Hardy annuals are one of the most dramatic, easiest and cost-effective splashes of colour you can create in a garden, all for the price of a packet of seeds. You don’t even need a greenhouse to get them going, just a small patch of finely raked soil. Now’s the time to choose what you want to grow, and there’s so much on offer.
Annuals are versatile, having many other uses. Cornflowers and marigolds have edible flower petals, and are good for cutting or drying. If you have pollinators in mind select single rather than double flowers where possible, and look for varieties particularly recommended as good food plants, providing nectar or pollen. Plan your display balancing the heights, spreads and colours of the various varieties. You can either sow in patches for smaller types, or in lines for those which grow taller, saving seed. Avoid sowing in gaps soon to be swamped with neighbouring perennials.
All annuals need is light and moisture and nature does the rest. Rake the soil so it’s free of lumps. You can either sow directly onto the soil, or you can sow onto a 12-25mm (½ to 1in) layer of washed horticultural sand or sterilised seed compost, which will create a weed-free seed bed, allowing seedlings to establish without competition from feral seedlings. This technique also allows you to sow more thinly as more plants will establish. Keep seedlings watered, thinning them out as they start to grow and provide twiggy supports for weaker growing types. Feeding or over rich soil will also cause plants to over-grow, with weak stems likely to collapse. Sowing at two-week intervals will also prolong the display.
How to sow for superb results
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