How to create a boost of colour
Your floral display can last longer than just the summer
If you have a spare plot of land that enjoys the sun at some part of the day and yearn for a floral display, there are several options available.
Anyone happy to settle for a temporary summer show, will find that sowing hardy annuals fits the bill. However, you could extend interest in the attraction beyond summer, making it more permanent with the addition of bulbs, long-flowering perennials, and a few patches for annuals to offer a boost of colour.
Those wishing to keep the planting simple need only select a few hardy annuals from a seed display. They generally cost £2 to £3 for a packet and contain the potential for many more plants than, say, a pack of half-hardy annuals at the garden centre.
You might even get them free of charge with certain gardening magazines or, save your own seed for the following year after a first successful season.
In some cases, one sowing is enough to introduce these annuals to your garden permanently. Limnanthes (poached egg plant), calendula, nasturtium and borage, have not been sown in this garden for years, yet their seedlings pop up to surprise us every year!
Prepare a patch of land for hardy annuals by forking it lightly over, treading and raking it ready for sowing. These plants don’t demand rich soil, although a light dressing of superphosphate encourages early root development. Use sand to mark out a few irregular-shaped bays of differing size and make a series of short drills in each with the back of a rake. Sow the seeds into those, cover them over lightly, and anticipate germination within two weeks.
The point of sowing into straight drills is to distinguish between the cultivated seedlings and weeds following germination. Leave enough space between the rows to hoe out the latter. As the plants develop and mingle the regimented effect vanishes. Any taller specimens within your choice may need twiggy supports which are best put in place early, encouraging resultant growth to hide them from view.
Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is the first plant that springs to mind whenever hardy annuals are mentioned. Related to delphinium, it has the same upright growth habit, one to three feet tall depending on the variety, and the flowers can be red, white, pink, blue or purple. It has a reputation for being drought- tolerant and deer resistant which, given the recent roe family visit to our garden, is good news.