Bedding plants are great for filling gaps in borders, complementing larger plants and adding instant visual interest to your pots. Although they tend to only last a season, they offer great value for money, creating a mass of colourful flowers to bulk out pots and beds.
These are the fail-safe bedding plants we always turn to.
Our favourite bedding plants to buy
Petunia
Petunias are one of the most common bedding plants out there – and for good reason. They come in a huge array of colours and patterns, and they can flower all the way from late spring to the first frost.
If you’re choosing a petunia for your garden, why not mix things up and opt for a double flower variety like this one? As it grows, it’ll spill over pots and hanging baskets with a spread of 25cm.
In this pack, sold by the Oxfordshire-based business Acqua Garden, you’ll get 20 separate plants ready to be potted up.
We also love Petunia 'Double Pirouette', which you can buy from Crocus and Waitrose Garden.
Daisy
Daisies are always a cheerful choice if you want to brighten up an outdoor area. These Bellis 'Bellissima Mixed' flower February to April and then September to November, so they’ll add interest when other plants have stopped blooming.
We love the vibrant red, pink and white pom-pom heads of this daisy variety, which would look particularly great in cottage gardens.
For similar options, see our favourite Michaelmas daisies.
Marigold
With their vibrant sunset-coloured petals and pest-controlling properties, marigolds are another fantastic bedding plant to add to your garden. While some varieties come with pom-pom-like heads, these ones are slightly more classic in shape, and grow to a maximum of 30cm in height.
This pack comes with 20 plants ready to be added to containers and flower beds. They’re a great choice for long-lasting colour and make good companion plants too.
Once they’re in bloom, why not cook up some gorgeous Marigold petal pasta?
Viola
Buy Viola x wittrockiana 'Peach Shades' from Sarah Raven (£16.50)
Violas are a good choice for late winter and early spring colour.
We chose this variety for its unusual muted pink petals. Depending on when you plant it out, it can flower through the spring or autumn.
Once in bloom, you can harvest the flowers to decorate cakes and desserts throughout the year.
Pansy
Pansies are a familiar favourite when it comes to bedding plants; their large, cheerful heads instantly add a pop of colour to pots and borders.
A twist on the familiar pansy, this ‘Frizzle Sizzle’ variety has pretty fluted petals. It blooms between May and October and can be used as an edible garnish for your summer and autumn dishes.
Begonia
Begonias can be a real show-stopper in containers and hanging baskets. We’ve chosen this variety for its striking double-flowering heads in rich red, pink and white tones.
This begonia will gently trail so it’s an ideal choice for patio containers, hanging baskets and window boxes.
Find other great varieties in our Begonia guide.
Nemesia
Buy Nemesia Nesia Tropical from Crocus (£10.99)
Nemesia is often overlooked as a bedding plant in favour of familiar favourites like pansies, geraniums and fuchsias, but they’re a useful option thanks to their wide range of colour varieties.
This pinky-toned Nemesia will look best blooming in patio pots and window boxes.
Geranium
Buy Geranium 'Medio Teske Lavender' from Crocus (£12.99)
No list of bedding plants would be complete without a mention of geraniums (pelargoniums). You can find them at just about any garden centre, but we love this choice for its unusual lilac-coloured double blooms – a pretty alternative to the more common varieties you’ll see around.
Fuchsia
Buy Fuchsia 'Evita' from Crocus (£7.99)
With their dainty, ballerina-like flowers, fuchsias make lovely bedding plants.
'Evita' has delicate pink, red and white petals and will brighten up any pot.
Read about how to grow and care for fuchsia, plus beautiful varieties to grow, in our fuchsia guide.
Erigeron
Buy Erigeron karvinskianus from Crocus (£3.79 )
Often found growing wild from cracks in walls and paving stones, Erigeron adds a relaxed, cottage-garden feel to beds and containers. Thanks to its mass of tiny flowerheads, it’ll quickly fill in any bare gaps, and blooms its socks off almost all year round. It's a perennial, so there's no need to replant it every year, either.
Buy Erigeron karvinskianus as seeds or potted plants.
If you want to read more, see our guide to Angel pelargoniums. Looking for more planting inspiration? See our favourite patio plants to grow.