Close your eyes and imagine, if you will, glorious baskets and tubs over-flowing with pink and blue million bells and trailing pink verbena. If you try a little harder you can almost taste the vanilla-rich scent of 'purple vein' surfinia with its beautiful cascading blooms, which flower endlessly throughout the summer.

Images such as these not only help to raise the spirits at this time of year but where the arrival of 'baby bedding' at the garden centre turns wishful thinking into a reality! In addition to the aforementioned plants a host of other annual favourites are available including bacopa, diascia, helichrysum, fuchsia, geranium, lobelia, impatien and nepeta to name but a few.

If you enjoy dazzling displays of flowers during the summer months then purchasing baby bedding is one of the most economical ways to accomplish this apart from growing your own from seed.

Baby bedding or young plants can come in a variety of forms such as pots of seedlings, mini and plug plants are one of the cheapest ways of buying bedding plants, which tend to be more costly when purchased as larger individual plants.

Bear in mind however, that if you do not have a heated greenhouse or conservatory to keep them in then be prepared to keep them on a windowsill turning them regularly to keep the growth even and upright. A length of bubble wrap approximately 21cm (6") deep running from the top of the sill against the window will help ensure the seedlings don't suffer from any cold draughts that may permeate through the window - if in doubt move them out of harm's way overnight.

In the case of seedlings, once the plants have developed seed leaves (the first leaves to emerge) and are large enough to handle, they will need to be transplanted into larger containers otherwise they will become weak and spindly through over-crowding.

Compartmentalised plastic trays are ideal for this; fill the trays with a loan-based compost such as John Innes N¼1 or a quality multi-purpose compost suitable for seedlings such as Westland or Levington multi-purpose, lightly firming to remove any air pockets. Gently tap the container of seedlings to loosen the compost and remove it intact from the container. Hold the seed leaves (not the stem) and with a widger, loosen the seedling taking care not to damage the stem or roots. Retain some of the compost already around the roots to minimise shock from transporting.

Using a dibber or pencil make a hole in the centre of each compartment and gently insert the seedling into its new home. Cover the roots with the compost and gently firm the little plant in using your fingers. Once all the seedlings are in situ and the compost is level water them in using either a watering can with a fine rose or a hand-held spray. A covering with clear plastic for a few days will raise the humidity levels and help the seedlings to re-establish but do ensure that the plastic does not rest on the seedlings themselves. Keep the transplanted seedlings in the same conditions as before, watering once the surface of the compost becomes dry.

Should you purchase plug plants, although substantially larger than seedlings, these will still need to be transplanted at least once before they reach their final destination as the small cell will not be able to sustain the plant until the end of May - which is considered the right and safest time to plant outside. Prior to doing this however, your bedding plants will need to be 'hardened off', which is the technical term for acclimatising them to life outside their previously controlled environment.

Towards the end of April, depending on the weather, your annuals can be kept in an unheated greenhouse, cold frame, under cloches or in a sheltered spot where they can be covered up at night (remember to take preventative measures against slugs, if necessary). Remove any covering completely for the last few days prior to planting up. Paying attention to watering, feeding vand deadheading (snipping off faded blooms) will ensure a fantastic display all summer long!