10 easy-to-sow annual flowers

Annual poppies

• Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

Californian poppy offers single, ruffled or semi-double to double blooms in vivid colours, renewing 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 or peach varieties. It readily self-seeds in light soil and copes with the most inhospitable situations (gravel, stony rockeries, 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, free-draining, sandy or stony soil.

It is equally at ease in wildflower meadows as in natural borders of a vicar’s garden or in more sophisticated borders, 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 its simple, crumpled, striking corollas. Undemanding, this wild annual self-seeds spontaneously wherever it pleases. Sowing is foolproof. Sow poppy seeds directly outdoors in place, in spring or in early autumn. If the best-known form is the red poppy, there are now varieties in more delicate shades such as Papaver rhoeas ‘Parelmoer’. Comfortable in wild gardens, vicar’s gardens and gardens without gardeners, it grows in sun in almost 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! Very easy to sow, grows quickly, flowers from June until first frosts. With trumpet-shaped flowers in bold reds, oranges and yellows and pretty round leaves, it always brings cheer to garden, balcony or patio. Thrives in sun, tolerates all soils, even poor ones. Nasturtium seeds can be sown under cover from February (or in September) in pots or seed trays, or sown directly outdoors from March to May.

Very floriferous and fast-growing, nasturtium is an excellent choice both as a climber and as a groundcover. Perfect for dressing a trellis, fence, pergola or simply edging a border in no time. Can also be grown in pots, planters or hanging baskets. With its edible flowers, nasturtium also has a place in the vegetable garden, where it will attract aphids away from your vegetables!

Nasturtium

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

Morning glory

Morning glory or volubilis is a climbing vine with large heart-shaped leaves, offering trumpet-shaped flowers all summer long in white or azure blue through to red. It grows rapidly, flowering in no time over a trellis, an unsightly wall, a dead tree, a planter or any support provided. It allows quick greening of terraces and balconies without taking up ground space: perfect for city gardens. You can pair it with other short-lived 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 to perform at their best.

Ipomoea

→ Discover our advice sheet to learn all about ipomoeas.

Pot marigold

Marigold or Calendula officinalis is a pretty, highly ornamental annual. 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 in the ground from March through June. It thrives in any light, well‑drained soil, in full sun. Originally orange‑yellow, calendula flowers are now available in a range of shades, from lemon to cream‑white (Calendula officinalis ‘Snow Princess’).

Marigold is inseparable from vicar’s gardens, country gardens and colourful mixed borders in which it self‑seeds readily. 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 deterring unwanted insects.

marigolds

→ To find out more about this must‑have plant, see our information sheet: Marigold or Calendula.

Love-in-a-mist

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

Nigella

→ Discover our fact sheet to learn everything about Nigella damascena.

Cosmos

Cosmos is undoubtedly one of the easiest annuals to grow! It brings colour and cheer to the garden throughout the season with minimal upkeep. It flowers tirelessly from June until first frosts. Sow Cosmos seeds in May after last frosts in ordinary, well-drained garden soil. They will flower even in dry soil and will self-seed easily.

For six months, Cosmos displays large, pristine single or double flowers in shades from white to wine-red, borne on delicate, airy foliage. It fits everywhere in summer beds, brings blooms to vegetable gardens, dry rockeries, borders and even to window boxes or pots on the terrace or balcony. It is perfect for easy-care gardens that need little attention. It suits small gardens as well as large wildflower meadows. It produces pretty cut flowers.

Cosmos

→ Read our fact sheet to (re)discover this garden essential: Cosmos, sowing and planting.

Sweet pea

Sweet pea is an adorable climbing annual, perfect for quickly flowering large areas, at ground level or vertically. Its slightly old-fashioned flowering brings a great deal of charm to the support it climbs over in a single season. A boon for quickly covering an unsightly fence or creating a living screen on a balcony to provide privacy. It is equally charming in summer borders, in hanging baskets or even in the vegetable garden for its cut flowers. It produces single-colour or bicoloured blooms in an endless range of shades, sometimes soft and pastel, sometimes bright. Some varieties are highly fragrant.

Sowing directly in place is child’s play: sow directly outdoors 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: All about sweet pea and How to succeed in sowing sweet peas (tutorial)

Sunflower

The Helianthus annuus, Sunflower or “Garden Sun” is an annual plant extremely easy to sow and with spectacular growth. In a single season it can reach up to 4 m in height and produce huge heads over 40 cm in diameter. It flowers from July to October in striking sunny-yellow shades, but also orange, brown or red. Sow it and impress your neighbours! This sunflower transforms a flower bed, a border or even a patio in a few weeks when planted in a large pot.

Annual sunflower seeds are sown in open ground from late April to mid‑June, or from March to May under cover. For good germination, it needs fairly fertile, well‑drained soil that stays cool and moist in summer. Allow about 3 months between sowing and first flowers.

Sunflower

→ Find all our tips on sowing, planting and care for sunflowers !

Annual lavatera

With its silky flowers similar to those of Hibiscus, most often pink and mauve, the Lavatera annual (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 borders of perennials or annuals, mixed borders, informal hedges as well as containers on a terrace or balcony. Sow directly in ground from May to June when soil is well warmed. A single packet of Lavatera seeds will provide blooms for several borders. It favours sunny positions, light, well-drained soils.

It will be perfect in annual borders with nigella, cosmos or in pots, mixed with sweet peas.

Lavatera

→ For successful cultivation of Lavateras, consult our fact sheet.

French marigold or Tagetes

French marigold or tagetes is the star annual for summer beds and around the vegetable plot. It blooms in heads from spring to autumn in warm, bright yellow or orange colours. There is no easier flower to grow! Foolproof, very floriferous and fast-growing, it is the ideal annual flower for beginner gardeners!

Resistant to inclement weather and tolerant of heat, it thrives in sun in ordinary soil, even poor, dry and well drained. In May, sow directly in situ 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 has a place in the vegetable plot where it is known for repelling nematodes.

French marigold

→ Discover everything you need to know about French marigolds.