Annuals as cut flowers, and update on gardening jobs!

Cosmos is lovely for cutting with its feathery leaves. I sowed some dwarf cosmos this week haven't grown them before and I will be sowing the tall ones when I get a new packet.

Zinnias are also quite quick to grow.

I find snapdragons are good for cutting, they are hardy and grow quickly and Sweet Williams, biennial, are great. They carry on until about November.

On the whole I have been quite late with sowing this year due to endless rain!!

Cosmos are great for cur flowers and as long as you dead head the spent flowers they repeat flower. The larger variety do tend to flower later in the summer and take up a lot of room, so read the packet of seeds carefully. I grow mine in large pots.
Mimulus are lovely annuals grown from seed and often self seed for the next year, although not so good for cutting.
I have a few Pinks growing, again in pots. These have a lovely carnation scent and respond well to cutting, some of the plants have lasted years.

mary51 ...thanks for the reply maybe the dwarf ones are the ones I'll choose as well.
I love the faces of Zinnia so maybe I'll try them.
I have to be careful as my eyes are too big for my belly (a bit of a mrs malaprop). Whereby I start off sewing g loads then get overwhelmed!

j52 thank you for the reply.
That you sew in pots is so interesting. Could you give more info as that sounds a good idea?

I’m planning a perfumed garden this year on top o f the existing plants. So have sown tobacco plants, night phlox nightly scented.

I have big boxes in a utilitarian area that I use for picking. Just planted my first lot of gladioli, and there will be seeds including zinnias

Whitewave, I have put in some gladioli for the first time, will add more every fortnight for a succession. However, I don't know whether they can stay until next year, or do I have to dig them up and store them over winter when they die down? Can you advise me please?

shysal that’s what I’m doing? I’ve got 4 different colours.

Well I live on the south coast so they can stay in the ground, but mine are being planted in recycle boxes ( the council changed their system) I reckon this year they would have been ok anywhere as it’s been such a mild winter.

Such a lot of ideas, now I want Gladioli and tobacco plants!

I've just looked at a site showing all the different types and colours of Cosmos. I'm drooling because I want them all!
Especially the orange and pure white for some reason.

Hi, just popped back. I sew my Cosmos in the greenhouse ( windowsills are also ok) when they are about 3 inches tall I prick them out into larger pots ( 2 or 3 in each pot) , still in the greenhouse. When they are about 6 inches tall and all frost has passed I put as many as looks ok into large patio containers and pinch out the tops, so they spread.
I use ordinary potting compost.
If in large plastic pots, you can then dot them about on the flower beds where there are gaps.

*sow !

Loved all the posts above as I'm a keen gardener. I decided against sowing cosmos this spring as due to last year's continuing rain they grew about six feet tall before they bloomed and some had still only buds, no flowers by October so just got pulled out when I was putting the garden winter ready. Also, for the first time ever, I left the gladiolii in the ground over winter and fear that I may have lost them as the soil is still waterlogged in places. Only time will tell. I'm pretty sure that I've lost my morning glories as the ground where they should be is just a mess of mud at present.
Here in the North West it's still very cold and the season is about three weeks behind what it was at this time last year, so fingers crossed, that not all my new perennials are lost.

As I said, I love the gardening posts on here and hope that there'll be even more to come.

Here's to a very happy gardening year despite all the doom and gloom out there. You just can't keep Mother Nature down.

I reckon our gardens are going to look fantastic this year with all the attention they will be getting.

Photos will be in order?

What a good idea wwave we could post photos of our progress!

tessagree ... sounds as if you had some bad luck last year weather wise.
As I said I'm not green fingered with seeds, due to my slap dash attitude, but I thought I'd give it another go. Especially with the chance of self isolating.
I thought it would give me something to do, and if they grow and even thrive, I would have flowers for the house!

j52 ....thank you for popping back with that info! It has instilled a bit more confidence in me.
I've planted the seeds about 6 to a 3-4inch pot and have them in the kitchen at the mo.
will wait and see, if half come up I'll be happy!

How about planting some bronze Fennel? Easy to grow, smell lovely and add feathery fronds to cut flowers.

Yes that's a lovely idea j52. I've just been given some bronze fennel plants, but they dont look too bronze at!

I've just bought some Ammi seeds which are similar, in as much as the have umbel type flowers and feathery foliage.
But the other reason I want to grow them is they have some health properties I'm interested in

I’m away at the moment (long story) but will start photos when I get back. We could have a lovely record of our gardens through the seasons. We will have plenty of time to do it?

mamsnanny I’ve sown some ammi what are the health properties?

At the moment

sorry crossed posts ww … well I wouldn't like to offer any advice its probably best you look things up for yourself and then make an informed decision!

But..….I make my own cream for psoriasis, which I have read Ammi is good for, so I'm going to try the seeds, root and or leaves mixed into it.

Please be aware that this plant is related to Giant Hog Weed which is known to have SAP that can IRRITATE some peoples skin, so I would suggest being careful with it!!

Thank you namsnanny

I actually thought I had psoriasis on my face but it turned out to be cancer - don’t suppose it would be much good for that??

0h goodness ww that must have been a shock!
My father had something similar. They gave him some cream which cleared it up (iynwas a slow growing one) which had some similar properties to Ammimajor.

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1st photo's!!

Not much but tis mine own!!

The first is of the bronze fennel that I was given, bit floppy as they don't like being moved, I think. Also it has green fly on the new growth, would you believe it, at this time of year!
I'll cut it back for now.

The second is the creeping phlox. The bee's love this plant so I gather, so I'm looking forward to seeing it in flower.

Yes I had the same. It was like magic. But will be very sensible from now on. The consultant said it was from childhood. We never used sun screen - don’t think it existed.

I have sown night phlox for the first time, hope it is ok.

I will put on some photos over the weekend when we get home