Don’t let gaps in your beds go to waste... fill them with colour

and then raking lightly to cover. Larger areas are best divided into smaller portions by marking the ground with a cane. Make a series of half-inch-deep, straight furrows in each, spaced 6-18in apart, depending on variety. Cover, water gently and label. Once seeds germinate, seedlings will need thinning out so they don’t get overcrowded. Start by tugging up a few seedlings when they are about half an inch tall, leaving roughly an inch between plants. Repeat this process several weeks later, this time leaving 6in between the remaining plants.

They’ll grind to a halt in late autumn, stand in the ground all winter and then put on a spurt of growth in spring as temperatures and light levels improve. Water plants well during dry spells and hoick out any weeds to prevent them elbowing out annuals, as well as competing for light, nutrients and moisture.

It’s important to support taller varieties to prevent them flopping under the weight of their own flowers or being flattened by rain. In mid-spring, you can place twigs around the perimeter, angle slightly inwards and weave tops together to make a dome shape, 6in lower than the eventual height of plants.

Hardy annuals are prolific selfseeders and their progeny will pop up all over the place if given the opportunity. In order to keep plants blooming for months and prevent them from becoming a nuisance, dead-head regularly. Once the floral spectacle is over, pull up plants and consign to the compost heap.

It’s possible to sow hardy annuals in spring, but late summer into autumn sowing has a big benefit – plants will have a head start and flower sooner.

However, a canny trick is to sow some seeds now, followed by another batch early in the year, ensuring a long season of interest.