Bedding plants are generally interplanted with long-lasting Perennials, but are either short-lived or else too tender to survive our winters.
They are fast-growing and ideal for covering your borders with flowers, or packing into containers and hanging baskets.
There is some overlap in practical use between annual or biennial plants, frost-tender perennials, and tubers like Dahlias that are typically lifted at the end of each season: in general, the plants in this section are meant to be treated as annual bedding (i.e. thrown on the compost after they flower), even if they are technically perennials, unless otherwise stated.
Sowing a tablespoon's worth of seeds and raising them into a heaving flower basket is great fun, and if you have not tried it, then give it a go!
But germinating your own seeds does take up a lot of space, attention, and time.
Buying "ready-made" seedlings gets you the right number of the best quality plants, delivered right when you want to plant them, all ready to start flowering within a matter of days: just add water!
Please note that mail order annual plants are not covered by our guarantee, because they are annuals or biennials that are supposed to last less than a year after you receive them. Some live longer than that, like perennial wallflowers, but they should still be replaced every few years.