Bedding, Patio and Basket Plants

Petunia types and varieties, This tender annual must be one of the best known garden plants. One of the main draw backs with petunias was their weather resistance, flowers would soon die or damage easy when they get wet. To-day the new varieties show better and faster recovery after adverse weather, also we now get less summer rain to cause damage so they have become more popular. Best planted in sunny situations. Breeders have focused on the petunia and we have a large variety of types to chouse from. I can't list them all but consider planting the following.
Petunia F1 Express, one of the cheapest general bedding strains, early and uniform with large single flowers in a full range of colours.
Petunia F1 Purple wave, very good for ground cover, the fast growing petunia I know and very tolerant of adverse weather conditions.
Petunia F1 Junior, a true miniature strain that forms a cushion making them ideal for pots, baskets, containers, window boxes or low bedding.
Petunia Tumbelina, has excellent double flowers, plant in baskets or window boxes.
Petunia Surfina, no other variety or plant produces such a reliable outstanding display, plant in hanging baskets or containers. New types are always being added this year a new blue and a variegated strain will be available.
Petunia Million Bells the small flowered type are excellent in tubs and baskets, last year a terracotta colour was introduced for the year 2000 we shall see a cherry colour.
Petunia F1 Super Cascade is a distinctly procumbent cascading variety, its large flowers come in 8 colours. Excellent tolerance to heat wet and drought, plant in baskets tubs or may be used for general bedding.
Impatiens, The UK's number 1 variety is Accent, large flowers, floriferous habit make this variety ideal for both bedding and containers. Plant in sun or shade these low growing plants are sure to please.
Ipomoea 'Star of Yelta', this large flowered type Morning Glory has large silk like purple flowers that last only for a few days, so many are produced that their lasting qualities are irrelevant. Plants look wonderful tumbling over walls, growing through shrubs, planted in baskets or trained against a wall or trellis.
Begonia semperfloriens, F1 Organdy is the variety I grow, small flowers in a range of pinks, reds and white. Suitable for planting in beds in the shady situation.
Universal Winter Flowering Pansy, For planting in beds or baskets in Sept./Oct. this pansy is free flowering under mild winter conditions, with compact plants in a good colour range. Remember to keep plants flowering at their best you must remove dead flowers and not let them go to seed. Varieties suitable for summer use include the Roggli and Swiss Giant strains.
Marigolds, A large range o types and varieties are available to chose from. The dwarf edging marigold give a wonderful display of colour in shades of yellow, orange and reds. best varieties are Aurora and Alamo types also consider the Boy, Safari and Disco series. The general bedding varieties with the larger flowers are taller growing, The F1 Inca are very reliable as are the American F1 Antigua and Perfection types, they all come in shades of orange and yellow. The F1 variety Vanilla is unusual in that it is the only marigold with large blooms of a soft creamy colour and is highly recommended.
Cobaea scandens, is a showy climber for the cool greenhouse, conservatory or outside trellis with a south facing aspect. It has large deep velvety-blue flowers which are cup shaped. This vigorous climber is also known as 'Cups & Saucers', C. s. alba is a choice white form that quickly grows to cover unsightly objects, both varieties are best treated as a summer annual.