubbish bin.

Most of the colour in most gardens comes from bedding plants, and include marigolds, geraniums, fuchsias, petunias, busy lizzies, alyssum and lobelia.

Prepare the soil - It will make a lot of difference to the end result if you do.
Planting your bedding plants
Plant suggestions - list - Half hardy annuals
When to plant summer bedding
Geraniums - Winter care | Taking Cuttings from Geraniums | From seed |
Dahlias - overwintering
Chrysanthemums - storage and propagation
Growing half hardy annual bedding plants from seed
Hardening off bedding plants.
Spring bedding plants from seed
How to do a seed bed
Seed Bed Sowing & Growing
List of good hardy annuals for direct sowing
Hardy Annuals sowing for summer colour