Unpack them immediately and, if dry, stand the trays for a few minutes in about 2cm of water until the compost is fully moist. You may notice a slight yellowing of the foliage but this is quite natural after they have been in a dark box. Now stand them in a bright airy position out of direct sunlight and where there is some gentle warmth. Having been carefully nurtured under glasshouse conditions, your plants will be sensitive to both cold and scorching sunshine. Suitable places would be a conservatory, greenhouse, windowsill of a cool room or well-lit porch. Aim to give them a minimum temperature of about 10oC.

Growing them on

Your plants have arrived ready for transplanting and although they may be left for a day or two to acclimatise to the new conditions, they should otherwise be potted out by inserting a suitable thin implement through the hole in the bottom. If you plan to set out your plants in beds or borders later in Autumn or to plant them in large immovable tubs, pot them in to multi-cell trays with large cells or 7.5cm pots. Use any good multi purpose compost. With the exception of miniplugs, plants intended for use in hanging baskets, flower bags or pots can be planted directly in to their final containers. If you transplant them first to multi-cell trays or small pots, leave them for approximately 3-4 weeks before moving them on. As soon as you have transplanted your plug plants water them in well. After that wait until the surface of the compost starts to dry before watering again. Your plants are unlikely to thrive if over watered. If you have to grow your plants in a place where they only receive light from one side, such as on a windowsill, turn them regularly so that they grow evenly.

Planting Out

When you plant up your containers or baskets, mix water-retaining gel granules and a slow release fertiliser with the compost. Together they will save you time with both feeding and watering later in the season. As a general rule, allow one plant per 5cm of container or basket diameter and double this number for baskets where the sides are planted. If you are planting in your borders, prepare the ground well, removing any perennial weeds. Where the soil is not already rich, dig in well rotted manure or compost. For optimum flowering, either incorporate some slow release fertiliser at this time or feed regularly through the season. Keep plants well watered until they are established.