Bedding Plants Flashcards
Bedding plants
A temporary decorative seasonal display for beds, borders, containers & hanging baskets.
Spring bedding displays:
- Spring flowering bulbs eg Tulips and biennials are often used.
Summer bedding displays:
- Can be planted out after risk of frost in late May/ June (borders/ baskets/ pots)
- Often half-hardy annuals or tender perennials
- Displays can be protected at night with horticultural fleece
Autumn/Winter bedding displays:
Can be planted out September/October (borders/baskets/pots)
Some bedding plants are also useful in containers & hanging baskets.
HARDY ANNUALS
- Compete their life cycle in one season
- Can be sown in Autumn or spring directly in to the soil where they are to flower
- Can tolerate cold & frost without protection
- They are HARDY. Plants are hardy to -20* to -5*(H4-H7 by RHS hardiness rating)
Examples :
Calendula officinalis (pot marigold), Iberis umbellata (candytuft), Limnanthes douglasii (poached egg plant)
Hardy annual borders - a type of border on its own. Can create a whole border of hardy annuals for summer colour. Some are used for part of a bedding scheme for summer displays.
HALF HARDY ANNUALS
- complete their life cycle in one growing season
- started from seed early under protection in a heated greenhouse in Jan - April and are planted out after the risk frost has passed.
- Cannot handle frost
- hardy down to -5* to 1*
Examples:
Cosmos bipinnatus, Nemesia strumosa, Tropaeolum majus, and Lobularia maritima
TENDER PERENNIALS / TENDER SUBTROPICAL PLANTS
- these require protection over winter and may survive in milder sheltered areas such as Cornwall.
- they are grown outside in summer
- they require temperatures above 1* (H2)
Examples:
Canna indica, Musa basjoo, Ricinus communis, palm & succulents
HARDY BIENNIALS (OR SHORT-LIVED PERENNIALS GROWN AS BIENNIALS)
- A true biennial completes its life cycle over two growing seasons.
- some plants are grown as biennials but would persist longer if left in situ but as these are temporary designs they are discarded after flowering.
- Most are hardy (H4-H7)
Examples:
For summer..
Alcea (hollyhock), Dianthus (sweet William)
For spring..
Erysimum (wallflower) and Myosotis (forget-me-not)
For winter..
Ornamental brassicas (kale & cabbage)
HARDY PERENNIALS
- Hardy herbaceous perennials or shrubs can give valuable flower & foliage colour through the winter months
- these are hardy (H4-H7)
Examples:
Erica (winter flowering heather) , Euphorbia & Heuchera can give valuable flower & foliage colour through the winter months.
Additionally, Agave, dwarf conifers, Cordylines, Phormium (New Zealand flax) and ornamental grasses can provide a central focus for beds & containers. These are HP, HHP’s)
BULBS
- Bulbs can be mixed with biennial bedding plants
- Will give combinations of colour in the early spring months.
Examples:
Allium, Anemone blanda, Crocus, Hyacinthus, early-flowering Iris reticulata & Tulipa
Bedding plant:
Any of a variety of plants suitable for growing in garden beds & used for temporary seasonal display
Terms used in bedding displays & containers :
Dot plant - a tall conspicuous plant used in a formal bedding scheme to provide a contrast in height, shape, or colour with smaller plants. These are the tall focal points in a bedding design. Can be tropical looking.
E.g. Canna indica ‘Russian red’ or
Musa Basjoo
Groundwork - these plants fill the space between the edging and the dot plants. They make up the majority of the display and are colourful. Groundwork plants give the underlying foundation to the display.
E.g. Impatiens walleriana
Edging - bedding plants that are used to form the edge of a border of a grand bedding scheme and give the design definition. Usually 15-20cm and are lower than the groundwork/infill plants. Edging plants are compact plants masses with similar plants to form a border.
E.g. Senecio cinerariea ‘Silver dust’
Or Buxus sempervirens
Tropical bedding - this term refers to the style of the plant. Often these are dot plant and have a tropical look with large leaves or dramatic foliage.
Eg. ricinus communis
Preparing the ground
• removal of weeds, previous bedding plants & any other debris
• dig soil using simple digging with a spade / fork
• add compost & / or sand if required
• rake the soil level & consolidate
• rake again leaving a fine tilth especially if direct sewing
• if the soil is poor and no compost has been added a general fertiliser can be added at a rate of approx 70g/m2
• many annuals prefer poorer soil so don’t over feed or feed if unnecessary
Establishment of a bedding scheme
• plant out young plants after hardening off . Make sure soil & compost is moist at planting time (water the day before)
• rake the soil level removing any large clods
• for formal bedding mark out the design on the surface using fine sand
• gently loosen plants from their trays by pushing them up from the base. Knock out plants from pots by giving them a sharp tap to the bottom with the handle of your trowel. Remember to keep your hand securely over the plant so as not to drop it.
• handle plants by leaf or rootball
• starting with the central block of your design, first lay out the plants on the soil where they are to be planted. Use a template or a rough guide such as the length of a trowel to space plants evenly. Only when you are happy with the positioning should you begin planting.
• work off a timber board to avoid disturbing & compacting the soil.
• plant so the top of a rootball is just below the soil surface.
• firm in
• once planting is completed water in using a watering can without a rose
• shallow rooted plants dry out quickly, so water regularly when they are growing strongly
• Deadhead spent flowers frequently to promote continual flowering
Winter bedding for borders & containers
Hyacinthus orientalis
Tulipa ‘Queen of Night’
Ornamental cabbage ‘Northern lights’ F1 hybrid
Hedera helix - trailing Ivy for containers
Viola x wittrockiana
Myosotis sylvatica (Forget-me-not)
Bellis perennis ‘Pomponette’
Erysimum cheiri
How to plant hanging baskets
• 14 inch basket a good size (too small will dry up too quickly)
• container / plant pot to position in while adding to basket
• liner - coir or moss
• dot plant for height - Pelargonium (geranium)
• trailing plants to go around the outside - Trailing fuscia? / Trailing labelia
•infill plants so no compost visible in basket - Petunia
• bits of sponge or water pellets to retain moisture in to the compost
• slow release fertiliser which should last the whole flowering season but due to water dripping out of baskets, some chicken manure pellets or tomato feed once monthly should do it
Maintenance of bedding displays, hardy annual displays, hanging baskets & containers
• irrigation (hand watering, sprinklers, & drip systems
• weed control - hand weeding methods
• control of pests & diseases
• deadheading
• feeding
• staking over larger plants if needed
• overwintering of some tender perennials if they’re being used again next year (eg. Canna & Musa)
