The good weather is finally arriving, the flowers are finally blooming and we’re here to help. Read this guide to learn more about when’s the best time to plant bedding plants so you can create some instant impact with little effort.

When to plant Summer Bedding Plants

Bedding ultimately revolves around frost. Knowing when the last frost will be is the most important thing to consider when deciding to plant your dazzling array. Along with where to plant them for the year. 

The cold will make plants sad and the frost will kill them – most bedding plants are annuals and once winter is around the corner you will start to see them die back. There are some perennial varieties though which will come back year after year

Because bedding plants aren’t hardy, they really shouldn’t be planted until after the last frost of the year. In most cases March onwards is a good time to plant,  but be prepared to wait or start indoors if it’s on the colder side. As most frost is gone in the UK by May, May is the perfect time to plant summer bedding. 

Highlights include fiery Nasturtiums, Petunia Surfinia, colourful Snapdragons (antirrhinum if you want to get technical) and dangly Fuchsia.

Is it too early to plant bedding?

If you’re unsure if it’s too early or not, be prepared to have a few fleeces or cloches in the event of a late frost in April and May. A late frost will destroy your plants and undo all your hard work, so a small investment early saves a big expense later.

When to plant Winter Bedding Plants

When summer starts to cool, you’ll notice that your summer bedding plants are losing their colour, starting to wilt and looking less than healthy. This is a sign they won’t reflower, and time to move to winter bedding.

When this happens, remove your old bedding from borders, edging or hanging baskets (provided they’re annuals, you can leave the perennials planted), and compost them.

After choosing your selection of winter bedding, you can recompost the area and put your new plants in their final flowering position. Autumn is the best month to plant as this can establish the bedding and make them more hardy for the winter months. 

Good winter bedding choices include Primroses (naturally), pansy-like Violas and super-wintry Cyclamens.

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