Marshalls Garden 'Winter and Spring' Bedding Selection

Professional Grower Plugs:
Pot your plugs on as soon as possible after arrival, ideally within 3 days. If you can't pot them on straight away, keep them moist in a bright, sheltered position.

Before potting, check that the compost is moist. If the plugs feel dry, stand the trays in shallow water for a short time to allow them to take up moisture from below.

Fill 9cm pots with good-quality multipurpose or potting compost. Make a planting hole with a pencil or narrow dibber, carefully ease each plug from its tray and plant at the same depth it was growing previously. Gently firm the compost around the plug to ensure good contact with the roots, but avoid pressing it down too firmly. Water thoroughly using a watering can fitted with a fine rose.

Grow your plants on in a bright, sheltered position such as a greenhouse or cold frame, keeping the compost moist but not waterlogged. Allow around 3–4 weeks for the plants to establish, although they may take longer in cooler conditions. Once they're putting on healthy new growth and have developed a good root system, they're ready to be hardened off.

Gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions over 7–10 days, initially placing them outside in a sheltered position during the day and bringing them back under cover at night. Once hardened off, plant them into their final positions.

Choose pots and containers with good drainage holes and fill with good-quality multipurpose compost. Gently firm the compost rather than packing it down tightly, leaving around 2–3cm below the rim to make watering easier.

As your collection contains three different seasonal bedding varieties, allow each plant enough room to develop rather than packing them tightly together. As a general guide, space compact bedding plants around 15–20cm apart, allowing a little more room for larger or spreading varieties.

You can plant each variety separately for bold blocks of colour or mix the three together to create a more varied seasonal display. Water thoroughly after planting and keep the compost moist but not waterlogged.

Top tip:
Before planting, take a look at the habit of each variety you've received. Put taller plants towards the centre or back of a container and lower or spreading plants around the front and edges for a fuller, layered display.

With three trays of bedding plants to work with, you can create several displays around your garden rather than filling just one container.

Plant generous groups of the same variety together for stronger blocks of colour, or combine your three selections to introduce different flower shapes, heights and colours to pots and borders.

Spring-flowering bulbs can also be planted beneath your bedding in autumn. Daffodils, crocuses and tulips will emerge through the display as spring approaches, adding another layer of height and colour.

Top tip:
Repeat the same plants in several places around your garden to tie your displays together. A few matching plants in a patio pot, border and container can make the whole garden feel more coordinated.

Keep your bedding plants watered during dry spells, paying particular attention to pots and containers, but avoid leaving the soil or compost waterlogged.

Remove faded flowers regularly where appropriate. Pinch or snip off the spent flower and its stem rather than removing only the petals, helping keep plants tidy and encouraging further flowers.

Flowering and growth may slow during particularly cold winter weather. This is normal – continue caring for your plants and they'll start putting on fresh growth again as conditions improve.

Plants growing in containers can be given a liquid feed while actively growing. There's little need to feed during very cold weather when growth has slowed; start again as active growth picks up towards spring.

Top tip:
Check each variety individually as your display develops. Different plants may grow at slightly different rates, so removing faded flowers, damaged leaves and any overcrowded growth will help keep the whole display looking its best.

Professional Grower Plugs:
Supplied in trays of 20 or 60, Professional Grower Plugs offer excellent value and are ideal for gardeners who enjoy growing plants on themselves. These young plants arrive ready to be potted into 9cm pots and grown on in a bright, sheltered position before being hardened off and planted into their final position.

Garden Ready Plants:
Supplied in trays of 12, Garden Ready Plants are our largest plug plants and a great choice if you want quicker results. Carefully grown on before dispatch, they're ready to plant straight into beds, borders, pots or containers.