How to raise cut flowers from seed

Raise cut flowers from seed in small pots or trays during spring, and the plants will be ready to plant out in May. Use them to fill gaps in summer borders or grow larger quantities in rows on the allotment or veg plot. Stagger sowings by a few weeks to give you a regular supply of blooms.

Many of the best summer blooms are easy-to-grow hardy annuals and, with seeds costing less than £2 per packet, you can enjoy a mass of colour even on a tight budget.

Cut flowers that are easy to grow from seed include Ammi, Antirrhinum, cosmos, larkspur, Nigella, scabious, sunflowers and zinnia. For flowers to dry, consider quaking grass, sea lavender, strawflower and Rhodanthe.

You Will Need

• Modular tray
• Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
• Flower seeds
• Vermiculite or fine grit
• Plant labels

Step 1

Fill a pot or seed tray with seed compost, and tamp it down.

Step 2

Sow seed sparingly, following the instructions on the seed packet for sowing depth. Moisten your fingers to help pick up individual seeds.

Step 3

Cover the seeds with vermiculite or horticultural grit, and label the tray.

Step 4

Stand the tray in a shallow dish of water so the compost saturates without disturbing the seed. Allow to drain and then keep the tray on a sunny windowsill or in a heated propagator until germination.