10 easy-to-sow annual flowers

Annual poppies

• Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

Californian poppy offers simple, crumpled, or double to semi-double flowering, in vivid colours that renew abundantly from June to September. It also has finely divided, highly ornamental foliage. While the best-known form bears bright orange flowers, there are now pink, multicoloured and peach varieties. It readily reseeds itself in light soil and copes with the most inhospitable situations (gravel, rockeries full of stones, dry banks). Sow Eschscholzia californica seeds directly in situ from March to May or in September. Choose a very sunny spot and sow in poor, perfectly drained, sandy or stony soil.

Equally at home in flowering meadows as in natural flower beds of a cottage garden or in more sophisticated schemes, in rockeries or in pots on the terrace. Its melliferous and nectariferous flowering attracts insects throughout summer.

• Flanders poppy

Papaver Rhoeas or Flanders poppy blooms in summer, from May to August depending on climate, with crumpled, very simple, bright corollas. Undemanding, this wild annual reseeds itself spontaneously wherever it pleases. Sowing is foolproof. Sow poppy seeds directly outdoors in their final position in spring or in early autumn. While the red poppy is the best-known, there are now varieties with more delicate shades such as Papaver rhoeas ‘Parelmoer’. At home in wild gardens, cottage gardens and gardens with no gardeners, it grows in sun on any soil, even poor.

Californian poppies and Flanders poppies

Discover everything you need to know about poppies and annual poppies !

Nasturtium

Nasturtium has it all! It is very easy to sow, grows quickly, flowers from June until first frosts. With its trumpet-shaped flowers in vivid reds, oranges and yellows and its pretty round leaves, it always brings plenty of cheer to garden, balcony or terrace. It grows in sun, content with all soils, even poor ones. Nasturtium seeds can be sown under cover from February (or in September) in bucket or seed tray, or sown directly in garden from March to May.

Very floriferous and with rapid growth, nasturtium is an excellent choice as a climbing plant as well as a groundcover. It is perfect for quickly dressing a trellis, a fence, an arbour or simply for edging a border. It can also be grown in a pot, planter or hanging basket. With its edible flowers, nasturtium also finds a place in vegetable garden where it will attract aphids away from your vegetables!

Nasturtium

→ Feel free to consult our factsheet on nasturtiums and our tutorial How to sow nasturtiums?

Morning glory

Ipomoea or morning glory is a climbing liana with large heart-shaped leaves, producing throughout summer trumpet-shaped flowers from white and azure-blue to red. It grows extremely fast, flowering in no time over a trellis, an unsightly wall, a dead tree, a window box or any support made available to it. It allows rapid greening of terraces and balconies without taking up ground space: perfect for city gardens. You can pair it with other ephemeral climbers such as sweet peas or climbing nasturtiums.

Ipomoea seeds are sown in March under cover or directly outdoors from late April to June in sun in any good, well-drained garden soil for best results.

Ipomoea

→ Discover our care sheet to learn all about Ipomoeas.

Pot Marigold

Marigold or Calendula officinalis is a pretty annual ornamental plant. Well known for its edible flowers, it also offers generous, continuous flowering from May until first frosts. It is one of the easiest annual flowers to grow. Calendula seeds are sown directly outdoors from March through June. It thrives in any light, well-drained soil in full sun. Originally orange-yellow, Calendula flowers now come in a range of shades, from lemon to cream-white (Calendula officinalis ‘Snow Princess’).

Marigold is inseparable from cottage gardens, country gardens and colourful mixed borders in which it self-seeds freely. Dwarf varieties are perfect for window boxes and pots on a terrace or balcony. Edible, it also has its place in an organic vegetable garden where it attracts aphids while repelling unwanted insects.

marigolds

→ To learn more about this essential plant, see our factsheet: Marigold or Calendula.

Love-in-a-mist

Nigella is a very pretty annual plant that produces delicate flowers on extremely fine, airy foliage. Sow directly outdoors in spring or late summer. It self-seeds very easily in the garden. Undemanding, content with little and requiring almost no maintenance, Nigella thrives in well-drained, light soil, even poor. It is perfect for filling unfavourable areas of the garden where soil is poor, dry or rocky. You can create attractive flowering containers for spring by sowing seeds in an unheated greenhouse or in a conservatory in late summer and autumn. It can be sown in rockeries or sunny borders, in naturalistic gardens and even in pots. You can sow it alongside other annual plants such as poppies and cosmos to create a meadow-style border.

