Wallflower 'Fruit Cocktail'

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 tray 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 the 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 into their final position in pots, containers, beds or borders.

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.

Wallflower 'Fruit Cocktail' has a compact, upright habit, so it works well for adding height and structure to spring containers. Space plants around 20cm apart to give them room to branch and develop.

In mixed containers, position wallflowers towards the centre or back, with lower-growing bedding around the front and edges. Water thoroughly after planting and keep the compost moist but not waterlogged.

Top tip:
Place a container somewhere you'll regularly pass it, such as beside a path, doorway or seating area, so you can enjoy the sweet fragrance as well as the flowers.

Wallflower 'Fruit Cocktail' is a natural partner for spring-flowering bulbs, with its warm colours and fragrant flower spikes adding richness and height to seasonal displays.

Try combining it with tulips and daffodils in complementary reds, oranges, yellows or softer creams. Pansies, violas and primroses can be planted around the base to fill the lower part of the display and add contrasting flower shapes.

In borders, plant several wallflowers together for a stronger sweep of colour, then weave spring bulbs between them for a layered display that develops as the season progresses.

Top tip:
Use wallflowers for height and fragrance, then let lower-growing bedding and bulbs fill the spaces around them. This creates a fuller display without overcrowding any one plant.

Keep your wallflowers watered during dry spells, particularly those growing in pots and containers, but avoid leaving the soil or compost waterlogged.

As flower spikes fade, snip them off just above a healthy set of leaves rather than removing only the flowers. This keeps the plants tidy and helps direct their energy into fresh growth rather than seed production.

Remove yellowing or damaged leaves as you spot them, especially around the base of the plant, to keep the display looking neat.

Container-grown plants can be given a liquid feed while actively growing in spring to support continued growth and flowering.

Top tip:
Deadhead before the spent flower spikes begin setting seed. A quick tidy every few days during peak flowering will keep plants looking much fresher.

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.