Young Plant Growing Advice

01/14/25

7-8 Minutes Read

When to Sow: Spring

Written By Johnsons Team

Gardeners who are often looking for a more instant display in their outside space may be familiar with planting young plants into their arrangements. Not only is this a simple and convenient way to beautify your growing space, but it also allows you to get a head start on your summer blooms. Granted, growing flower seeds into healthy plants is undeniably rewarding, but young plants are handy for opportunists who are looking to cover every last spot in their garden with colour. If you’ve recently ordered young plants from Johnsons, we’ve got plenty of useful advice to help you plant and care for your flowers as soon as they arrive. So keep reading our blog for some young plant growing tips to guarantee showstopping presentations in your garden.

When to Transplant Your Young Plants

When your young plants arrive, they’re essentially ready for transplanting. Water them well and then pot them on as soon as possible. Alternatively, our slightly later supplied garden-ready plants will have strong and established root systems and are ready to be planted straight out into containers, hanging baskets or the garden.

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Potting On

If you plan to set out your flower plants in beds or borders or to plant them into large tubs, we recommend potting them first into 9cm/3½in pots. Use any good multi-purpose compost and set each one so that the top of the plug is just below the surface.

All young plants that you plan to display in the garden should be hardened off during May (even the hardy ones.) Stand them outside during the day and bring them in again on cold nights before eventually planting them in their final positions at the end of May or the beginning of June.

Planting Out

Before planting out, you’ll need to consider whether your growing environment suits your plant's needs and requirements. Most of our flower plants prefer to be planted in a sunny or lightly shaded spot.

When you plant up your containers and baskets, multi-purpose, peat-free compost is usually best, and we recommend that you mix it with water-retaining gel granules and a slow-release fertiliser. Together, they will save you time when it comes to both feeding and watering. Additional liquid feeding may still be needed later in the season, however, if plants start to lose vigour, so we would always recommend keeping a close eye on them.

It’s important to always keep your plants free of weeds and water well during dry spells until they are fully established. Slugs and snails can also be a major threat to many plants' young growth, and appropriate precautions should be taken. You can encourage a natural ecosystem in your garden by providing food, water and habitats for predators such as birds and hedgehogs.

Shop Young Plants at Johnsons

Now that you’ve got plenty of young plant-growing advice, order your very own to introduce that extra pop of colour to your outside space. Whether you’re planning last-minute arrangements or just want to get a headstart on your mesmerising displays, young plants are the perfect way to bring immediate life to your growing space. So get creative and take a look at our range today.

If you’re looking for even more growing advice to achieve the most beautiful displays possible, take a look at our Growing Help & Advice blog and get inspired by some of our fantastic gardening ideas.