Autumn Seed Sowing

Quick! Quick! Quick! It’s time to get on the autumn seed sowing bus and you’re not too late.

Starting seeds in the autumn is the best thing I’ve learnt about growing flowers. Aside from getting a head start on next years crop it gives huge hope and encouragement to get through the winter months. I love popping to the greenhouse on a freezing February day when all the colour has been blown from the garden to see the glorious green shoots of plants to come. Each year I try something slightly different and due to the rising costs of EVERYTHING, I’m backing my own horse and sowing my own seed. What I’m hoping – a stronger happier crop as they have come from their own microclimate plus I’ll be saving money meaning the cost of my flowers won’t have to rise too much (we’ll come back to this another time).

These are some of my favourites flowers that should start to bloom late spring/early summer.

Sweet Peas – High Scent is my favourite but there is so much choice out there. Grow as many as you can as they are delightful.

Ammi – I grow a mix of Ammi Majus and Ammi Greenmist

Snap Dragons – Again there are so many different varieties. Grow a seed mix to get a range of colours in a small space.

Nigella or Love-in-the-Mist – Great as a cut flower and even better for seed pods that give plenty of seeds for the next year

Sweet Rocket – I love this sweetly scented frothy flowering plant. Again, it produces so many seeds for flowers the following year.

Scabiosa – I love their bobbing heads and the fact that once they start flowering they never want to stop.

Strawflowers – I didn’t know I could sow these in autumn but I have and they are germinating nicely. Hoping I can beat the slugs and get a super crop next year. Trying to keep the pink and salmons only.

As you’ve got  the compost out don’t be afraid to give ranunculus and anemones a try and don’t forget to plant plenty of tulips and daffodils too.

Ooooh, I do love this time of year!