For lasting displays, Clemente
ANYONE who has travelled on the London Underground will have heard the automated message ‘Mind the gap’, warning passengers of the space between the platform and train door. Well, my repeated directive to gardeners is ‘Don’t mind the gaps’ – transform every empty patch, pocket and corner of soil with hardy annuals.
Seeds of Californian poppies, godetia, pot marigolds and a host of other colourful beauties are perfect for sowing in late summer and early autumn.
They’ll germinate quickly in warm soil, maturing into plants that will put on a longlasting display next year, often from late spring until the first frosts of autumn.
As their name hints, hardy annuals are plants that germinate, flower, set seed and die within a year of sowing. The ‘hardy’ bit indicates that they are tolerant of chilly conditions over winter.
Don’t confuse them with half-hardy annuals or bedding plants, which will turn up their toes at the first sniff of a frost.
Apart from those already mentioned, there’s a massive range available. Cerinthe,
Hardy annuals will give you a great display from spring to the first frosts
corn cockle, cornflower, and opium poppy are just some of the straight varieties worth growing, while plant companies offer mixtures of seeds suitable for a specific purpose, such as attracting butterflies or raising for cut flowers.
My all-time favourite hardy annual is nigella, a species commonly known as love-in-a-mist. A cottage garden classic, plants produce mounds of feathery foliage that provide a foil for ruffled white, pink or blue flowers. These are followed by inflated seed pods that are great for cutting, drying and displaying indoors.
Hardy annuals will thrive in a sunny spot with moisture-retentive, free-draining soil. Ensure seeds germinate readily by giving the ground some attention. Turn over with a fork, break up large clods and then rake vigorously. It’s ready once the surface is level and the top 2-3in resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Fill small patches of soil by scattering seeds over the surface