How to grow them
Sow in pots in April or straight into the ground in May, 2cm deep. Protect young plants from slugs, and stake the tall kinds.
Flowers for the plot
Sunflowers
Bees in summer, and seed heads for the finches in autumn. Every plot needs a few.
- Buy as
- Seed
- Space
- 45cm between plants, 45cm between rows
- Position
- Full sun
- Rotation
- Fits anywhere
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Frost
- Tender: killed by frost. Nothing outside until the last one has passed.
The year
Sow indoors
Sow outdoors
Plant out
Flowers
Flowers and picking
Leave the heads standing in autumn for the birds, or cut and dry them.
What goes wrong
Problems, and what to do
Slugs and snails
They fell seedlings overnight. Plant out when 30cm tall.
Wind
Stake tall varieties.
Good neighbours: Cucumbers, Sweetcorn, Squash.
Same family
More from flowers for the plot
Pot marigoldsOrange flowers from June to the frosts. Hoverflies come for them and stay to eat your aphids.
NasturtiumsA sacrificial plant. Cabbage white butterflies and blackfly go for it and leave your crops alone.
Sweet peasGrow them on the bean canes. They pull in the bees that set your beans, and fill the house with scent.