Flowers in the border grown from seed

Using Flowers Grown From Seed in Your Garden

Flowers in the Border Grown From Seed

Plants you've grown from seed are really useful for plugging gaps in borders, and helping to bring a variety of shapes and forms to your planting schemes. It's time for me to share some of my favourite flowers for using in borders, and how I grow these from seed.

The Importance of Form and Colour

In a border, it's good to have a variety of flower shapes and plant forms to give interest.

• In my border, I have structure from shrubs such as box and Hydrangea 'Annabelle', as well as ornamental grasses.
• Then I have herbaceous plants like phlox and asters, and finally, I fill in around these with my flowers from seed.

Shape and form comes first, but the general colour scheme is important too.

• I wanted calm colours with tasteful elegance, but I like adding in annuals with a pop of colour that gives it a lift and draws in the eye from a distance, e.g. from cosmos 'Dazzler'.

As well as cosmos, two of my other favourite plants from seed for adding into borders are Ammi and Verbascum chaixii 'Album'.

Ammi majus

Ammi majus is fantastic for slotting into the border, for cutting, and for attracting wildlife. It has lovely lacy, airy flowers which break up the border and give it a softness, dotted between the clumpy perennials. It self-seeds, so I don't need to grow from seed any more.

Ammi are hardy annuals so you can overwinter them. Sowing in autumn gives them a head start.

• Autumn-sown plants are tough. You can plant them out in autumn or keep in pots outside and plant out in spring.
• Give protection if you've only just sown them and are expecting very cold weather.
• You can plant out in early March. They grow slowly until the weather warms up and then put on lots of growth.

Verbascum chaixii 'Album'

I grew this perennial from seed 3-4 years ago. It comes back every year and also self-seeds, so it pops up in different places in the border every year, which I love. I love its spire shape, which contributes to that variety of flower form.

Sowing perennials such as this Verbascum from seed, and then allowing them to sow themselves around, saves loads of money.

Adding Support to Taller Plants

Tall plants such as Ammi that are towards the front of the border may start to flop and need support. I just use a cane to tie in the lower part of the stem with some string.

Growing Plants With Varying Forms From Seed

You can get such a variety of different shapes and flowers from seed.

• Knautia macedonica has buttony flowers that create a transparent veil through which you can see other plants at the back.
• Scabiosa columbaria subsp. ochroleuca is a creamy white scabious that's related but a much smaller plant that's great for the front of a border, also very easy to grow from seed.
• Stipa gigantea, a big, airy grass can be grown from seed but just takes more patience as it takes a few years to build up big plants.

When planning what you want to grow – looking at catalogues and visiting gardens – think about the different shapes and forms you want in your garden. The sky is the limit, so enjoy that process of choosing.

Dahlias From Seed

Dahlias are really easy and satisfying to grow from seed and grow really quickly. Sow in late-ish spring, pot on and grow very quickly, plant out after last frosts (here late May or early June).

• You might need to pot them on a few times before planting out to make sure they're in peak health when planting out.

I grow:

1. Dahlia australis – this species dahlia is really easy to grow from seed. I first sowed it several years ago, and it's come back every year and the tubers are still growing
2. Dahlia merckii – this year I also grew this species, which has similar flowers, to compare them

• The species dahlias are quite delicate single flowers, not like the louder hybrid dahlias we grow that are more of a statement
• This means they have a really nice role in a border to give that airy look

1. Bishop's Children (mixed) – a hybrid dahlia mix that I've filled my pots with.

Dahlias Care

Dahlias can be treated like half-hardy annuals but can also be overwintered. I don't mulch my border-planted species dahlias or give them any other protection in winter.

Dahlias are quite thirsty plants, especially while they're producing tubers. Once established, these help to store water and nutrients, but watering while they establish is important.

They're cut and come again, so keep cutting or deadheading to keep them producing flowers, hopefully until the first frosts.

• More info here: How to grow dahlias – RHS

Plant Directory

Ammi majus

False bishop's weed

Hardy annual

Apiaceae

Aster species and cultivars

Michaelmas daisies

Hardy perennials, occasionally annuals or subshrubs

Asteraceae

Buxus sempervirens

Common box

Evergreen hardy shrub

Buxaceae

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Dazzler'

Mexican aster 'Dazzler'

Half-hardy annual

Asteraceae

Dahlia australis

Southern dahlia

Tuberous half-hardy perennial

Asteraceae

Dahlia BISHOP'S CHILDREN (mixed)

Dahlia BISHOP'S CHILDREN (mixed)

Tender perennial grown as half-hardy annual

Asteraceae

Dahlia merckii

Merck dahlia

Tuberous half-hardy perennial

Asteraceae

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

Hydrangea 'Annabelle'

Deciduous hardy shrub

Hydrangeaceae

Knautia macedonica

Macedonian scabious

Herbaceous hardy perennial

Caprifoliaceae

Scabiosa columbaria subsp. ochroleuca

Pale yellow scabious

Herbaceous hardy perennial

Caprifoliaceae

Stipa gigantea

Golden oats

Evergreen hardy perennial grass

Poaceae

Verbascum chaixii 'Album'

White nettle-leaved mullein

Hardy semi-evergreen perennial

Scrophulariaceae