Cottage garden flowers never go out of style and are easy to grow, with a simple charm. Once upon a time, gardeners would have sown whatever they could get their hands on in small plots of land. These days, we can recreate that look whether we tend a new-build plot, balcony pots or have large country borders. Annual flowers, which grow and die in the space of one year, are the staple of the cottage garden. If you sow the seeds between now and the end of March, you will have a profusion of colourful flowers by late spring and summer.
You still need to wait a few weeks to sow hardy annuals outside, but if, like me, you are itching to get going, you can start them off in pots or seed trays on a windowsill or in a greenhouse, then plant them out in the spring when the risk of frost has passed. No cottage garden is complete without sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), in shades ranging from creamy white to pastel pink to deep blue. Fill small pots with peat-free compost, then pop three seeds into each. It helps to soak the seeds overnight on a sheet of damp kitchen roll before planting, to soften the hard casing. They need to be at 20-25C (68F-77F) to germinate, so place them somewhere warm and sunny.
Once they have put on two pairs of leaves, pinch out the top to encourage bushier growth. Plant out with supports for them to climb up in spring and remember to pick blooms regularly when they start flowering. Seeds of summer: Introduce a rainbow of colours to your outdoor palette. POTS OF GOLD. Calendula or pot marigolds are another hardy garden favourite. I always have a few self-sown flowers in my garden, but I add new ones each year. ‘Art Shades’ is a lovely variety, with colours ranging from pale primrose to deep orange.
Scatter onto a tray of peatfree compost, sieve another layer of soil on top, then water and keep warm until the seedlings come up. Cosmos is half-hardy, so needs to be started off indoors and planted out a bit later than fully hardy annuals. It is a wonderful ‘doer’, often remaining in bloom long after everything else. I like to start the seedlings early, so they are a good size when the weather is warmer.
Snapdragons are the flowers some might remember their granny growing. Like cosmos, they are half-hardy, but will perform for months if you start them off inside. Sow seeds into damp, free-draining compost and keep in a warm place until the seedlings are big enough to handle. Plant out in late spring. BLOOMING LOVELY. Larkspur ladybird poppies, cornflower and love-in-a-mist can all be started under cover now or sown directly into the ground in late March or April. Nasturtiums are perfect for tumbling down walls.
