Bedding Plants - Cultural Instructions

The top line of your address label states the name of the plant variety, which you have just received.

If you have ordered more plants, bulbs or sundry items than have been enclosed, please do not worry, as these will be sent under separate cover at the appropriate time.

If your pack of plants represents a collection, please do not remove from the packaging until you have ascertained the colours or names of the varieties as per the leaflet provided.

Carefully remove the tray from the box. Your plants have been grown in a perfect greenhouse environment. When plants in leaf are contained within a dark box, even for a short period, some discolouring of the foliage may take place. This is nothing to be alarmed about, your plants will quickly recover.

We have done our best to ensure that your order arrives in the best possible condition. However, sometimes the postal carrier is not as gentle with our plants as we would like, and you may find that a small amount of compost has become dislodged from the plant roots. However, this is nothing to worry about - the plants will still grow on quite healthily. Please follow our experts specific cultural advice to get the best out of your plants.

If you decide not to follow this cultural information, then the most important thing you must do is feed and water your plants regularly.

Thank you!

General Advice for your Plants

Your plants have been raised by skilled nurserymen. They are grown on with the aid of the latest horticultural technology, and are regularly monitored for growth rates and general health. These varieties have been carefully selected because of their outstanding garden performance and they also represent excellent value for money.

Upon arrival

Immediately upon receipt, stand your plants upright. Do not worry if some plugs have become loose or some compost has moved about. If the plants seem dry, place into a tray of water for at least half an hour.

What next?

To guarantee a superb display, most of the plug plants are best potted up and grown on first. However, Garden Ready™ plants are ready to go straight into the garden while plug plants and miniplugs can be planted directly into a Flower Pouch, hanging basket, Basket Ball, Wall Tower or patio pots. Most plug varieties are suitable for later planting into the garden, but please refer to the section 'Specific Information for the Variety Ordered'. Remember that these young plants are frost tender and must not be placed out of doors until all danger of frost has passed in your area.

Potting on for a superb display

Potting on should be done as soon as possible upon receipt, but if this isn't immediately possible, stand the plants in a cool, well-lit and well-ventilated place. Water well and allow to drain before potting. When handling the plants hold them by the leaves, not the stem. Gently ease any plugs out of their tray. For any plants that are difficult to remove, push the blunt end of a pencil through the hole in the base of the tray. Plant individually into 9cm (3¾ inches) pots or into larger cellular trays using moist, good quality compost. Fill a pot loosely with moist, good quality compost. Make a hole in the compost slightly larger than the plug, pop in the plant and gently firm the compost around the roots after potting. Ensure that you leave 12mm (½ inches) from the rim of the pot to allow the compost to settle and allow for easier watering. Your plants can now be watered by standing them in a tray or saucer of water and leaving them until the compost changes to a darker colour. This takes up to 10 minutes depending on the depth of water. Stand to allow surplus water to drain away. Your plants won't need watering again until the surface of the compost begins to become dry.

Place your plants in a frost-free cold frame, greenhouse or conservatory, or on a cool, well-lit windowsill. If growing on a windowsill, turn your plants by 90° two or three times a week. This will stop them becoming lopsided. The intention is to produce hardy, compact and sturdy well-rooted plants, which will cope well with all conditions. Therefore they need to be grown in as cool conditions as possible and not forced. When the plants are well rooted into the compost, and all signs of frost have passed, they should be ready for planting in their final position after 4-8 weeks, depending on the variety. Before planting out, your plants will benefit from being hardened off or acclimatised to the lower outdoor temperatures. Place your plants outdoors 7-10 days prior to planting out during warm weather. If a frost is forecast, bring back indoors for protection. If cold, but frost-free nights are forecast either bring indoors overnight or cover with horticultural fleece. Place outside the following day and repeat as necessary. As a guide do not leave plants outside if the temperature is likely to fall below 5°C (41°F). They can be planted out into ordinary garden soil following the directions below. Please be careful not to over water. Plants are better grown on the dry side rather than being too wet.

Planting into the garden

Prepare the soil well, incorporating a generous handful of a well-balanced fertiliser. If your soil is not of a fine 'crumbly' texture, it will benefit from an application of any organic matter. After digging, rake over the soil to a fine tilth and firm by treading over the area. Rake over again. Water your plants well before placing them at the recommended planting distances (please refer to the section 'Specific Information for the Variety Ordered'). Make sure you do not plant them too deeply, but it essential that the plants are well firmed in. Gently water in and then water as necessary until the next good rain and during any dry periods.

Planting in tubs, containers and window boxes

Make sure that your container is thoroughly clean before planting up and that it has a drainage hole and plenty of drainage material in the bottom. For patio collections, it is recommended that your container is approximately 40cm (16") in diameter to accommodate all the plants. We recommend using a proprietary hanging basket and container compost that comes complete with water-retaining agents and slow-release fertilisers. Alternatively, add long-lasting feed and water retaining gel to the compost, but this is optional. Fill the container loosely to within 25mm (1 inch) of the top with a moist compost. Make holes large enough to take the plant roots and carefully plant up. After planting, tap the container to consolidate the compost. There should be a space of about 18mm (¾ inch) around the rim for watering. Water well and stand in a shady spot for a couple of days to allow rooting to commence. Place 46 plants per 30cm (12 inches) tub or container and treat as for hanging baskets.

