Growing flowers from seed
Flowers from seed is the cheapest way to fill your garden, balcony and home with colour from spring right through autumn. One packet gives dozens of plants, and the choice is far wider than what is sold as ready-grown.
Annual, biennial or perennial?
Type | Character | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Annual | Grows, flowers and dies in one season — sow fresh each year | Sunflower, cosmos, zinnia, nasturtium |
Biennial | Leaves in year one, flowers in year two | Foxglove, sweet william |
Perennial | Returns for years from a single sowing | Lupin, rudbeckia, echinacea, delphinium |
Mix them. Annuals give colour now, perennials give structure that lasts.
Sowing
Most annual flowers — sunflower (Helianthus annuus), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) — are sown indoors from March, or direct outdoors after the last frost. Flowers germinate a little cooler than vegetables: 15–20 °C is enough. Germination usually takes 7 to 21 days.
Perennials can be started earlier under cover. Biennials are sown in summer to flower the following year.
Mind the sowing depth. Many flower seeds need light to germinate. Press fine seed onto the surface and barely cover it. Larger seeds can be covered to about twice their own depth.
Easy to begin with
- Sunflower — big, quick and almost impossible to get wrong
- Nasturtium — easy from a direct sowing, and the flowers are edible
- Calendula — flowers for months and self-seeds happily
- Cosmos — airy, long-flowering and excellent for cutting
- Zinnia and cornflower — bright, dependable and good in a bouquet
Where
Give flowers a bright, sheltered spot with free-draining soil and at least six hours of sun.
In pots on a balcony or patio, compact varieties flower all summer. In a border, mix annuals for instant colour with perennials for lasting structure. For bouquets, grow rows of cut flowers in their own patch.
Care
Factor | What to do |
|---|---|
Light | six hours of sun or more for most |
Water | when the surface dries; never soggy |
Deadhead | remove spent blooms regularly |
Feed | lightly in pots |
Deadheading is the single most useful thing you can do: removing faded flowers tells the plant to make more rather than set seed. Stake tall varieties before they flop.
Keeping the colour going
Sow a few more seeds every few weeks so fresh plants keep coming into flower as earlier ones fade. Towards the end of summer, leave some seed heads for the birds and collect seed from your favourites. Many pollinator-friendly flowers self-seed and return on their own.
Common mistakes
- Burying seed too deep. Many flower seeds need light and only a fine covering.
- Overwatering. Soggy compost rots seedlings.
- Too little light. Pale, leggy seedlings are asking for a brighter spot.
- Sowing tender flowers too early. Wait for warmth, or start them indoors.
See Sowing calendar: flowers, herbs and fruit for the month table, and all flower seeds for the range.
The full version of this guide is on seedschoice.com.
Ready to sow? Shop flower seeds
- Flowers you can sow this month
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Updated on: 05/10/2026
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