And so to bed – but watch out for a cold snap

GARDEN centres are full of tender bedding plants, and some gardeners plant them in the garden immediately, gambling that there won’t be any late frosts in their area.

Some years they are lucky and they have a really early flush of colour from geraniums, busy lizzies, petunias and fuchsias. In other years, late frosts strike and it’s a return trip to the garden centre to buy replacements.

There’s a moral here – don’t be impatient.

Early planting of tender bedding plants is fine if you are prepared to watch the weather forecast and have sheets of newspaper to fix over the plants every evening should the temperatures fall.

Don’t be fooled by any plant label that claims it is “half-hardy”. That’s gardening speak for “not hardy at all”.

After you have bought your bedding plants, keep them for a week or more outside in their pots or trays to harden off.

A position close to the house on a warm patio is ideal as bricks and paving hold heat for many hours. A covering of newspaper or fleece will ensure the plants are tucked up safely on cold nights.

When planting out bedding, give the plants a thorough watering in the trays or pots the night before, so they have had a good drink ready for root disturbance and the trauma of new surroundings.

Take out small planting holes with a trowel, leaving space between each for potential plant growth. Firm the soil around the roots and leave a shallow depression around the stem so that any subsequent watering puddles just above the plant roots without running away.

If you get the planting right, you’ll get a summer of colour.