Seed companies are launching their new flowers for next year in glossy catalogues ready to drop through the letterbox any day now. Fiery red and orange will make sure summer borders sizzle in 2017.
Here’s our top 6 new flowers, all easy to grow annuals for the garden.
Sweet pea ‘Scarlet Tunic’
A pretty new sweet pea in shades of red was officially christened ‘Scarlet Tunic’ by Chelsea Pensioners, after their distinctive uniform. Mr Fothergill’s, who have already donated more than £50,000 to the Royal Hospital Chelsea through sales of poppy ‘Victoria Cross’, will be donating 25p from the sale of every packet to raise more funds. Sow in autumn or spring either in pots of compost or direct outside when soil is warm enough.
Gaillardia ‘Firewheels’
This Gaillardia bears wonderful fiery red daisy-like flowers, on long stems that also make them great for cutting. Sow seed from February to April under cover then plant out after the risk of frost has passed for flowers from mid summer until autumn. Available from Mr Fothergill’s.
Poppy ‘Pandora’
The ultimate in easy to grow, simply sow this poppy’s seeds where you want it to flower in spring for swathes of rich ruby-purple flowers. Repeat sow a month or so later to ensure a summer-long display. Available from Johnsons Seeds.
Nasturtium ‘Whirlybird Tangerine’
Blazing orange blooms are produced for months by this compact nasturtium that is ideal for containers as well as beds and borders. Simply bury the seed where you want the plants between February and March. Push a few into the compost in containers to fill gaps with succulent emerald green leaves. From Johnsons Seeds.
Geranium ‘Quantum Red’
With their starburst flowers, stellar Geraniums are a connoisseur version of this popular bedding plant – great for vibrant flowers in summer containers, greenhouses or conservatories – and growing them from seed is great value for money. From Thompson & Morgan.
Marigold ‘Strawberry Blonde’
This brand new French marigold (Tagetes) is a far cry from the bright orange and yellow flowered versions you may be used to. Its pink and russet shades are unique to the marigold colour palette. Sow it in under cover in mid spring then plant out after frosts have passed. From Thompson & Morgan.
You can purchase these new flowers from the below websites:
Johnsons Seeds, tel: 0333 321 31038 www.johnsons-seeds.com
Mr Fothergill’s, tel: 0333 777 3936; www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
Thompson & Morgan, tel: 0844 573 1818; www.thompson-morgan.com
Want to find 6 true blue flower varieties? Click here.
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