Blooms that are ideal for children, bees and new gardeners
Growing hardy annuals are the best plants for beginners, children and those on a budget. They also make quick gap fillers. You need next to no equipment or knowledge – what’s not to love? They’re great for wildlife, and according to Sarah Raven ranges for Johnsons, Ammi majus, and Californian poppies are the top sellers.
Sowing can begin from late March to May as the soil begins to warm up (if weed seedlings are around, you should be OK). If you have heavy clay soil and live in the North, use your common sense. An old farmer’s test was to sit their bare backsides on the soil. If it was comfortable, they would begin sowing. If it’s wet and cold, don’t sow!
Growing hardy annuals – Scatter your seeds
To sow directly into soil outdoors, weed the area, level the soil with a rake and tread lightly to flatten it. Either scatter seeds over the surface or make drills (shallow grooves) to sow them into. Follow the directions on your seed packets for the best time to sow and depth for planting. The spacing between drills depends on the eventual size of the plants.
Once plants are growing strongly, keep down weeds by hand and water in dry weather. Keep deadheading to prolong flowering. If you have cold soil, you can sow hardy annuals in modules under glass in multi-purpose compost, but you’ll then have to harden them off like half-hardy annuals before planting out.
Potted guide: autumn sowing hardy annuals
Most people sow hardy annuals in spring, but you’ll get a much earlier display if you sow seeds in early autumn. Combine autumn sowing – late August/September is best when there’s warmth in the soil – with the usual March-May timescale and your annuals will look better for far longer.
Not every type is suitable – they must tolerate frost. Also, remember there is an element of risk here – plants can and do fall victim to pests, diseases, and very wet/cold weather.
There are three basic methods:
- Direct sowing without protection;
- Direct sowing with cloches or horticultural fleece when frost-free.
- Sow in pots and keep frost-free over winter in a cold greenhouse or cold frame. (I’d give them all protection in the North.)
For direct sowing, either broadcast seeds thinly over weed-free, firmed and raked soil or sow in drills. Don’t use fertiliser at this point. Aim for a gap of about 0.5cm (¼in) between seeds, then cover lightly with soil and water. If sowing in drills, space them 15-45cm (6-18in) apart.
If you live in a cold or exposed part of the country, sow annuals under cover at 18°C (64°F), reducing to 15°C (59°F) after germination. Grow them on into small plants, harden them off for overwintering in a cold frame or cold glasshouse, to plant them out the following spring.
Growing hardy annuals – protection
These hardy annuals probably will require protection in the North, or even in southern areas, if there’s a bad winter. If hard frosts are forecast, protect with cloches or horticultural fleece.
- Ammi majus/Ammi Visnaga;
- Calendula officinalis (pot marigold);
- Centaurea cyanus (cornflower);
- Limnanthes douglasii (poached egg plant);
- Linum grandiflorum (flax);
- Hordeum jubatum (squirrel tail grass);
- Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist);
- Papaver commutatum, P. rhoeas, P. somniferum (corn and opium poppies);
- Briza (quaking grass);
- Helianthus (annual sunflower);
- Consolida (larkspur); Agrostemma githago (corncockle);
- Bupleurum;
- Iberis (annual candytuft);
- Scabiosa (scabious, a perennial often grown as an annual);
- Phacelia tanacetifolia (lacy phacelia);
- Malope trifida.
Plants needing protection
These plants need some protection from frost. Cloches and horticultural fleece should be sufficient in the south and sow in pots under glass in the north.
- Eschscholzia (Californian poppy – although I have a self-sown plant which is ‘perennial’);
- Gypsophila elegans;
- Lavatera trimestris (mallow);
- Cerinthe major var. purpurascens;
- Salvia viridis (annual clary);
- Matthiola longipetala subsp. bicornis (night-scented stock);
- Orlaya grandiflora;
- Nemophila;
- Adonis aestivalis;
- Godetia;
- Sweet peas can also be autumn sown.
