It’s so nice to seed you
adequately spaced, burying them just below the surface.
Others such as nicotiana and aquilegia are very fine. With these it’s best to surface sow on damp compost and then just cover with a very light sprinkling of sieved compost or some vermiculite.
You don’t want to bury these delicate seeds deeply. Be careful when watering seeds as a big splash can move them around – try watering from beneath by placing in a bowl of water, or use a fine rose on your watering can.
For the time being we will be spending our evenings at home so I’ve decided to grow some classics for evening scent. Nicotiana is the tobacco plant which has pure white flowers that are tubular in shape – the delicious perfume in the evening will attract moths for their nectar.
I’m trying a variety called Fragrant
Cloud. It will be great for filling gaps in borders or growing in containers which can be positioned on your patio, and it also makes a lovely cut flower. It’s half-hardy, so surface sow indoors now for transplanting outdoors later in the month.
Night-scented stock (Matthiola bicornis) is a lovely delicate filler plant with lilac flowers. The seeds are very fine so grab a pinch and gently rake them into the soil just using your fingers, or pop some into your hanging baskets.
I’m also sowing some annual climbers. Nasturtium is easy to germinate and will scramble quickly up fences, trellises or climbing frames, covering them with vibrant orange, red and yellow flowers, depending on the variety. Sow outdoors now where you’d like them to flower. Sow more than you need – this is insurance in case some don’t germinate.
When they do, select the strongest seedlings – this is called thinning out. Leave adequate space between the remaining seedlings so they can develop, about six inches apart.
Morning Glory is a beautiful halfhardy climber so you can either keep it in a sunny position indoors – perfect for a conservatory – or plant outdoors at the end of the month. It has beautiful flowers, usually blue or a deep purple. The seeds are quite hard, so soak overnight in water before sowing to speed up germination.
For novice gardeners I’d recommend Nigella ‘Love-in-mist.’ It’s hardy so can be planted outdoors now. Prepare the soil so it’s a fine crumbly tilth with no weeds or stones, and sow about a quarter of an inch beneath the surface and water in. You’ll be amazed at the amount of flowers and beautiful foliage just one seed can produce!