The annuals in our garden are still working hard, but there’s still time for some late sowings to fill next year’s borders with perennials. Many perennials are easy to grow from seed and offer an inexpensive way to enjoy masses of colour next year – and for years to come. Some will even flower in their first year if sown in early spring, but that usually requires a heated propagator in February or March. If you sow now, you won’t need artificial heat as they’ll grow happily in ordinary outdoor temperatures, so you can sow them in a cold greenhouse or on a shady windowsill.
Some perennials also need a cold period to trigger flowering. Aquilegias and some lychnis, for example, won’t bloom until the summer after sowing. Aquilegias sown now will flower next summer, but if you wait until February, you’ll be waiting until 2027! Sowing now speeds things up by a whole year.
You’ll need fresh compost and clean trays and pots. Transplant seedlings into cell trays to grow on, then plant them in their flowering positions in late autumn or next spring. If the seedlings are still small, it’s often safer to overwinter them in a cold greenhouse rather than planting them out.
Try these favourites:
• Achilleas suit sunny borders and attract pollinators. Good mixes are available and plants are drought-tolerant once established.
• Lupins are easy from seed. Choose named varieties over cheap mixes for best results. Protect young plants from slugs and snails.
• Aquilegias come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and look best in drifts. Once settled, they usually self-seed.
•Lychnis coronaria, in magenta, white or blush, is a great filler with silvery leaves – ideal with lavender and other drought-lovers.