Bedding Plants For Summer
Zinnia Impatiens Begunia Coleus Dusty Miller Ageratum
Geranium Blue Salvia Heliochrysum Marigolds Verbena Vinca
       
Snapdragons Petunias        

Bedding plants with their seemingly infinite variety of flower color and plant form fit into almost any landscape situation. They provide that necessary touch of color to an often drab landscape. Bedding plants can be grown in containers or window boxes to add a splash of color to a porch, deck, window, or patio area. They are also enjoyed as fresh and dry cut flowers.
Bedding plants can be annuals, biennials or perennials. Annuals are plants which are grown from seed, produce flowers and seed and die in one growing season. Biennials complete their life span within 2 years and perennials last for 3 years or longer.

Bedding plants should serve as an accent to the landscape, not a dominant feature in the setting. Those used in front of the home should harmonize with the setting, and colors should blend with each other and with the home.

When selecting bedding plants for beds or borders, it is best to limit the choice to as few kinds as possible. Combinations of many flower colors and plant forms can distract from the overall appearance of the display. Attractive flower beds can be created by using one plant species.

Bedding plant sites should be spaded or tilled at least six inches deep before planting. Incorporation of 2 to 3 inches of organic matter into planting beds will increase nutrient and water holding capacities of these soils. Organic materials such as compost or peat should be thoroughly mixed into the soil.

Garden soils are frequently infertile. Flower beds should be fertilized prior to planting or at planting time and repeated on a monthly basis. We apply a MNLA 8-8-8 complete fertilizer at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet of bed area.

Bedding plants should be watered immediately after planting and daily until they have become established. After establishment, they should be watered on an "as needed" basis. Wilting will reduce flowering on many bedding plants and should not be allowed to happen. The frequency of irrigation will depend on soil type, exposure to sunlight, kind of bedding plant and season of the year. Some bedding plants growing in full sun during the summer may continue to require daily watering.

Hand weeding can be a very effective component of a weed management program. It should be considered when managing weeds in a few small beds or when herbicides cannot be used. Hand weeding is also a good option when herbicides are not effective in controlling all the weeds in a bed.