Definition:
A bedding plant is a plant grown primarily for seasonal display in garden beds, borders, containers, or other decorative planting schemes. These plants are usually mass-planted to create vibrant, short-term floral displays and are replaced at the end of their flowering or growth cycle.
Characteristics:
- Typically herbaceous annuals, biennials, or tender perennials treated as annuals in temperate climates.
- Selected for fast growth, prolonged flowering, and bright, showy blooms or attractive foliage.
- Often raised in greenhouses or nurseries and planted out when conditions are favorable.
- Can be used for formal bedding schemes, cottage gardens, hanging baskets, window boxes, and urban landscaping.
Common Bedding Plants:
- Spring and Summer Bedding: Petunia (Petunia spp.), Marigold (Tagetes spp.), Begonia (Begonia semperflorens), Lobelia (Lobelia erinus), Busy Lizzie (Impatiens walleriana).
- Winter and Spring Bedding: Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana), Primrose (Primula vulgaris), Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri), Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus).
- Foliage Bedding Plants: Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides), Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria), Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris).
Cultivation:
- Bedding plants are usually grown in modular trays or pots for easy transplanting.
- Planted out after the risk of frost has passed, unless hardy species are used for winter bedding.
- Require regular watering, feeding, and deadheading to maintain an attractive display.
- Often arranged in patterns or color themes in public parks and formal gardens.
Historical Context:
The use of bedding plants became widespread in Victorian Britain, particularly in formal gardens and municipal displays. The practice of carpet bedding, using tightly planted low-growing plants to create intricate designs, was especially popular.
Bedding plants remain a staple in seasonal garden design, providing quick and dramatic color transformations throughout the year.
