Sow seeds now for a riotous summer bouquet | Alys Fowler

The thought of being able to give posies to those who might need a little cheer has brought about a calmness in meLike everyone else, I have missed peering into other people's lives. I'm so ready to see back gardens again, to peep through the back door at interior worlds. The thought of being able to fill the house with flowers and give away big bouquets and tiny posies to those who might need a little cheer has brought about a calmness in me. And I've got a plan.There are hundreds of seeds you could sow for cut flowers: calendulas, scabiosa, cerinthes, sunflowers, malopes, ammi, sweet peas, cosmos, centaurea - the list goes on. You can sow most of these now, directly into the ground, in large containers, or in modules and seed trays to plant out in April. Go for neat, orderly lines or cast broad drifts over bare ground, but don't scatter over existing beds of plants. It might look as if there is plenty of bare ground, but as perennials bulk out they will cast shade over your emerging seedlings, and most of your efforts will be lost. Continue reading...