How to add more colour

with AG’s gardening expert Ruth Hayes

Watering using a bottle dripper

Step by step

Aftercare in the bed

Nurture your plants

For an easy eye-catching pop of colour, plant a mix of bedding plants in a pot or basket

Jewels of the summertime

It’s (almost) never too late to add more colour, says Ruth

F you haven’t got round to planting plants. A bunch of scented stocks your bedding, don’t panic, as there potted up and placed in a seating area is still plenty of time and lots of will perfume the air wonderfully.

Ichoice available. If you have already done your

In fact, the variety is so wide it can be bedding planting, it will need steady quite overwhelming, if you also include nurturing to keep it at its colourful best perennials such as dahlias and cannas, all summer and right through until the lavenders and pelargoniums, as well as first frosts. foliage plants and even edible varieties. Many varieties are prone to pests (we

Trailing herbs and tomatoes grow have annoyingly lost a lot of lupins and brilliantly in containers. Their scent delphiniums to slugs). If set too adds so summer much to a warm evening, and I have Creating a ‘stock scented pot’ close together, plants can be beset by fungal problems even added ‘Cavolo Nero’ such as powdery mildew, kale to a pot as a dark and especially in ongoing dry striking foil for the more conditions when their colourful plants! roots are neglected and

I also like to gasping for a drink. intersperse bedding with The good thing about grasses and interesting bedding, though, is that plants bred for their foliage, plants are relatively cheap to as they provide a cool contrast replace, so if gaps do develop to the colourful flowers. Silver-leaved due to the work of pests and other plants including cineraria and the problems, you can pop in a few more perennial stachys (lamb’s ears) are without straining your purse, and let the choice performers. new flowers extend your colour scheme

You can create a statement pot with for even longer. just one large healthy plant, such as a Basically, have fun and don’t accept rose, fuchsia, dahlia or cascading trailing any limits. Just have a go and let your begonia, or even a cluster of the same imagination roam free! Good health starts at planting

1time. Give your plants plenty of space as they will soon grow to fill it, and they need light and good airflow to grow well.

Barrier protection works well

2against slugs. You should also encourage predatory insects to take care of aphids and other nasties.

Water regularly during very dry

3spells and feed fortnightly with a liquid tomato fertiliser.

Keep the flowers coming by4 deadheading regularly. At the same time, check for pest problems and remove any damaged foliage.