Planting into a T&M Flower Pouch (Please check the variety for suitability)

1. Mix one quarter of the Flower Pouch Companion sachet with approx. 13-14 litres of good quality potting compost. Fill the pouch, making sure you push the compost firmly down into the bottom corners. Keep adding 3 or 4 handfuls of compost at a time and firm down. Repeat until the pouch is full. This eliminates any sag in the pouch.
2. Fold over the handle and clip with a clothes peg to save the compost from falling out during planting. Then lay the pouch flat, ideally on a similar sized piece of wood for easy moving about.
3. Make a hole in the compost by pushing your finger through each of the 10 precut slits in the pouch. Pop in the plants and gently firm in.
4. To complete planting, place a further 2 plants in the top of the pouch.
5. Water gently (approximately 3 pints of water) or until your pouch is well watered. Squeezing the bottom of the pouch is a good test to see if your pouch is dry. After the initial watering it is unlikely any more water will be required for 7-10 days. You can then elevate the top end of your Flower Pouch to encourage even growth. After several days your will have sufficient root development to hold plants and compost in place.
6. Use the Water Wizard™ for regular watering and feeding. Fill a used plastic soft drinks bottle with water, push in the Water Wizard™, turn the bottle upside down and place in the top of the pouch to enable the water to trickle through gently.
7. Hang your pouch up in a frost-free position. The pouch will be ready to hang in its permanent position approximately 4-6 weeks after planting. Acclimatise to outdoor conditions prior to hanging outside permanently. If strong winds or cold weather are forecast, it's best to bring your pouch indoors for protection.

Please note that if your pouch has been supplied 'free' with your plants, no sachet of Flower Pouch Companion (plant feed and water-retaining gel) or Water Wizard™ have been included. Both are available separately and can be ordered via the catalogues.

Planting into a hanging basket

Generally allow 12 plants per 35-40cm (14-16 inches) basket, allowing 4 in the top and 8 around the sides. Place the mesh liner, moss or any other suitable lining material into a wire or Suffolk basket and half fill with good, moist free-draining, compost. Adding water-retaining gel and slow release fertiliser to the compost will be beneficial. Special container and basket composts are available with water retaining gels and special fertilisers. Cut holes in the mesh liner or alternative material and insert the first layer of plants by carefully pushing the stems through the mesh. Do not push the roots through as these are easily damaged and larger rootballs cannot be pushed though the wires safely. Fill up the centre with compost, gently firming round the roots as you go. Make sure you leave a space large enough to take the roots of the plants that are to go in the top. Before planting in the top of the basket, first arrange the plants to their best effect and then plant firmly, making a slight dip in the centre to prevent run-off. Once planted, water well using a watering can fitted with a rose to settle the compost around the roots, and stand it in a greenhouse for 2-3 weeks. If no greenhouse is available, then place in a cold frame, or outside in a shady spot and bring indoors each evening. During this period, turn the basket each day to ensure even growth. Remove the flowers as they appear and pinch out the growing tips of any long, straggly plants to ensure bushy growth.

When the plants are well established and the weather is mild and warm, with all risk of frost having passed, the baskets can be hung in their final position. Hang in full sun or light shade, sheltered from strong winds. Keep the compost moist, but not waterlogged. Water frequently, usually once a day in hot weather, and preferably in the evening. You can tell when a basket needs watering by testing the top 12mm (½ inch) of compost with your fingers. If it's dry, then the basket should be watered. When you water, water well, roughly giving about 3 litres (2/3 gallon) to each basket. From mid-June onwards it's usually necessary to feed with a good liquid fertiliser once a week, or you can give a weekly feed of a high potash fertiliser to encourage flower production. Once a month replace this fertiliser with a high nitrogen feed to prevent the foliage turning yellow. You can combine watering and feeding using the Water Wizard™ (refer to Flower Pouch planting point 6 for details).

Maintenance

Regular feeding should begin 6-8 weeks after planting into the ground or containers; this will enhance your plants. General fertilisers will be sufficient if applied as recommended. To produce quality blooms many gardeners use high potash low nitrogen feeds such as tomato plant food. Specialist container and basket feeds are available and produce good results. Never over feed as this may harm your plants. As plants are often crowded in containers some pruning may be required in addition to the normal practice of removing faded blooms and pruning back straggly growth. Do not let the plants produce seed heads as this often means that they will stop flowering. Specific advice for each variety with regard to feeding and pinching growth is given in 'Specific Information for the Variety Ordered'. Regularly check over your container or flowerbed, and control any pests or disease at the first signs of attack.

General Aftercare

Most of the varieties featured in this leaflet are primarily treated as annuals, although some are technically half-hardy. For best results, we recommend that the plants are removed from the garden or container at the end of the growing season. These can be replaced at the beginning of the following season with vigorous, new virus-free plugs produced from fresh hybrid seed. However, if you do wish to over-winter a few plants, the following guidelines should be followed: in the autumn, cut back any untidy or dead foliage, lift the plants and bring into a frost-free greenhouse, conservatory or well-lit windowsill. Pot up if necessary and water very sparingly through the winter. Plants that can be over-wintered include Busy Lizzies, Fuchsias, Geraniums and Verbena.

Propagation

Most of the plants offered by Thompson & Morgan are recent introductions and therefore protected by Plant Breeder's Rights. Propagation of any of these varieties is illegal.

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