Autumn & Winter Flowers To Sow
Garden growing doesn’t have to stop once we hit autumn and winter. Despite the weather cooling, soil remains warm, making for great conditions to germinate annual and perennial flower seeds. To enjoy the earliest flowers possible, sowing before spring for some varieties is ideal for strong growth and producing large blooms, so we like to get a head start as soon as we can.
Depending on the variety, you can set the stage for next year’s display by either sowing directly outside or undercover through the autumn and winter months. Spring often poses as a tricky time to get seeds started with unpredictable weather and late frosts. But with seedlings and young plants rooted and ready to go in Winter, they’ll have the best chance of producing vigorous flowers.
Sow Outdoors:
Hardy flower varieties can survive frost so you can either broadcast sow directly on top of the soils surface, or drill into more precise rows ready for growth to start.
Poppies
Poppies like to be sown direct where their roots can settle and build strength without being disturbed.
For poppies next year sow from late August to October. Poppies thrive in most soils. Weed and rake the bed before scattering the seed.
Violas
Violas are hardy flowers that love an autumn start. They will establish during the cooler days before the harsh weather of winter hits.
Direct sow Viola seeds in October to enjoy the earliest spring blooms.
Others to sow outdoors:
Sow Undercover:
Alternatively, seeds that need a little more care can be sown under cover when continuously kept at 18°C until after germination. Once seedlings have been nurtured into small plants, they should be moved to an unheated greenhouse or cold frame for overwintering.
Sweet Peas
Sweet peas grow rapidly, so these seeds can be one of the last to be sown in the year. We prefer to sow them in late Autumn to give them 6 months to develop a strong root system with minimal top growth. During this time, we grow our seedlings in an unheated greenhouse or porch, leaving them to work their magic throughout the winter months, ready to be planted out in spring.
Antirrhinum / Snapdragons
Antirrhinum or Snapdragons don’t mind the chilly weather. You can start seeds undercover in autumn and the seedlings will develop strong stems before being transplanted after the last frost.
You’ll have wonderful blooms from May through to summer.
