As a flower farmer florist, I've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with sowing seeds directly. Don’t get me wrong, there’s something magical about watching your garden burst to life from the ground up and it a lot less effort too. But, as many gardeners will tell you, sowing direct can feel like you’re playing a game of chance – weeds grow way faster than your flowers, and before you know it, your little seedlings are fighting for their lives. I just don't have the time to weed that carefully around each seedling withour damaging them.

I will also admit to say that I do neglect them. Forgetting I even sowed them, not watering regularly...... does this sound familiar?
So I tend to avoid direct sowing where I can – I’m far more comfortable nurturing seeds in trays before I give them their big garden debut and for the time I put in to pottig on I reap the rewrads for sure.
There are certain seeds though that do just fine when sown directly in the soil or detest being transplated. So if you’re ready to skip the tray and let nature do her thing, here are some of my favorites below:
My Top 5 Best seeds to sow direct
Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) – Easy to grow and a true garden gem. These delicate beauties don’t mind being sown straight into the soil. I sow mine in Autumn and then again inearly sping time, broadcast sowing in drifts for the garden and sowing in lines in the cutting garden
Poppies – Poppies love a direct sow, they detest being transplanted so I broadcast sow from Autumn through to summer in successions for a continuous display in the garden and in rows in the cutting garden
Foxgloves – These tall, striking plants don’t need to be pampered. They do wonderfully when sown directly in well-prepared soil which I use as a seed bed. I sow in rows and thin out as they grow just making more and more rows and giving them space to grow before finally planting then in their final positions by Septmber
Wallflowers – Known for their lovely fragrance, I sow these quite thinly in rows in a seedling bed, similar to teh foxgloves - thinning out to make more rows before finally planting then in their final positions by Septmber
Lepidium – is an absolute must for any cutting patch, it can be used fresh and dried so I do sow an awful lot of it. It can get very leggs and grows very fast to its best sowed direct in rows with peasticks or wide netting for support. I sow in succession, once in Autumn, then starting again in every month from Feb through to mid summer. It can actually be sowed all year round but the growth through the winter will be much slower. so I just concentrate on the quicket growth months.
Other Flowers That Love Sowing Direct
And while these are my personal go-tos, there are plenty of other flowers that thrive when sown straight into the garden. so if you have limited space for seed starting here’s a quick list to get you started:
Cornflowers – Perfect for direct sowing from August through to May. Now August my seem a little early but if you can get then to a decent size before the winter sets in then they will do much better.
Calendula – Is so easy to grow and loves to be direct sowed in both Autumn & Spring time for a good succession
Sweetpeas - Can be direct sowed in autumn as long as you have some sort of cover which can go over the top of them for a little protection from the elements and also to protect then from mice and other critters who will be forgaing at that time of year. They can also be direct sowed in spring but will need frost protection and also beware the slugs ! They LOVE sweetpeas for breakfast, lunch & Dinner !
Sunflowers – Who doesn’t love a sunflower? These sunny beauties can go straight into the soil and grow with minimal fuss once all risk of frost has passed .
Borage – With it's pretty flowers, borage can handle direct sowing with ease all throgh spring for a succession of flowers
Nasturtium - Is easy to grow and will do well from a direct sowing, germinating as the weaher warms bt doesnt need any frost protectio
While I’ll always gravitate toward sowing in trays for most of my flowers, sowing direct can be a wonderful way to get plants growing with minimal fuss if you are lacking space for everyting you want to grow.
The key is knowing which seeds prefer to be pampered and which ones like to dive right into the soil.
Happy sowing, and may your garden bloom beautifully!
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