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By DIANE RELF
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
Bedding plants are ready when you buy them — ready to be added to your flower beds, ready to be potted into containers to decorate your deck or patio, and ready to grow and bloom until frost.
To make the most of these vigorous, young plants, it pays for the gardener, to be ready too. Before heading to the garden center to buy annuals or perennials, have the flower beds and hanging baskets or other containers prepared to receive the flowers.
Get Soil Ready Before
Bringing Plants Home
First, refresh the soil in your garden. Your annuals w ill flourish if you spade in some compost and a complete fertilizer like 5-10-10. Rake the area until it’s relatively smooth.
If you plan to garden in containers, have clean pots, barrels, or baskets, plus a generous supply of potting soil. Buy a high-quality commercial mix or prepare your own from one-third perlite, compost or peat, and * % rich, loose, garden loam. Avoid using clay as a potting soil component.
Select plants carefully. You can buy everything from snapdragons, zinnias, and marigolds that will ultimately be three feet tall to tiny varieties that will never be more than six inches tall. Bedding plant labels provide lots of information, so be sure to read them and see if the plants you're considering need sun or shade, will be large of small, and are the color you intended to use. Ask garden center personnel if you are unsure of the appropriateness of the plants for your sites.
Once you have purchased trays or flats of bedding plants, give them a generous dose of tender loving care. This care begins when you put the plants in your car. Treat your new annuals like a carton of ice cream —
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