I intend to start some larkspur, nigellas, and ammi as soon as I get my new garden ready and the beds laid out. THAt will probably be after I get my bulbs in, but the weather is still mild here. Thanks for the reminder to see what seeds I have on hand to sew!

I let my larkspur self sow and my cerinthe and ammi have fall sowed themselves. I will have to thin them in the spring, but hopefully I'll have a nice patch of each!

Patty

Pollie, I don't think sunflowers are going to do well when sown in autumn. They won't germinate unless it's pretty warm. Even if you germinate them indoors, they won't grow much in cool, wet weather. You might be better off waiting for spring with sunflowers.

Jeanne

It has poured with rain all morning, but now the skies have cleared and it is the most gorgeous sunny day here in Liverpool.

I have taken advantage of the good weather to do my autumn sowing. In the end I planted:

Calendula Greenheart's orange

Calendual Pacific Beauty

Cerinthe major purpurescens

Chrysanthemum Eastern Star

Cornflower Aloha (american cornflower)

Cornflower giant double mixed

Scabious drumstick

Scabious Fire King

Scabious Giant Hybrids

Bearing in mind Jeanne's comments above, I planted only a few of each of the following:

Sunflower Indian Blanket

Sunflower Sunburst Panache

Sunflower Teddy Bear

Sunflower Sunshine Giant

I plant to sow some nigella 'Miss Jeykell', some briza maxima (greater quaking grass) and some calendula 'fire king' when I have some free modules! What with pricking out 250+ primula seedlings, I am pretty short of them at the moment!

Hope autumn sowings are going well for all gardenwebbers!

Pollie.

Sorry to share the intimate details of my reproductive health on the forum, but I'm germinating in a big way!

As you can see from the post above, I sowed my seeds last Sunday. I have looked at my modules (which are outside on my roof terrace) and nearly all of my cornflowers have germinated. The chrysanthemums and sunflowers are also showing signs of life.

I'm so excited! All those little baby plants...

Pollie.

Pollie - I know that I'm a bit further north but the only things that I deliberately sow outside are larkspurs and molucella, poppies and daucus dara, the rest get sown in the unheated tunnel (cornflower, scabious, ammi majus, cerinthe, sweetpeas). Some things will self sow - calendula, cerinthe, cornflowers but they really only survive well in the gravel paths, suggesting that wet and not cold is the problem. I would agree with Jean - sunflowers are unlikely to make it. We have had such a mild autumn that there are a whole load of wierd self seeders popping up in my beds - masses of cosmos purity for example - but they will not survive the first frost.
I'd give the scabious some protection,
Best wishes
Jane

Dear Jane,

Thanks for your advice.

I have sown the seeds in modules and have put them in a very sheltered spot against a wall on some paving (I don't have a greenhouse). I hope that this will help them make it through the winter. I've still got plenty of seed of all of these incase they don't survive.

Thanks again,

Pollie.