the alternative to bedding plants

Every year millions of bedding plants are bought and planted out in are gardens giving colour to are borders all summer long. But has any one ever considered using an alternative to are great institution the bedding plant such as vegetables. I can hear you now this man is either drunk or clinically insane neither I am afraid. Vegetables are now one of the most popular plants to grow from seed in the UK, but still when ever people are considering growing vegetables they make there was to the furvest flung corner of the garden to grow them. out of sight of the rest of the garden I have never understood why people want to do this when most vegetables are just as beautiful if not more than some of the bedding plants we grow they come in a wide variety of colours, shapes and leaf textures and are a real alternative to traditional bedding with the added bonus that you can eat them most people never stop to appreciate the beauty of the vegetable they only look at the practical use of them rather than there ornamental value.


You can use vegetables as you would with your bedding filling in the odd gap hear and there or a single bed solely planted with bedding you can do just the same with vegetables there is also a financial benefit to growing vegetables instead of bedding is a lot cheaper than bedding and you also save on your shopping bill to.

I now what your going to say not all vegetables are suited such as potatoes etc. but I still believe that there is a place for them but I must admit they are best suited to a mixed border where there is a big gap rather than a single bedding plant display but with there lush dark green foliage and flowers from white to purple they will still look just as good as some perennials carrots are a another example there real colour is in the roots under ground but with there feathery green foliage they two will look just as good in the mixed border.

Some of the best vegetables as bedding are


Kale

One of the hardest of all the brassica’s once classed as peasant food and cattle fodder is now becoming a more fashionable food. It comes in a wide range of colours leaf shapes and textures as well as heights and looks fantastic on a cold winters morning when it is covered in a layer of white frost some of the best varieties are

Redbor f1
With its deep red tightly curled leaves and reddy purple stem grows to about 90 – 120cm tall

Nero di Toscana
It has elongated leaves that curl back on its self deep green in colour with thick mid ribs the leaves are blistered in appearance this has become a very popular variety over the last couple of years

All are ideal for the back of the border or as a dot plant


Runner beans

Give some height to the border with tepees of runner beans or grown over a hazel arch which you can walk under and pick the beans as they grow above your head runner beans make the perfect companion to sweet peas and morning glory there is nothing better than a tepee of runner beans in full flower runner beans come in a wide variety of colours red, pink and white as well as a good range of leaf colour from dark green to golden one of the oldest varieties is


Painted lady

With its dark green foliage and red/white bicoloured flowers followed by a good crop of beans.

Sun bright

This variety has great with its gold tinged leaves and masses of red flowers slower growing then your standard runner beans due to its lack of chlorophyll but well worth the wait for the foliage.

Sunset

Will be covered in a mass of pink flowers set off by its lush green foliage.

White lady

This has to be one of my favourites both for colour and taste as the name suggests it has white flowers followed by long green pods


Globe artichokes

These are fantastic architectural plants giving you the most fantastic grey/green foliage and if you can resist not eating some of the buds they will open to reveal large vivid blue thistle like flowers that can grow up to 100-120cm wide and 180-200cm tall this is a fast growing perennial vegetable needing a bit of space ideal as a dot plant can be used as an annual if sown early will produce good sized heads in the first year one of the most common varieties is

Green globe

This produces good sized green heads of good flavour

Purple globe romanesco

With its purple /dark red buds which are smaller in size than green globe but has a slightly better taste.


Beetroot

This is a good purple/red foliaged plant and makes an excellent gap filler in the border can be ready in 10 weeks form sowing one of the best varieties for use as bedding is

Bull’s blood

This is an old variety and is already widely used In bedding plant displays its used for its dark red leaves it doesn’t produce much of a bulb it is mainly used in baby leaf production.

Golden beet

This is a green foliage variety with yellowish stalks with a good sized yellow/orange bulbs this makes a good alternative to the standard red varieties

Boltordy

Green leafed variety with dark red stalks and veins with deep red bulbs


Beet leaf / chard

This is probably one of the best suited to the flower border with its vivid coloured stalks in a range of colours from white to yellow and the stalks and leaves are shiny when covered in dew or rain they shimmer in the sun light available in a variety of individual colours such as

Rhubarb chard

With its dark red stalks and deep green leaves with red veins

Yellow chard

Bright yellow stems with green leaves and yellow veins

Rainbow chard

This is a good mixture of colours including yellow, red and orange and variations of the three

Cabbage

This gives a talking point to have in your border having green/red balls of cabbage in groups of 3 or 5 dotted in your border cabbage comes in a wide range of leaf shape colour and texture and will atand well through the winter if the right variety is chosen

Holland late winter

Large heads ready from November onwards light green leaves which forms a tight ball

Marner lagerot

Deep red leaves produce firm balls of cabbage ideal for pickling

Marners lagerweis

Produces tight heads with dark green leaves

Climbing French beans

This is another one to give height to the border ideal for growing up tepees or arches they have small flowers but the real colour comes from the pods available in purple to yellow flecked with red

Borlotta lingua di fuoco

Produces bright green pods splashed with red as they mature this is one for drying and used in soups and stews throe out the winter

Coron a d’ora

Pencil podded type with golden yellow pods produces a heavy crop
Peas

This is a great alternative to the sweet pea grown up a tepee or arch they will be covered in white/pink sweet pea like flowers followed by pea pods depending on the variety pick as mang tout or leave until the pods are full one of the best varieties is

Purple podded

With its fantastic deep purple pods really give a talking point as most people don’t believe you can get purple peas and yes the peas are still green they really do stand out in the border.

But if you cant get hold of any seed of purple podded varieties ordinary green peas are just as good such as Hurst green shaft another good variety but is very hard to get hold of them is parsley pea it is a dwarf variety but with tightly curled leaves which resemble parsley with white flowers followed by small pea pods well worth growing if you can get the seed of it


Lettuce

This is a really good gap fill for the border and is very suited for the border ready to harvest in 10 weeks from sowing lettuce is available is a wide range of colours leaf shapes and textures the leaves shine in the sunshine especially when the dew is still on them some of the best varieties are

Marvel of four seasons

This is an excellent variety with deep red outer leaves and green inner leaves gives a striking contrast

Salad bowl red/green

This is a well known cut and come again variety which has serrated red and green leaves

Red fire

Deep red fringed leaves, which is very uniform in shape

Tom thumb

Small green variety with good green leaves

Sweet corn

This is a great plant for the back of the border or as a dot plant with its long leaves born of its central stem culminating in its feathery flowers needs to be planted in grouped together in 5’s or more to aid pollination

early extra sweet f1

Gives good long cobs of good flavour matures from September onwards has good green foliage

Another good variety although dose not really produce edible cobs is

zea mays quadricolour

This has fantastic variegated foliage with white, green and red stripes

These are just a few of the many fantastic varieties that are available for you to use in your garden I am not saying to completely do away with standard bedding but just to look at alternatives which will make your garden stand out and give it a different look.
Also with the increase in fuel prices and the greater need to reduce food miles what better was to help than to have some of your vegetables coming from a few metres away instead of miles and don’t worry even if you have only got a balcony most vegetables grow perfectly well in containers as long as they have all the water and nutrients they require they will grow just as good as in the ground.