Spring seed planning

Now that a new year is upon us, I have it under good authority that now is the perfect time to begin planning my seed purchases. This will be my first spring as a cut-flower grower, and I can't wait to see what begins to bloom from my bulbs and autumn-sown seeds, but a wise person once said that you need to be at least two seasons ahead when you're growing flowers so I definitely need to be thinking about summer now! Once those spring bulbs have faded, I need to be ready with some seedlings to fill the empty pots with. So, here are five flowers that I'm currently planning to add to my garden! Please note - I'm linking back to the Chiltern Seeds website, as that's where all my seeds have been purchased from.

Cosmos 'Apricotta'

This may well have been one of the first flowers that I saw and wanted to grow myself. Once again, that pinky-peach colour is just up my street. Add to that the fact that Cosmos is the perfect flower for florists, giving out an abundance of blooms for an extended period, and it's no wonder it's at the top of my list!

Amaranthus

Otherwise known as Love-Lies-Bleeding, these flowers caught my eye the first time I ever visited a flower farm, thanks to their long tendrils of deep wine-coloured flowers. Stunning in a bouquet and relatively easy to grow, I'm looking forward to having these fabulous flowers to hand to practice my floristry techniques this summer!

Helichrysum (strawflower)

I know from the wholesalers that these particular flowers are great for drying as they maintain their colour perfectly. However, they're also a lovely little flower that contrasts well against larger-headed blooms in an arrangement, so I know I'll be wanting to use them in plenty of designs if I'm lucky enough for them to grace my garden! I've opted for the mixed variety, which comes in a rainbow of colours, so there'll always be a strawflower to suit my design.

Ammi Majus

Basically cow parsley, or also known as Bishop's Flower, these gorgeous stems are long and lacy and look absolutely stunning as a filler flower in a bouquet. I love the light and airy look they give to a design, so they were an absolute must-have in my growing list! I'm considering direct-sowing these seeds straight into large pots in April, and they'll keep flowering right through until the end of September... hopefully!

Rudbeckia 'Sahara'

Rudbeckia makes such a lovely focal flower in any bouquet anyway, but this variety caught my eye thanks so its unusual palette. While most of the Rudbeckia I've used before is golden-yellow in colour, this selection comes in shades of caramel, copper and pink. I'm hoping to sow them indoors in March and plant them by May so that they flower for as long as possible.

Cosmos, Amaranthus and Rudbeckia all feature in this bouquet, can you spot them? Just imagine being the one to have grown all these beautiful flowers! That's my main motivation when I'm thinking about the flower choices. And of course, this isn't an exhaustive list and there will definitely be more added to it over the coming months! My plan is to keep sowing every month, to replenish my supplies so there's always something blossoming. It should probably be pointed out that I'm also a member of the Rose Press Garden subscription box service, so I will also receive some surprise seeds and bare roots every month too, to add to this growing list! It's sure looking to be an exciting year - I can't wait for spring!