Sow hardy annuals

Get a head start with your flowers for next year by sowing hardy annuals such as California poppies, cerinthes and orlaya now. You can sow them either in pots kept under protection or directly into the garden. When sowing in pots, use seed or multi-purpose compost. Snip off any flowers that develop in winter to strengthen the plants. They should flower early next season. If growing direct outside, sow into raked, weed-free ground. Plants will develop a good root system over winter and flower just after those raised in pots indoors.

Space seeds widely, so you don’t need to thin out the seedlings later