So far we have had a pretty wonderful spring up here in Lancashire, its been chilly in the mornings and we are still having some frosts but we have had sunshine, something I feel we have not had much of over winter and even since last summer. So I’m making the most of it and savouring these days. This is definitely my favourite time of year, full of promise of a flower filled summer when everything is still so fresh. That spring green is just gorgeous, I’m not sure whether it feels more vibrant because it comes through from a backdrop of greys and browns but it just bursts with vitality, it can’t help but transmit some of that to you. Its also getting lighter in the mornings which I love, I’m a confirmed morning person and always feel my best first thing. I can just get out of bed now and getting my running gear straight on and go out without waiting for it to get light. That morning light, the sunrises, we have had some beautiful colours in the skies here.
I’m also back in love with my garden again, I have lots of spring flowering perennials in my garden, like Primulas, Pulmonaria, Corydalis and my favourite Pachyphragma macrophylla (a bit of a mouthful I know) a gorgeous white flowered perennial, which is semi-evergreen and seems to be thriving in a very difficult growing spot in my garden next to a conifer hedge. So a few flowers in a little vase is bringing me lots of joy.
Its all go now for seed sowing and there is a lot of juggling going on and moving around. Pricking out of seeds as they germinate and new ones being sown. Now is the time for sowing my favourite half hardy annuals like Cosmos, Sunflowers and Zinnias. the big guns of the cutting patch! The show-stoppers as I talked in my blog about what to grow in your cutting patch. So half-hardy annuals are those that are susceptible to frosts so they need some protection before you plant them out once the risk of frosts have passed. I have a greenhouse that gives them protection. There is no rush though and they can all be sowed in till the end of May, but if you want a head start then now is a good time to sow.
First off Cosmos, you must all know by now how much I love Cosmos and I would recommend it for anyones cutting garden or even just in your borders its such a good doer! I wrote a blog celebrating them here. I grow a few different varieties and just want a few plants of each so just sow a few seeds into a 9cm pot. The great thing about Cosmos is they are one of the speediest annuals to germinate and they grow lovely and quick. Make sure they get plenty of light so that they don’t get leggy. Prick them out into individual 9cm pots once they develop their second true leaves and then plant them out once the rosk of frosts has passed. You can get a bushier plant (which means more flowers for you) if you pinch them out once they get to about 30cm tall, they will have a number of sets of leaves up the plant by then. Pinch off the leading shoot and top set of leaves down to the next set of leaves. You will then get new shoots developing laterally from the top which means more shoots and hence more flowers.
My absolute favourite is of course Cosmos ‘Apricotta’ with its peachy pink tones which I think goes well with lots of other colours. Its also one of the first to come into flower in the cutting patch.
We have the sumptuous Cosmos ‘Double Click Cranberries’, which is a rich dark red with double flowers though actually not so double that you can’t see the central boss of the flower so the bees still love it.
The always perfect Cosmos ‘Purity’, with its clear white flowers.
And the fabulously frilly Cosmos ‘Fizzy Rose’.
And of course Cosmos ‘Sensation’ a joyful mix of pinks and white.
Cosmos are tall and need some space in the cutting patch and definitely some support like some jute netting or just a simple cane. But they will flower their socks off until the first frosts, as long as you keep picking them for flowers or deadheading them. The bees will be happy too, they love Cosmos.
Then I’m also sowing the fabulous sunflowers, such cheery flowers and great to grow with children as the seeds are nice and large and easy to sow. They can be sown direct into the soil once the risk of frosts have passed in May/June. But I start mine off undercover in my unheated greenhouse, this is for two reasons, the first is that you can get a bit of a headstart and secondly you can protect them from slug damage. They are vulnerable to that so I like to get them to a reasonable size before I plant them out, potting them on into bigger pots if necessary. Once planted they will need staking especially the tall ones. 
Here a few that I grew last summer Helianthus ‘Red Sun’ at the front, a gorgeous rich dark red, then Helianthus ‘Ruby Eclipse’, the gorgeous Helianthus ‘Summer Lovin’, pale yellow with a dark red central ring, the dinky Helianthus ‘Valentine’ tucked on the right hand side with its sunny lemon yellow flowers and Helianthus ‘Claret’ at the top. My favourite is Helianthus ‘Valentine’ I love its slightly smaller lemon yellow flowers.
We also have Helianthus ‘Moonwalker’ which is a classic sunflower colour it is tall but once you pick the first stem you will get branching stems for cutting, which keep coming all summer. We have a new variety this year called Helianthus ‘Sonja’ which Gemma selected. Excited about trying it this year, its smaller flowered and a good branching variety. Sometimes sunflowers with the really big flowers can be hard to put in to arrangements as they are too big and the arrangement gets unbalanced, so these small ones will be perfect.
Next on my list to sow are the Zinnias, those vibrant jewels of the cutting patch. Though every year I have a bit of a battle with the slugs with them, and last year was the worst. But fingers crossed for this year and they are worth persevering with as they add such zing to your bouquets.I sow them direct into modules as they don’t like too much disturbance and grow them on, like a did with the Sunflowers, until they are nice big robust plants. Then they will be more able to cope with any ravaging my slugs and snails and they are a favourite of these pesky molluscs so be warned and forearmed with maybe a beer pot for them to be attacted to. Or a good torch and go out in the evening and check over your plants and remove any of the critters. I also have used Strulch mulch on my Zinnia patch as this seems to protect them. Again plant them out after the frosts have passed. The other important thing to note is they need lots of sunshine to flower well so plant them in the sunniest spot in your garden. They will grow and flower but there is a tip for when best to pick them. So when they are looking ready waggle the stems, if they flop about they are not ready, leave a day or so, if they remain rigid stems then they are good to pick. I love Zinnia ‘Mammoth’ which is a mix of colours, pinks, reds, whites.
But my favourite is Zinnia ‘Purple Prince’, lovely big bright purple flowers.
So these are a few of the things that I’m sowing in April but there is lots that can be sown now, still time to sow sweet peas, with this warmth they will romp away. Keep them well watered in this dry spell though, they need lots of moisture. You can sow all the hardy annuals and the half hardy annuals now, I’ve had some success with direct sowing of many of these this month. Just browse the shop and see what brings a smile to your face. Sowing flowers from seed is such a lovely thing to do and now is the best time to do it, the sun is out and the soil is warm and things just want to grow.
Enjoy being out in your gardens and allotments in this sunny springtime.
Higgledy Anne
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