Features - What to do when your plants arrive

It's always exciting when mail-order plants are delivered. They have been well-grown at the nursery, carefully packed and dispatched in packages specifically designed to keep the plants in good condition, while withstanding the rigours of the postal service.

In order to keep them growing and healthy, it's important to unpack your plants as soon as they arrive and pot them on into fresh compost.

To get strong, bushy plants, you can pinch many types of bedding plants back to about halfway down the main shoot, so that it will branch from low down and form more stems.

Water the new plants well and cover them with a clear canopy for a few days to help them adjust to their new surroundings and establish more quickly.