Nigella

→ Discover our factsheet to learn everything about Nigella damascena.

Cosmos

Le Cosmos fait incontestablement partie des annuelles les plus faciles à réussir ! Il apporte couleur et bonne humeur au jardin pendant toute la belle saison avec un minimum d’entretien. Il possède une floraison infatigable de juin aux premières gelées. Semez les graines de Cosmos en mai après les dernières gelées dans une terre ordinaire de jardin bien drainée. Elles fleuriront même en sol sec et s’y ressèmeront facilement.

Durant 6 mois, le cosmos exhibe de grandes fleurs candides simples ou doubles de toutes nuances depuis le blanc jusqu’au lie-de-vin, portées par un feuillage vaporeux et élégant. Il se glisse partout dans les massifs d’été, pour fleurir le potager, les rocailles sèches, les bordures et même les jardinières ou pots sur la terrasse ou le balcon. C’est le compagnon des jardins faciles demandant peu de soins. Il convient aux petits jardins comme aux grandes prairies fleuries. Il fera de jolies fleurs coupées.

Cosmos

→ Lisez notre fiche pour (re)découvrir cette incontournable des jardins : Cosmos, semis et plantation.

Sweet pea

Sweet Pea is a delightful climbing annual, perfect for quickly covering ground or growing vertically. Its somewhat old-fashioned flowering brings a lot of charm to the support it climbs in a single season. A boon for quickly dressing an unsightly fence or creating a green screen on a balcony to gain privacy. It is equally charming in summer borders, in hanging baskets or even in vegetable garden for its flowers for cutting. It produces single-colour or bicoloured flowers, offered in an endless range of shades, sometimes soft and pastel, sometimes brilliant. Some varieties are very fragrant.

Direct sowing in place is child’s play: sow directly in ground from March–April in fertile, well-exposed soil. The secret: soak seeds in water overnight before sowing.

Sweet Pea

→ Feel free to consult our articles : Everything about Sweet Pea and How to succeed in sowing sweet peas (tutorial)

Sunflower

Helianthus annuus, sunflower or “garden sun”, is an annual plant ultra easy to sow and endowed with spectacular growth. In one season it can reach up to 4 m tall and display enormous heads more than 40 cm in diameter. It flowers from July to October, in striking sun-yellow colours, but also orange, brown or red. Sow it and impress neighbours! This sunflower transforms a bed, a border or even a terrace, planted in a large pot, within a few weeks.

Annual sunflower seeds are sown outdoors from late April to mid-June, or from March to May under cover. To germinate well, it needs rather fertile, well-drained soil that remains fairly cool in summer. Allow 3 months between sowing and start of flowering.

Sunflower

→ Find all our tips on sowing, planting and care of sunflower!

Annual mallow

With silky flowers similar to those of Hibiscus, most often pink and mauve, annual Lavatera (Lavatera trimestris and its cultivars ‘Loveliness’, ‘Ruby Regis’) quickly forms charming flowering shrubs. With an exceptionally long flowering period from July to October, it will bring colour and romance to beds of perennials or annuals, mixed borders, informal hedges and to containers on a terrace or balcony. Sow directly in place from May to June when soil is well warmed. A single packet of Lavatera seeds will flower several beds. It prefers sunny positions and light, well-drained soil.

Perfect in annual beds with nigellas, cosmos or in pots, mixed with sweet peas.

Lavatera

→ For guidance on growing Lavateras, consult our fact sheet.

French marigold or Tagetes

French marigold or Tagetes is the star annual plant in summer flower beds and around vegetable plots. It bears flower heads from spring to autumn in warm, vivid shades of yellow and orange. There is no easier flower to grow! Foolproof, very floriferous with rapid growth, it is the ideal annual flower for beginner gardeners!

Weather-resistant, tolerant of heat, it grows in sun in ordinary soil, even poor and dry, well drained. In May, sow it directly outdoors in warmed soil.

It quickly creates a cheerful, colourful display in beds, borders and summer containers. It will brighten every corner with small touches alongside California poppies or nasturtiums.

With its edible flowers and distinctive scent, it also fits well in the vegetable plot where it is reputed for its repellent effect against nematodes.

French marigold

→ Discover everything you need to know about French marigolds.