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The old saying ‘never cast a clout until May is out’ is often heard at this time of year and although it doesn’t actually refer to the month of May, it is still a good guide. By Kieran Gallagher, Cardwell Garden Centre The start of June is usually the signal to gardeners that there is little chance of frost any more and the gardening and bedding plant season is underway. That is not to say there will not be cold nights or the odd snap of frost, particularly in more rural areas. Most bedding plants will withstand the occasionnal cold night, although those in flower may suffer a slight damage. If the edges of the delicate blooms are brown or curled up it is best to remove the whole flower. This process of removing dead flowers from bedding plants is called ‘dead-heading’ and literally
18 | Clyde Life – June/July 2016
refers to the removal of the dead or past its best flower head. By doing this, the plant will no longer direct nutrients and resources to this flower and, instead, focus on producing new flowers. Feeding and watering are the other two most important jobs for bedding plants. In their short lives (most bedding plants are ‘annuals’, ie the live for roughly 1 year) bedding plants focus all their energy into the production of flowers, leading to seeds. This is a very demanding process for the plant and it requires the best possible ingredients to obtain the best results.
This starts with quality plants. If you have grown your own plants from seeds or seedlings then you should have started to harden them off by now. This is a simple process of slowly introducing the plant to cooler, outdoor temperatures by opening greenhouse doors for a few hours every afternoon or placing the plants outdoors during the day and covering or moving them overnight. If, like most gardeners, you buy all of your bedding plants then take time to ask your garden centre about where the plants come from and how were they grown. This will not only highlight which
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