Alan Titchmarsh sows the seeds for a stunning summer display
From showy tubs to hanging baskets, a dazzling summer display is simple and not too expensive to stage, says Alan
Making a stunning summer container display on a budget couldn’t be simpler. Just sow seeds of hardy annual flowers straight into tubs and hanging baskets now. There’s no need for pricking out, transplanting or frost protection – or any fussing whatsoever.
What to grow
For tubs, the best hardy annuals are those that are fairly short, compact, showy, full of flowers and slow to run to seed if the compost dries out slightly.
Go for dwarf (non-trailing) nasturtiums, knee-high sweet peas, multi-flowering dwarf sunflowers (12-24 inches high), candytufts, Linaria (toadflax), California poppy (Eschscholzia), morning glory (Convolvulus minor), or short varieties of marigolds (Calendula).
For hanging baskets, choose trailing/climbing nasturtiums, canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum), or Convolvulus major (a climbing version of C. minor).
Sow night-scented stock such as Matthiola bicornis for fragrance. It flowers roughly 10 weeks from sowing and is strongly fragrant from early evening. But it’s a short-lived show, so make several sowings.
For insects, sow poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii, with yellow and white flowers), Phacelia tanacetifolia (spikes of lavender-blue with feathery foliage), or pre-mixed packets of hardy annuals especially selected for butterflies, bees or insects.
Ready, set, grow! One or two large tubs make more impact and are less work than lots of small ones, which dry out faster and blow over easily. Stand them in their flowering position (as they are too heavy to move when full) in a sheltered place with lots of light.
Place a handful of drainage material (broken clay flower pot, polystyrene packaging or clean pebbles or gravel) in the base. Fill with multi-purpose compost, leaving an inch at the rim to allow
Brighten up your garden with some showpiece hanging baskets for watering. Sprinkle seeds on thinly and evenly – either sow all the same kind or several patches of different seeds to complement each other. Sift a little more compost over, barely burying the seeds, then water with a fine rose on your watering can.
Get a handle on hanging baskets
Line a traditional wire-framed hanging basket with a bought basket liner or cut a circle from an old woollen sweater or cotton fabric. Fill with compost and sow the same way as the pots. If you have a sheltered spot, the basket can be filled and sown in position to avoid moving later. Otherwise, start under cover and hang it in its flowering position when the plants start to bloom.
General aftercare
Thin out overcrowded seedlings, but aim to leave young plants closer together than usual. They will jostle for space and the display will generously overlap the edges of the container, creating a better show faster.
Be sure to remove any seedlings that start damping off or look mildewy before disease spreads to neighbouring plants.
Water sparingly at first, but increase as the plants grow. When the first flowers appear, start feeding using liquid or soluble tomato feed diluted to half the normal strength, and increase the frequency later in summer as plants grow and flower more vigorously.
Deadhead regularly as this keeps the plants flowering as long as possible.
Hardy annuals will usually come to an end in midsummer, since they start flowering early, so sow a second batch of seeds in spare containers in midsummer for a late summer/ autumn display.