The main purpose of using bedding plants in the landscape is to provide lasting color throughout the growing season. A bedding plant can be an annual, biennial, or perennial plant.
Some basic guidelines to follow when choosing bedding plants:
- Look for plants that provide color accent for your existing landscape
- Use annual plants to fill in “holes” while perennial plants become established
- Avoid too many different varieties of plants
- Flower beds should be prepared before purchasing your plants
- Plan for the mature sizes of the plants to prevent crowding
- Know your site conditions – soil type and pH and hardiness zone
- When planning perennial bedding plants, select for a continuous sequence of bloom times throughout the growing season
Be sure to have fun. You have gone through a lot of preparation to get to this point. Find the desired plants and create a landscape that looks great and conserves water too.
Additional Resources:
West
Utah – Annuals for Utah Gardens
Southeast
Florida – Bedding Plants
Gardening With Annuals
Kentucky – Bedding Plants
North Carolina – Selection and Use of Stress-Tolerant Bedding Plants for the Landscape