More seeds - flowers this time
When I heard the sound of the postman pushing a big, fat jiffy bag through the letter box the other day I knew my flower seeds had turned up. For the last 2 years I have grown flowers for cutting, the first year in small beds in my garden and then last year on a bigger scale on my newly acquired allotment.
I posted recently about my seed list dilemmas and putting in my vegetable seed order. Once I had these sorted out I turned my attentions to what flowers I want to grow this year and here is the list. Brace yourselves…
Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ – I grew these last year. They are so cheerful, very productive and have an excellent vase life.
Sweet Pea ‘Mrs Colier’ – Sweet peas are one of my favourites. This is a white flower with a very strong fragrance.
Zinnias ‘Giant Purple’ and ‘Yellow’ – I grew a mix last year but didn’t like some of the colours so decided on 2 single varieties this year.
Daucus carota ‘Black Knight’ – An airy, elegant flower similar to Ammi but with beautiful plum coloured flowers. This is a new one for this year.
Ammi visnaga – A beefier version of Ammi majus and is loved by hoverflies
Dill – I grew this last year for it’s great zingy yellow flowers but I also love it’s fine leaves in cooking.
Aster chinensis ‘Matsumoto Blue’ and ‘Matsumoto Crimson’ – These are new for this year. I love asters and these annuals have a long vase life and good yields.
Antirrhinum ‘White Giant’ F1 – I have grown these taller snapdragons for the last 2 years. There spires look great in arrangements.
Echium ‘Blue Bedder’ – You need to sear the stems of this so that it lasts in a vase but when I read the bees and butterflies love it I had to give it a try.
Consolida dark blue and white – These larkspur are a new one for me.
Nigella double white – I grew a mixed Nigella seed last year and was disappointed. The colours were muddy and many of the flowers distorted so I thought I would give a single variety a try.
Orlaya grandiflora – Another new one, like an elegant cow parsley apparently.
These new seeds will join ones I have collected and left over seeds such as Cosmos ‘Candy Stripe’, 4 other varieties of Sweet peas, Gaura, Didiscus, Sunflower ‘Vanilla Ice’. I know what you’re thinking ‘that’s quite a lot, where is she going to put them all’ because that is exactly what I’m thinking. Maybe I did get a bit carried away. I’m definitely wondering how I’m going to grow them all from seed without a greenhouse but I did it last year. I just need to be organised !!!!
I bought all of my flower seeds from Sarah Raven. I like the specialist advice that she gives, using the experience from her own cutting garden. She trials everything that is in her catalogue and only the best go in. I find a lot of seed catalogues only sell mixed varieties which I don’t like. Invariably there are 2 or 3 colours in the mix I don’t like so the patch becomes less productive when there are a lot of flowers I don’t want to pick. I find Sarah Raven has a good selection of single varieties and flowers that I haven’t seen elsewhere. I can also recommend Plants of Distinction who have a great selection of single coloured Antirrhinums, Sweet peas and Zinnias. Kings are also good for Sweet peas.
So I’m all set now. I just need to be patient (easier said than done), only a couple more weeks and I can get sowing.
You are organised, havn’t even sent my list in yet!!! A lot of your seeds are on my list too, I feel I must grow from seed to get the sheer numbers of plants for my bee and butterfly border and the border by the field which hopefully will have more of a prairie feel to it. You have put me to shame, I will get ordering today!
I always seem to order more seeds than I actually sow or plant so I’m just going to sow seed I collected from the garden and from the wild in the States. Good luck, Christina
A good selection Wellywoman – I grew Echium last year, and it looked really good in the garden for months – I didn’t pick it though, Caro over at Urban Veg told me that it self-seeds like crazy, so hopefully it will come up all on its own this year. I have posted my seed list in the pages on ‘Rosebank’ if you are interested.
Having flowers on the allotment will increase the pollination rates for your veg too. I’ve tried to grow a cutting patch at the allotment for the last couple of years, but I’ve tended to neglect the flowers in favour of the veg. I’m giving it another go this year, though I’ll only be sowing seeds which are already in my stash, I’ve yet to sort them out.
What a wonderful. and colourful, selection. I was plotting this morning on my flower patches thinking about what to grow where.
I’ve tried to grow Sunflower ‘Vanilla Ice’ twice now without success! xx
Hi Flighty,
I always start my sunflowers off in pots and then plant them out. They stand a much better chance this way. Slugs seem to love them.
Do you plant them mixed together or in blocks of one plant? How large is your allotment? How large is the flower bed in your allotment?
Oops! Just read your seed post and found the size of your allotment.
Gosh I want all the seeds on your list. I am now regretting discussing with the site rep reducing my allotment from 16 beds to 8.I may have to change my mind.
I am looking forward to your postings latter in the year of your beautiful cut flowers!
A lovely seed list! I have to admit that I also drool over Sarah Raven’s catalogues but I use them as a reference only as I try to find the seeds, bulbs and plants from cheaper sources.
Orlaya grandiflora was on my mental wish list from last year. It kept popping up on all the Gardening programmes and at shows. It’s white and lacy. I had forgotten I wanted it until I saw it on your list. NB Make a note of wish list…
I can’t be without Cosmos “Purity” from Sarah Raven. Masses of whites flowers and frondy foliage from July until the first hard frost. Great in among the Verbena bonariensis.
But my favourite flower of all are the Fox & Cubs in my tiny wildflower meadow in the front of the house. May favourite native flower for years, I was given a few clumps by someone over the allotment and they’ve already started self-seeding.
Any seed delivery is always a source of great excitement! Your list sound quite splendid. I am full of admiration for the fact that you are tackling them without the luxury of greenhouse accommodation for your seedlings. I have ordered ammi visigna and orlaya again on past experience. Orlaya does well from autumn sowings but I forgot :( I have also ordered daucus carota ‘Black Knight’ – it leapt out of the page at me. Am off to investigate the rudbeckia you mention – I could be tempted :)
How exciting. Makes spring feel a little nearer. Last year I bought from Sarah Raven and got carried away so I have a few packs left over. Expensive seeds but like her selections and the colour coding for quick reference too. Some great choices for cut flowers – love the pure white dragonheads of Antirrhinums
Wish I could plan flowers too, but there is so much in the flower beds at the minute I have to wait and find out what it all is. I have started off some sweet peas and will do sunflowers too, but might have to wait until next year before I can justify buying more!! Lucky you :-)
Great selection…it’s going to be a colourful Summer in your garden!
Wow, I’ve just discovered your beautiful blog! I love the name, I was only out walking the dog this morning thinking to myself I’m never happier than when I’m in my wellies! I’ll get reading, I haven’t got the patience for gardening but I think you’re going to inspire me to find some.
What a fabulous selection, I think I will be growing more flowers on the allotment this year at least in part because I won’t have the time or energy to devote to many veges. I failed to get Ammi visnaga to germinate last year when I tried it, hope you have better luck. I think I may have to try the rudbekia, they sound wonderful…
I buy from Sarah Raven too. I hadn’t thought about sowing my sweetpeas just now. I have tried the autumn thing – disastrous, all eaten by mice. Last year I tried spring but not so early.
The Daucus carota ‘Black Knight’ sounds amazing, look forward to seeing pictures of these. I love Sarah Raven’s seed list, you know they will do well as she has grown them herself. Her catalogue has such mouth-watering pictures of flowers they are all so tempting. Good luck with all the sowing, your allotment is going to be so colourful.