Keep summer bedding plants flowering
Discover how to keep your container plants looking at their best in summer and through to autumn, with advice from Alan Titchmarsh
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At its best | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||
| To do | yes | yes | yes |
As temperatures rise and summer sets in, it pays to give your container plants, and especially bedding plants, a little time and care so that they keep on flowering and looking their best, right into autumn. The secret, as Alan Titchmarsh explains above, is to water, feed and deadhead them regularly, and choose the right location - here's how.
Step 1
Water pots daily, particularly bedding plants, and twice daily in the heat of summer - morning and evening. Water with half-strength feed twice a week to ensure plants have all the nutrients they need.
Step 2
Pick off dead flowerheads regularly - every day if possible. If you leave them in place they can start setting seed and this triggers an end to flowering, so removing them will encourage the plant to flower again. Find out more about deadheading.
More summer bedding plant advice
October issue on sale now!
The October issue of BBC Gardeners' World magazine is on sale now, buy online or in stores now.
Plant of the Week: Agapanthus 'Fireworks'
This week, save up to 66 per cent on 9cm potted plants, with prices starting as low as £8.
Offer ends 23.59, Sunday 29 September.
Spend less on your autumn shopping
This month, we're offering all BBC Gardeners' World Magazine readers a 15%* saving across our specially selected partner websites - so you can find everything you need while saving £££s.
*Exclusions apply. Offer excludes delivery and some products. Not valid with any other offer.
Offer ends 23.59, Thursday 31 October.
