Try the growing number of perennials that you can sow from seed now for flowers in summer
'Sow seeds in early February. All varieties prefer a sunny site and well-drained soil to establish well in the first year.'
If you want to get cracking with perennials this year, but would prefer to grow from seed, there are growing numbers of seed varieties that will begin to flower in summer, if you sow them in February. They're available from mail-order seed companies (see below) or you might find them in garden centres.
If you start from scratch using any number of these, you could be admiring swathes of yellow coreopsis daisies, and spikes of red hot pokers in shades of red and orange, amid swaying stems of Verbena bonariensis by midsummer.
Not all perennials can be grown in this way, but it is worth looking out for perennials highlighted as first-year flowering in seed catalogues.
First-year flowering perennials to try
Choose from this selection of first-year flowering perennials, or consult the seed catalogues for further options. Sow seeds as soon as possible (early February of the same year). All varieties prefer a sunny site and well-drained soil to establish well in the first year.
*To see a photograph of individual plants, click on the supplier link below for each.
Achillea
These perennials with flat heads of brightly coloured daisy-type flowers are easy to grow if given good drainage.
Achillea 'Cassis' has deep-cherry-red flowers and makes a good cut flower.
Supplier:
Mr Fothergill's.
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| Coreopsis flowers all summer
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Coreopsis
These fairly short, bushy plants suit the front of the border, where they produce plenty of flowers over a long period. Flowers are often yellow, occasionally bi-coloured or red. Good choices are:
Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise' – an orange double.
Supplier: Thompson & Morgan.
Coreopsis 'Rising Sun' – a bi-coloured flower of yellow with mahogany.
Supplier: Mr Fothergill's.
Coreopsis 'American Dream' – a pink form.
Supplier: Thompson & Morgan.
Delphinium
Delphinium Magic Fountains Series has spikes in shades of white through to lilac on compact plants that will suit small gardens or exposed sites.
Supplier:
Nicky's Nursery.
Delphinium grandiflorum 'Summer Nights' has midnight-blue flowers on dwarf plants.
Delphinium grandiflorum 'Summer Blues' is similar, but with pale-blue flowers.
Both supplied by:
Thompson & Morgan.
Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea and some cultivars can be raised from seed sown in early spring.
Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' has pure-white, down-swept petals around a central cone and is honey-scented.
Supplier:
Crocus.
Echinacea 'Magnus,' a purple variety with stiff rays, will also succeed from early sowings.
Supplier:
Crocus.
Kniphofia
The red hot poker
Kniphofia 'Flamenco' gives a mix of red, orange and yellows on sturdy plants.
Supplier:
Suttons Seeds.
Kniphofia hirsuta 'Traffic Lights' has red, amber and green flower spikes.
Supplier:
Thompson & Morgan.
Lobelia
Lobelia Compliment Series has dark-green foliage and upright stems, topped with flower spikes in rich reds through to pastel pinks.
Supplier:
Victoriana Nursery Gardens.
Papaver orientale
The semi-dwarf
Papaver orientale 'Pizzicato' produces flowers ranging from red through orange, pink and white, but always with a black blotch at the petal base.
Supplier:
Chiltern Seeds.
Papaver 'Checkers' has pure-white, silky flowers with a central black cross.
Supplier:
Nicky's Nursery.
Starting with seed
For good results, sow the seed in early February to give time for the new plants to mature sufficiently to flower later in the summer. The seeds will need gentle heat to germinate well, so try using a propagator in a heated greenhouse or on a windowsill. Once big enough to handle, they can be pricked out into individual pots. If a seed comes as a mixture, remember to select seedlings in a range of sizes to gain a representative sample of the mix. The young plants will still need to be grown on under cover in good light before they are hardened off and planted out in late spring. Protect the young plants from slugs and snails by your usual methods.
As the plants are ready they can be planted out in the garden in groups allowing space for them to mature, with the tallest at the back and the shortest at the front.
Alternatively, the new plants can be arranged in a more informal way, on a bare patch of soil to create a near-instant summer border, but with the advantage that the plants will go on to flower year after year.
Plug plants
If you don't want to start off seed so early yourself, or you don't have the facilities, you may like to order plug plants of young perennials form suppliers instead. These can usually be ordered for delivery
at the end of March. The choice won't be as great, but they are less fiddly than growing from seed. The plugs can be potted up and grown on before planting out when they are large enough.
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