Wallflower 'Fire King' Seeds

If you are tired of pale spring pastels, 'Fire King' is the antidote. This heritage variety produces dense, velvety flower spikes in a glowing shade of rich scarlet-orange that seems to burn with intensity against the fresh green foliage.

Wallflowers are the traditional scent of an English spring. 'Fire King' carries that classic, heavy perfume—a mix of honey, clove, and primrose—that drifts on the cool air in April and May. It is the perfect plant for lining a path to your front door, greeting you with colour and scent every time you come home.

Why Your Garden Needs 'Fire King'

We love this variety because it is bold. It provides a depth of colour that is rare in spring. When the sun hits the petals, they shimmer with hints of ruby and tangerine. It looks absolutely incredible when planted in drifts.

It is also a biodiversity essential. Flowering early in the year, it provides a vital, high-energy nectar source for bees emerging from hibernation when few other plants are in bloom.

Understanding the Plant: What is a Biennial?

Wallflowers are classic Biennials.

They grow leaves one year and flower the next.
The Routine: Sow them in late spring or summer. They grow into small leafy bushes by autumn. You plant them in their final flowering position in October (often with bulbs). They bloom the following spring.
Top Tip: Pinch them out! When the young plants are about 10-15cm tall, nip off the top growing tip. This creates a bushy, multi-stemmed plant rather than a single, thin spike.

Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow

Wallflowers are best raised in a "nursery bed" before moving to their final spot.

🌱 Germination:
Sow outdoors from May to July. Scatter seeds thinly into a prepared seedbed or pots outdoors. Cover very lightly (5mm deep). Keep moist. Germination is reliable and takes 14-21 days.

Where to Sow:
They thrive in full sun. As their name suggests, they love the drainage and lime content found near walls, so they prefer alkaline to neutral soil that drains well. They hate sitting in wet clay.

Care While Growing:
The Autumn Move: In October, dig up your wallflowers from their nursery bed and plant them into borders or containers for their winter home. Plant them firmly to ensure they aren't rocked by winter winds.

Plant Specifications

Here is a quick reference guide to the key features.

My Recommended Garden Companions

The fiery orange of 'Fire King' creates the most famous spring colour combinations when paired with blue or purple:

• 💙 Forget-me-not 'Blue': The ultimate partnership. Blue and Orange are complementary colours (opposites on the colour wheel). Planting a carpet of blue Forget-me-nots under fiery Wallflowers makes both colours look twice as bright.
• 💜 Honesty (Lunaria annua): For a regal display. The tall purple flowers of Honesty bloom at the same time as Wallflowers. The mix of rich purple and deep orange creates a sumptuous, jewel-box effect in the border.

📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar

Sow in summer. Plant out in autumn. Flowers the following spring.

(↔️ Swipe chart to see all months)