Flower Seeds

Annual Flower Seeds

Annuals are an easy way to add some colour and vibrancy to your garden. Classic choices like zinnia, marigold, and cosmos are easy to start in seed trays before being planted outside. Not only do they look lovely, but they’re also great as companion plants for fruit and veg by attracting beneficial bugs like bees and lady birds – the gardener’s best friends! Bees are vital for pollinating your fruit & veg, whilst ladybirds & lacewings love to eat destructive insects like aphids. Nasturtium seeds can also help here, by attracting aphids away from other plants and taking one for the team.

Many annuals have long bloom periods too, so you can enjoy their beauty and benefits for even longer. Get the kids involved with planting sunflowers and see which can grow the tallest over summer! They’ll love seeing these prolific annual flowers shoot up at speed.

Perennial Flower Seeds

Perennial flower seeds usually lie dormant over winter and come back year after year, so you can enjoy their colour for seasons to come! Low-maintenance perennials like lavender, daisies and cornflowers should be cut back with secateurs before winter so they can grow back even stronger next year!

If you’re looking for a quick and low-maintenance garden flower, it’s hard to go wrong with perennials.

FAQs

How do I plant flower seeds?

Planting flower seeds is nice and simple, and instructions can always be found on your seed packet. Some seeds can be planted directly into the ground – simply loosen the soil with a fork and scatter or bury the seeds at the recommended depth. Water them in thoroughly and keep the soil moist until they germinate.

For starting your seeds in seed trays, use a quality potting mix and keep your seeds in a warm, bright area until they germinate, ready to plant outside!

When is the best time to plant flower seeds?

This depends on the type of flower seed you have, though most of them are planted in spring after your area’s last frost date.

How do I store leftover flower seeds?

Flower seed packets always have plenty of seeds in, so you’ll most likely find you have leftovers. Keep them in the original packet so you know what they are, and keep them in a storage container in a cool, dry place until next year.

How often should I water flower seeds?

You should go over your seeds with a watering can or sprinkler when they’re first planted and keep the soil moist going forward, particularly in hot weather. Consider using a water butt to collect rainwater, as your seeds will prefer it and you can save on your water bills!

How long can you keep flower seeds for?

If they’re stored properly, you can keep flower seeds for a couple of years. After a while, they’ll start to lose their chance of germinating, so it’s always better to use fresher seeds where you can.

How to tell if flower seeds are good?

You can pop some seeds in a bowl of water toc ehck if they’re good. If they float, that usually means they’re no longer good for planting. You can also wrap seeds in a damp paper towelto see if they start germinating.

Do seeds fall out of flowers?

Some flowers self-seed, meaning they drop seeds after flowering which can grow again next year. Other perennial plants die back and go dormant over winter before triumphantly returning the year after.