CREATE A CUT-FLOWER PATCH

For a steady supply of cut flowers all through summer, it’s worth creating your own cut-flower patch. By late March, if the weather is mild, you can start to sow hardy annuals outside. l Prepare the soil Fork over and weed a small area of bare soil then leave it for two weeks and hoe off any weed seedlings that germinate. Rake the soil until it’s level, with a fine and crumbly texture. l Make seed drills

Using a cane or the edge of a trowel, draw shallow lines in the soil, spaced about a foot or so apart, until you’ve filled the area. l Sow flower seed A mix of hardy annuals is ideal, such as calendula, cosmos, clarkia, love-in-a-mist, cornflowers, poppies and nasturtiums. Sow along your drills, following the packet instructions. l Label your rows Write the plant name on a label at the end of each row, then cover the seeds with a fine layer of soil or compost. Water the patch well and keep the soil moist. Thin out any overcrowded seedlings as they appear.