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More gardeners choose pansies and violas as their favourite bedding plant than any other flower.These brightly coloured flowers with their cheerful faces brave the very worst of our weather to put on displays during winter and spring, and voting

there to stop people walking on the grass but even the French are not that fierce).The most impressive thing was the standard of bedding. Rather than strict lines or groups the plants were arranged much more informally. Great swathes of orange dahlias, salvias

this frustration got me thinking about bedding.I admit to not being a huge fan of annual bedding plants, but I can see their attraction. For the gardener, they provide instant results - quick-fix solutions to gaps in borders, a tired corner, a dreary patio

For a successful summer bedding display, don't bring your plants out of the greenhouse until you know the frosty nights are behind you. And when you do bring them out acclimatise them in the garden before you plant them into their final positions

It's easy to be sniffy about the ornamental cabbage. It is quite a strange concept; an odd, Frankensteinish amalgam of vegetable and bedding plant. However, my mind was changed - temporarily at least - during a recent trip to New York. I saw

to everyone.For me it's the single colours that appeal. Bedding plant producers tell me that at retail it's always packs of colour mixtures that sell best, but I always avoid these. OK, so I must be an exception, but thankfully the seed companies cater to my

Cosmos was one of the first bedding plants I ever grew from seed, and still remains a favourite. It provides height to displays with an airiness few other plants can match. Tall stems carry fine, feathery foliage, each topped with simple, brightly

I've been busy redesigning a great chunk of my garden. It's an important area, overlooked by our kitchen and bedroom windows, so it's the first thing I see every morning when I stagger out of bed. In contrast to the rest of the garden, it's always

Filling your garden with colour can be an expensive business. Garden centres and nurseries are packed with attractive bedding plants in April and May, which are perfect to plant out for an almost instant show.This convenience comes at a price. It

Monty Don demonstrates how to plant up and age a stone container to create a formal garden display.springPlanting suggestions for a formal containerDark foliage display with scabiousClassic pelargonium and nemesia containerFormal dressing