Nine easy flowers to grow from seed

How to sow your seeds outside

Watch our guide to sowing flower seeds direct outside into a patch of bare ground. In this video No Fuss Guide, David Hurrion shows you how to sow a variety of hardy annuals, the result is a patchwork of colourful flowers that will bloom for months.

For a splash of vivid colour in borders or in pots, you can’t beat California poppies (Eschscholzia californica). They’re super easy to grow, flower for months, and readily self-seed, so you get more flowers next year. They’re also loved by bees and other pollinators.
Sow direct outside where you want them to grow in March-May, for flowers June-August.

• How to sow California poppies
• Buy California poppy seeds from Chiltern Seeds

Easy to grow, with bright orange, red or yellow flowers. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) are vigorous and can be grown as a climber or allowed to scramble through beds. They’re also a magnet for bees and are great for growing amongst your veg – they’ll lure white butterflies away from cabbages and aphids away from beans. You can also eat the flowers and leaves and pickle the seeds! Sow direct outside March-June, for flowers June-September.

• Three nasturtiums to try
• Buy Nasturtium seeds from Thompson and Morgan

Perfect for picking and putting in a vase, fragrant sweet peas are easy to grow and come in a range of beautiful colours. You can grow them in pots or in the ground, training them up a trellis or a wigwam. Plant sweet peas near a seating area so you can smell them as you sit and relax. Sow your sweet peas in pots or empty loo rolls March-May, and plant them out in May-June, for flowers June-October.

• How to grow sweet peas
• 10 sweet peas to grow
• Best sweet peas for scent
• Buy sweet pea seeds from Kings Seeds

Also known as Nigella, this cottage garden favourite is perfect for scattering wherever there’s a gap in your flowerbed. Love-in-a-mist has masses of delicate flowers in blue or white, and attractive ferny leaves. It’s great for pollinating insects and the flowers, foliage and dried seedheads look lovely in flower arrangements. Sow seeds direct outside March-April for flowers July-September.

• Buy love-in-a-mist seeds from Victoriana Nursery

This pretty little flower is often found in meadows, but it’s equally at home in our gardens. The original (Centaurea cyanus) has blue flowers, but you can also find varieties with white, pink or even red flowers. The flowers are a great source of food for bees and other pollinators. Deadhead regularly and you’ll have flowers all summer long, but leave them to go to seed towards autumn, and they’ll provide food for birds.

• How to grow cornflowers
• Buy cornflower seeds from Amazon

These big, bright flowers are easy to grow from seed and are ideal for growing with children. They can grow to heights of up to two metres, bear impressive, long-lasting flowers, and look fantastic in gardens and allotments.

Sow seeds in small pots March-May and plant out in the garden May-June. Protect the seedlings from slugs and snails and look forward to statuesque blooms June-September.

• How to grow sunflowers
• Monty Don’s giant sunflower trial part one
• Monty Don’s giant sunflower trial part two
• Monty Don’s giant sunflower trial part three
• Monty Don’s giant sunflower trial part four
• Buy sunflower seeds from Amazon

Cosmos are easy to grow from seed. The showy flowers in pink, white, burgundy or even orange, are great for pollinators – tall varieties add a dramatic burst of colour to borders and shorter varieties look glorious in large pots. You’ll need to act fast to give them as long a growing season as possible, so sow seeds in small pots as soon as you can. Then, when all risk of frost has past, gradually acclimatise them to outdoors before planting them out in May-June, and look forward to flowers July-October.

• How to sow cosmos seeds
• 10 colourful cosmos to grow
• Buy cosmos seeds from Sarah Raven

Pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis) add a splash of sunshine to pots and borders. The flowers range from yellow to orange, and are loved by bees and other pollinating insects. They make great cut flowers and you can sprinkle the petals into salads. It also self-seeds, so you get more flowers next year. Sow direct outside April-May for flowers July-October.

• Buy marigold seeds from Mr Fothergill's

Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) is easy to raise from seed and grows quickly, making it perfect for growing up obelisks, through shrubs and trees, and filling gaps on fences. The flowers attract bees and other pollinators – they open wide in the early morning sun but are short-lived and will not last into the afternoon. Sow direct outside April-May for flowers July-August.

• Buy morning glory seeds from Amazon

More flowers to grow from seed

• Half hardy annuals to grow from seed
• 10 cut flowers to grow from seed
• How to sow seeds direct into pots
• 9 tips for seed sowing success
• Best plants for bees