Showing support for National Gardening Week (April 29 - May 5) Dobbies, the UK's leading garden centre retailer, is encouraging gardeners to brighten up their garden with summer bedding plants at its free Grow How session in its Gloucestershire stores, taking place on Saturday, May 4.

Plus, all stores across the UK will simultaneously announce their winners for Dobbies Community Gardens.

Gardeners of all skill levels are invited to attend the session that starts at 10.30am and lasts around 10-15 minutes. They will be introduced to summer bedding plants, and get helpful hints and tips on how to introduce colour to garden beds this summer.

From begonias, with their large flamboyant blooms, to sweet peas with their delightful fragrance and wide range of colours, there's something for every garden, no matter the size.

Dobbies' garden experts in Tewkesbury, Cirencester and Stonehouse will guide attendees through specific bedding plants that are in season in May, as well as how to create colour themes in pots or baskets by pairing large flowers like dahlias as the focal point and enhancing space around them with summer bedding plants like begonias, petunias and impatiens (busy lizzies).

This year's winner of Dobbies Community Gardens will also be announced at May's Grow How session, with all entrants invited to attend to hear the result.

Dobbies Community Gardens launched in March to offer support for community and charity groups in its local stores to help transform, restore or start their indoor or outdoor green spaces.

Dobbies' stores will announce the local group that they have selected to receive support through products, tools, plants and volunteer hours to make their indoor or outdoor green space flourish.

Ahead of the session, Dobbies' plant buyer Nigel Lawton shares some expert advice on creating colour themes from bedding plants.

He said: "Summer bedding plants can bring that special seasonal vibrancy to all shapes and sizes of garden space.

"The key is to combine plants with their needs; most summer bedding plants perform best in full sun, but some, such as begonias and tobacco plants, can tolerate little shade.

"We would encourage people to come along to this month's Grow How session for help and advice on how bedding plants can breathe new life into gardens, patios and baskets.

"We're also looking forward to announcing the winners of Dobbies Community Gardens and learning about all of the green spaces we will help to transform in the year ahead."

For more information about Dobbies' Grow How session and to make a booking, visit dobbies.com/events 

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