May/June Sowing Annuals

Spring sowing is suitable for annuals (plants which are sown, flower and die in one year) that tolerate light frosts. Buying a packet of seed for a few dollars rather than spending hundreds for plants could certainly be your incentive.

Here are some tips on how to start sowing: Have a good idea where you're going to put your plants because it's really important to take into consideration light and soil requirements. Plant in late May or June, as the soil warms up, this will help with germination. Follow the detailed growing information provided on the back of your variety packet for the best time to sow and depth for seed planting, or research on our website under the variety cultural information.

Once plants are growing strongly, attention will be needed to:

Keep down weeds with light hoeing or hand weeding. Water in dry weather, regularly checking to ensure seed bed does not dry out during the early stages of germination and seedling establishment. Once well established, water at 10-14 day intervals during dry spells. Deadhead to prolong flowering. Transplant to fill gaps elsewhere in the garden.

Here is a short list of "tried but true" varieties that fellow gardeners have had excellent success with. They all can be seeded directly in the ground as soon as the danger of frost has past.