Beginners

Start with cornflowers, calendula, nigella, or cosmos. These are the most forgiving flowers we sell. You can sow them directly into the ground from March onwards, they germinate quickly, and they flower within about ten weeks of sowing. You do not need a greenhouse, special compost, or any expensive equipment. Just prepared soil, water, and a little patience.

Sowing too early. There is a strong temptation in February to start sowing because it feels like spring is finally arriving — but soil temperature is what matters, not the calendar. Seeds sown into cold soil sit there, rot, and never come up. Wait until March or April, when soil has warmed enough to crumble nicely between your fingers. Your seeds will reward your patience.

No. Many of the most rewarding flowers — cornflowers, calendula, nigella, ammi, cosmos, larkspur — do best when sown directly outside. A sunny windowsill is plenty for the half-hardy types like cosmos and zinnias if you want to start them a few weeks earlier. A greenhouse is a nice-to-have, never a need-to-have.

For fast annuals like calendula or California poppy, you can have flowers within eight to ten weeks of sowing. Most cottage garden annuals flower from June or July through to the first frosts in October or November. Sweet peas take a little longer to settle in. Biennials like foxgloves and sweet williams flower in their second year — worth the wait but plan accordingly.