Bed Out Your Bedding Plants this Autumn

Preparing the soil for bedding plants

Prepare the soil well. Add liberal quantities of compost to poor sandy soils (two 30dm bags of compost to 4 square metres). To improve loam add 1 bag (30dm) to 4 square metres.

Before digging over the flower bed, sprinkle one handful superphosphate and one handful of 2:3:2 (22) fertiliser over each square metre. Remove all grass, weeds, stones and debris. Level the bed with a rake.

Now transplant and water your bedding plants

Avoid transplanting in the heat of the day and Water the soil before transplanting. Remove the seedling carefully so as not to damage the root. Make a hole in the bed and pop the seedling in. Use a fine sprinkler to water the plants after transplanting.

It is important to keep winter annuals moist, but not wet. Deep, infrequent watering encourages deep root growth and is generally better than frequent but light applications. Drought tolerant plants need less water, so watch out if you have automatic sprinklers! These are often the cause of damping off in plants that do not like wet feet all the time.

Foliar feeding your bedding plants

According to bedding plant expert, George Nurse, foliar fertilising dramatically improves the performance of bedding plants. Foliar feed with a half-strength of Multifeed P or Nitrosol mixed with water. This is especially necessary in areas where root competition from trees or shrubs is a problem.

Large gardens can be foliar fed quickly and easily with the aid of a modern mix-nozzle that can be clipped onto the end of a hosepipe (stocked by large garden centres).

Seedlings to plant in autumn for winter colour

For best effect planting in flower beds should be layered with low annuals in the front of the bed, medium height annuals in the middle of the bed and tall annuals at the back. Note should also be taken as to whether the plant is sun loving or prefers light shade.

Popular sun loving low annuals include:

• Alyssum
• Dwarf Snapdragon
• Dianthus
• Lobelia
• Mesembranthemum (these should be planted at approximately 45 plants per square metre at 15cm. apart)
• Nemesia
• Pansy
• Viola

Examples oflow bedding plants preferring light shade are:

• Bellis perennis
• Myosotis
• Primula malacoides.

Meium height annuals for planting in the middle of the bed include:

• Snapdragons
• Calendula
• Candytuft (should be planted approximately 25 plants per square metre placed 20cm. apart)
• Cornflower
• Larkspur
• Iceland Poppy
• Kale
• Penstemon
• Petunias
• Phlox
• Salpiglossis
• Stocks
• Sweetpea
• Sweet William
• Verbena

Examples of medium height annuals which enjoy light shade are:

• Larkspur
• Schizanthus

Tall annuals for planting at the back of the bed include:

• Delphinium
• Lavatera (should be planted approximately 16 plants per square metre placed 25cm. apart)
• Canterbury Bells
• Cornflower

Plants in this category preferring light shade would include:

• Aquilegia
• Foxglove

Information supplied by courtesy: George Nurse.