Perennial Bedding

Perennial Bedding Buying Guide

Perennial bedding is an investment for the years to come. Why change your display every year? Perennial plants make excellent bedding options and are perfectly suited to hanging baskets, window boxes and patio containers as well. Find out which perennial bedding to plant for every spot in the garden below.

Why use perennial bedding?

Use perennial bedding to create a long lasting display. Without the need to buy new bedding plants every year you become more environmentally friendly and save pounds on new plants! Also, there’s plenty of fantastic perennial plants out there that can really elevate your potted displays. It’s a no brainer.

Best perennial bedding plants for colourful foliage

Go silver with a container filled with mangave, senecio and heuchera. Or for exotic colours you can’t go wrong with a coleus! These surprisingly hardy foliage plants look positively primaeval with yellow, red and acid green toning.

Perennial bedding plants for pots

Check the mature size of your perennial bedding to make sure your pot won't be swamped. Because your display is going to last for years, don’t pack your plants in as tightly as you would if you were using annual bedding. Try mixing textures and colours, for a mixed pot, plant heuchera, begonia and fuchsia for a frothy, floriferous display.

Fast growing perennial bedding

Fast growing perennial bedding covers an area quickly, hiding unsightly bare patches in the garden. Begonias grow swiftly, suit a range of light levels from shade to full sun and bloom happily through the summer. If you’re in a frost prone area plant hardy geraniums, alstroemeria and geums for vigorous cover.

Evergreen perennial bedding

If you’re wanting winter cover, go for evergreen perennials. Bergenia is a top performer, producing lush foliage throughout the year with delicate pink flowers in summer. Hellebores are a classic evergreen perennial with low growing leaves and late winter flowers that bloom into spring. Find plants to fill all garden areas with interest in winter with our guide to the best plants and flowers for winter colour.

Where to plant perennial bedding in the border

Plant your perennial bedding in the border with reference to their height at maturity. Tall perennials like rudbeckia and delphiniums provide height and structure at the back of a planting. Gradually decrease the height of your chosen plants as you come to plant the front of your bed. Short perennials like nemesia are just right at the front of the border.