My top ten flowers to grow from seed

Okay so if you’re looking for the easiest flowers to grow from seed, then these are my faves!

1. Cosmos
I swear I say a different flower is my ‘absolute fave’ every week, but honestly the cosmos has my heart. The seeds are big enough to handle, they germinate quickly and will flower all summer long - often way into the autumn too. I still had flowers in November!
Pollinators love them and they’re relatively fuss free, so don’t require a lot of attention. Plus there are so many different gorgeous varieties to choose from! You’re bound to find one you love.

I’m sowing these varieties this year:
🌸Cosmos Double Click Cranberries
🌸Cosmos Apricot
🌸Cosmos Double Click Snow Puff
🌸Cosmos Double Click Rose Bon
🌸Cosmos Double click Bicolour rose
🌸Cosmos Psych White

A little cosmos baby being potted on

Pictured - Cosmos psyche white

2. Zinnia
Another fave, with big seeds that are easy to handle. Zinnia also flower all summer long and come in a bunch of different varieties. They make gorgeous cut flowers and last forever in a vase.

This year I’ve got loads of varieties (classic me, over sowing)
Zinnia ‘All the queens’
Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose’
Zinnia 'Lilliput Mix'
Zinnia ‘Mazurkia'
Zinnia 'Oklahoma Pink'
Zinnia 'Super Yoga Carmine'
Zinnia 'Super Cactus Señorita'.

Pictured: Zinnia

3. Sweet peas
Sweet peas are an annual climber with the most beautiful scent. And the more you cut them, the more flowers you get! Who doesn’t want that? You can start sweet peas off in the autumn or sow them from January - April for flowers the same year. And they come in pretty much every colour you could think of! I love cutting stems to bring in the house in the summer - as they fill the room with such a gorgeous scent!

This year I’m sowing:
Sweet Pea ‘Wills & Kate’
Sweet Pea ‘Alan Titchmarsh’
Sweet Pea 'Sandi Jones'
Sweet Pea 'Gwendoline'

Pictured: Sweetpeas

4. Cornflower
I think cornflowers are technically a wildflower, but they are absolutely beautiful. You can sow them in the autumn for stronger plants the following year or sow them in early spring. You can direct sow them too - they’re not fussy - they’ll grow pretty much anywhere. They look beautiful in a vase and are a pollinator fave in the garden.

5. Strawflowers
Now these are such showstoppers, I’ve never really seen anything like it - their paper like petals mean they’re perfect for drying and will last for ages when cut! I’ve got lots of new varieties to grow this year! So I will report back.

This year I’m sowing:
Strawflower 'Snow White'
Strawflower 'Silvery Rose’
Strawflower 'Raspberry Rose'
Strawflower 'Apricot Mix’
Strawflower 'Blackberry Wine'

6. Morning Glory
Another annual climber which flowers in the morning (hence the name). They grow super fast and have the most beautiful midnight blue flowers.

Pictured: Morning glory

7. Foxgloves
A cottage garden favourite - easy to grow in autumn, for planting out in the spring! Be mindful though, as foxgloves can be toxic to pets and people so just be mindful when planting and keep little ones away!

Pictured: Foxglove

8. Amaranthus
I honestly can’t believe this is a flower, it’s so weird. I grew it on a whim last year and loved it - so will absolutely be growing it again.
This year I’m sowing Amaranthus 'Velvet Curtains'.

9. Nasturtium
No garden is complete without nasturtiums, tumbling out of the edges of pots or climbing up trellis. These are the easiest plants to grow and can even be sown direct in late spring. The seeds are huge - so a good one to grow with little ones.
Look at this pic below, this was a nasturtium I grew last year which had the biggest leaves I’ve ever seen (this pic was taken before the flowers, but I promise they’re gorgeous)

Pictured: Nasturtiums (before flowering)

10. Snapdragons!
Okay so I’ve had my struggles with growing these - but i think I’ve mastered them and they’re totally worth the hassle. Snapdragon seeds are tiny - so for me, who is not very good with delicate things, they’re best started off in a seed tray - then pricked out and put into individuals cells/pots when they’re big enough to handle. But they are absolutely beautiful and make for gorgeous cut flowers. Again, they flower for ages.

This year I’m sowing:
Snapdragon ‘Strawberry Cream'
Snapdragon 'Admiral White'
Snapdragon 'Appleblossom'
Snapdragon 'Costa Apricot' '
Snapdragon 'Rust Resistant Giant' Mixed