Bedding plants can be very versatile – whether you’re planting from a tray, pot or plug, they can provide you with an array of colours in a small space and brighten up a dull flower bed or empty container in no time. 

Here’s a quick step-by-step on how to plant your new bedding plants into a pot (and if you need advice on when to plant bedding, check out our handy guide on when to plant bedding plants in the UK).

What you’ll need

Find the right spot

If you’re using a large/heavy container or pot, place it in the space you’ll want it to reside in so that you avoid any heavy lifting after it’s filled with soil. 

If your pot is quite deep or has a large drainage hole or none at all, you may want to line the bottom with some gravel or pot shards to help drainage, avoid using too much soil and losing too much through the hole when you water your plants.

Place in a well-lit and sunny position where it won’t get too wet from excessive rain. 

How to fill your pot

Once in an adequate location, grab your chosen compost and start slowly lining the bottom of your pot (either on top of the previously added gravel, or just at the bottom of the pot). 

Pre-potted bedding (plugs, starter plants, speed planters)

  1. If your selected bedding plants come in their own nursery pots, trays or containers, you can place these in as a guide to see how high up you need to go with your compost. You can do the same with any plug or starter plant, arranging them loosely as you go so you use the right amount of compost.
  2. Once you have an adequate amount of compost under the plants, gently push them out of their pots, roots and all, then place them in the new pot after teasing the rootball so that the plants sit and acclimatise better. Always try to handle the plant at its base to reduce risk of damage.
  3. After making sure your plants are laid out exactly how you want, start putting compost around them, making sure to cover up to the base of the rootball but leave approximately an inch between the top of the pot and the compost. Firm the compost down.
  4. Water them generously and continue to water regularly (especially during warmer spells mainly between April to September, reducing the watering during the winter months).
  5. After about 4-6 weeks, fertilise your potted bedding plants during the flowering months. 

Bedding plants by season

Each season has various bedding plants that look their best during particular months. We’ve listed some of our favourites to get you started. Here are our top 10 best bedding plants for your garden according to our experts if you still aren’t sure.

Spring 

Summer

Autumn/Winter

The 3 Best Pots and Planters for Bedding

If you don’t already have an empty container or planter that needs filling with blooms lying around, there are lots of different sizes, styles and materials to pick from! Here are three of our favourites for bedding planting:

1. Zinc Galvanised Trough Planter

Shaped like a trough so you can fit a huge collection of bedding in, this galvanised zinc planter is one of our favourites. And most popular with our customers! Rust-proof with space for your wildest designs, this is a planter you can fill to your heart’s content.

Dimensions:

  • Length: 100cm
  • Height: 40cm
  • Depth: 40cm
  • Price: £189.99

Shop this Zinc Galvanised Trough Planter 

2. Fiberstone Egg Shaped Planter in White

New and fabulous fiberstone, a reclaimed rock-and-resin wonder material that resists frost, rain, snow and anything this country can throw at it. We’ve added reinforcement, we’ve added colour, and we’ve added style to make this a planter you’d love to have in or out – and it’s waiting for some lovely bedding to show it off.

Dimensions:

  • Height: 32cm
  • Depth: 36cm
  • Price: £89.99

Shop this Fiberstone Egg Planter

3. Pine Trough Planter

An unabashed classic, pine wood looks great at any time of year – and it smells great out of the box too. This planter can fit rows of bedding within its self-assembled edges, and reinforcements on the bottom keep it away from frost and makes it more difficult for pests to access your leaves.

Dimensions:

  • Length: 90cm
  • Height: 40cm
  • Depth: 42cm
  • Price: £139.99

Shop this Fiberstone Egg Planter

If you need help deciding what type of planter to get, read our handy guide on planter materials to help you decide.

Top 4 Planter Bedding Tips

  1. If you’re struggling to get your bedding plant out of its nursery pot, gently squeeze each side of the pot to create a gap between the rootball and the container. This should make lifting it out a little easier.
  2. Plant up at least three heights/variations of bedding plants in one pot: some tall bedding plants for the back, medium height/shorter bedding plants for the centre and then very short or trailing bedding plants around the edges.
  3. Cover your pots if there is risk of frost to protect the plants with a fleece jacket.
  4. Water your bedding plants a little about an hour before you re-pot them to make them easier to remove from their original pots.

Shop over 700 bedding plants at Primrose