Bedding Plants: Use them to Improve and Beautify your Space

I am a big fan of bedding plants. Simply put, they're great.  They're great because they can be used in just about any manner you can think of to add color, attractiveness, to fill space, to break up space, to draw attention, to add variety….I think you get the idea.

When using bedding plants, considering the five basic elements of landscape design can certainly give you food for thought and help you with your project. For reference these elements are: line, texture, form, color and scale. 

Line is something we all use. Straight lines provide order and formality while curved lines infer informality.

Texture can be broken down into coarse, medium and fine. Coarse, true to it's name, delivers big and bold by using not only plants but structure, rock, sculpture, etc. Many plants fall within the medium range in addition to smaller structures too. Ferns, grasses and structures that are thin and delicate fall with the fine group.

Form covers the structure and shape of every aspect of your garden or space.

Color always comes into play whether using the warm closeness of red, yellow or orange or the more distant calmness of blue, purple or green.

Scale simply refers to size and proportion and their use in your garden or space.

The idea of design is very important when you're considering the use of bedding plants. No matter if your project is small, medium or large designing your project will help you and will definitely improve the overall quality.

At the very beginning, think about what you want to accomplish.  What is your purpose? This can be as simple as using a hanging container with to break up space or as involved as highlighting geometric shapes created with bedding plants that will draw interest and contemplation while traversing a gently winding path.

The grand variety and wide ranging beauty of bedding plants deserve your consideration and use no matter what project you have in mind.

Garden: Advantages of Using Containers

Growing plants in pots, window boxes and other such items is known as container gardening. Let's take a look at some real advantages of this type of gardening.

Growing up working in my family's garden my least favorite task was pulling weeds. With a containers, there's no weeding or very little. Weeding is work. Without weeding, the work time is cut down and more time is available for giving attention to helping your plants flourish.

How about focus? Having your plants in containers means they can be grouped to create a colorful space that can't be missed or simply used to break up a dull space.

Plants in containers are mobile! Put them wherever you want. Move them around to see first hand what looks good here and what looks good over there. It's easy to move the containers to also see which plants look good together. Remember, plants in containers that you've grown yourself make a wonderful, personal and easily transportable gift!

With the right garden mix, the use of fertilizer is greatly reduced or eliminated. It's easy to go organic. Create your own compost and use that once a year and that container is good to go.

Consider the flexibility of using containers. You can put the containers wherever you feel like working at that moment. Not only this, but there's the flexibility of growing or rearranging your plants and plantings according to the season or your mood.

Recycling and/or reusing. Don't be limited by pots or boxes as just about any object can be made into a container for your plants. Sure, old boxes and crates are great.  How about using a gallon milk jug? Instead of throwing away an old kettle, grow something in it. I've even seen on old car wheel repainted and made into a container.

There are many more advantages to having your very own container garden. Have a look around to see what kind of containers are readily available to you, get some seeds or go to your favorite nursery and get started with this enjoyable endeavor.

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Garden: What you want is up to you.

Rare is the person who is not familiar with the word much less has direct experience with a garden. Most of us think of a this as a space outdoors to grow food or flowers. Think "vegetable" or "flower" as more defining terms since the word itself is pretty general.

This is really just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as imagination, how much space is available, how much time do you want to put in and money appear to be the main constraints when it comes to your particular wants and needs.

Your goal may to be create on outdoor oasis to escape to by using ponds, fountains, waterfalls, statuary, trellises, arbors and more in addition to your selection of plants. This would be "ornamental gardening" Or, perhaps, a more practical use such as growing your own food crops in order to reduce the grocery bill, having a steady supply of fresh vegetables or supplying your family with organically grown foods may be your inspiration.

We don't have to stop here as there are many other types of gardens with a variety of purposes. Using flowers provides beauty for the eye and fragrances to delight the nose. How about a garden that is planted to attract birds or insects just so you can watch? Maybe one with plants that change along with the seasons is of interest or for those that enjoy cooking a growing herbs to provide a steady fresh supply of flavor for your taste buds would be enjoyable.

On a slightly different note, the act of gardening itself is a source of enjoyment and relaxation for many. Maybe you just like digging around in the dirt and seeing plants grow. This is a great idea too.

There are so many different uses that you might find the hardest part is deciding just what kind of garden you want to start.

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Bedding Plants: What are they and what do I do with them?

Bedding plants are plants that are usually grouped together to create an area of flowery color or lush green foliage. These plants can be massed together in a garden bed, used in borders or fit into almost any landscape situation limited only by your imagination. They are beautiful and versatile.

Examples of these types of plants include petunias, pansies, marigolds, salvias, violets, snapdragons, chrysanthemums, sage, strawberries, impatiens, coleus and many more. Be sure to take your climate into consideration when choosing which ones to use.

Let's focus on versatility. If having a different look to your garden space is your goal, annuals (plants that are grown from seed, produce their flowers, seed and die in one growing season) create a color filled display that you can change yearly. If something a little longer lasting suits your fancy, biennials with their two year lifespan and perennials with their three year or longer life certainly fit the bill too.

Don't despair if you don't have a huge garden space because these plants are perfectly suited for many other situations. Want to draw attention to a favorite ornamental pot? Fill it with the lush color or colors of bedding plants to draw attention. Use them for your hanging containers. How about livening up your view by filling window boxes with your choice of plants? These are just a few ways that you can use them to create beauty in your particular space.

Should I grow my bedding plants from seed or get them from the nursery?

The answer to this question depends upon you. Growing from seed is certainly an option. If you have your own greenhouse, you could get really involved and grow a wide variety of them. On the other hand, many relish the thought of visiting their favorite nurseries in the spring to enjoy all the color and variety they have to offer. With natures palette on display, creativity takes over and the choices for this years project flow forth and congeal like magic.

With so many types of bedding plants available and their seemingly unending number of uses, these colorful, versatile plants deserve your attention, creativity and care when beautifying your particular space.