For long season summer colour: brighten up your garden:

Summer annual bedding plants

Most summer bedding plants can be raised from seed but are commonly bought as pack bedding with small plants ready to go outside. Dont plant them out if there is any danger of frost as they need to be kept frost free. Sweet peas can take colder nights than the other plants. Best to wait till mid May or even early June (coldest inland gardens) before planting out bedding.

Begonia

Large flamboyant flowers in a wide range of colours, flowering continuously throughout summer up to the first frosts, Begonia bedding plants can be upright or trailing and are suitable for beds, borders, hanging baskets and window boxes. Tuberous Begonias can be lifted and stored over winter. Begonia semperflorens are treated as annual bedding plants.

Sweet peas

Sweet peas are incredibly popular: scrambling up fences, obelisks, wigwams or netting where they will reach heights of 1.8m (6'). Dwarf sweet peas can be used as  groundcover at the front of beds and borders. With their fragrance and wide range of colours, sweet peas are excellent summer bedding plants and also provide cut flowers throughout summer!

Busy Lizzie (New Guinea)

In a range of fruity colours, from pinks to reds through purples and white for long periods.  Dont plant them out before June as they dont like cold weather. New Guinea Impatiens have replaced the previously popular Impatiens walleriana which is no lnger grown due to Busy Lizzie downy mildew.  Good ground cover in beds and borders or for patio containers with colour up to the first frosts.

Geranium

Sun-loving plants flowering all summer through to the first frosts. Pelargoniums, commonly known as Geraniums, include trailing, climbing and upright varieties suitable for beds, borders, patio containers, hanging baskets. Mostly in shades of pink, white and red.

Antirrhinum (Snap Dragon)

Very long flowering period, & mouth-like flowers which open when squeezed: popular with children. Use in beds, borders and patio containers. Very good for bees.

Lobelia

Shades of blue, purple and white providing waterfalls of colour in hanging baskets and containers, or upright varieties for edging beds and borders. Great for hanging baskets. 

Petunia & Surfinias

Spectacular array of bright colours and patterns, including stripes & picotees. Choose from trailing or upright varieties, excellent for hanging baskets, window boxes and containers.

Osteospermum

Outrageous south African bedding plant. Needs sunny, dry, well drained site. Keep indoors till June.