Start Your Annual Flowers Early On for Best Results

Right around February I’ve just about had it with winter. How about you? I yank out the new and old seed catalogs and start clearing a corner to start my annual flowers from seeds under a grow light. Somehow, seeing those tiny sprouts of annual flowers (cosmos and poppies in peat pots and variegated hollyhocks) popping through the dirt make me feel so much better – even when there’s still frost on the windows.

Blue Morning Glory is an Annual vine that easily starts from seed as is any version of sunflower.

We’re here in Canada, northern Canada, and although it’s lovely at Christmas time the winter season wreaks havoc on our minds, our bodies, our vehicles, our animals and even our dormant gardens. You just never know what you’ll wake up to in Spring and what you’ve lost during the long winter months.

Where to Get Annual Flower Seeds

So, in late February if I’m not in the midst of planning some March getaway, you’ll find me online surfing the gardening websites and bidding on annual flower seeds on ebay. If that doesn’t fix my mood I’ll go shopping in the gardening sections of The Home Depot or Canadian Tire for greenhouse lights and little starter peat pots with those plastic dome lids – but I don’t prefer to buy my flower seed there – they’re simply too generic with very little new and inspiring flower packets.

All that country garden dreaming and hunting for new seeds is almost enough to kick the winter blahs.

Starting Annual Flower Seeds In House

Inevitably I start my annual flower seeds under the grow light too soon. It is just something I can’t contain once I’ve mapped out the borders and even colored in my plan for the garden with color pencils…

By the time the frost has truly left our region I’ve got root bound seedlings, in their 3rd transplant, filling up all of our windowsills and spilling onto my desk and dining room table during rotations.

It takes an hour (or so) every day to keep the annual starter seeds happy, watered, and well fed with starter nutrients – but I don’t count it as a chore. It’s simply the continuation of my dreamy moments when I’ll sit in the middle of that country garden again, lost behind the hollyhocks and clematis fence. Lost in the sweet fragrance of fresh lavender and peonies.

As much as this sounds like an unnecessary way to get annuals ready for the flower beds and borders, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Other than the fact that I have been thinking about leaving this cold spot of the world – we’ve been hit with frost as late as June 8th and as early as September 1st. Talk about a tiny window of opportunity to see any of your garden’s flowers in full splendor!

Ready to Find Some Beautiful Annual Flower Seeds?

It doesn’t really matter if it’s Spring or not – the time to shop for seeds is always present. But when you’re ready to get growing, ordering and starting seeds we’ll probably bump into each other in the Country Store.

Here’s how I shop for annual flowers…

I love browsing and buying annual flower seeds from private listings because I always find something new and unique – and my garden doesn’t end up looking like everyone else’s within a 50 mile radius.

This is nearly as good as getting new and interesting seeds from far away friends.

The best way to get the best deals on flower seeds is to register a new account through the country store, (it’s free), then ‘window shop’ by browsing and saving your favorite items to your personal watch list.

Here are flower seeds by color on another favorite website:

• red annual seeds
• blue annual flower seeds
• white annual seeds
• Veronica always wants a pink corner, and
• yellow flowers always make me happy.

…or click either of the items below (flowers or herbs) to be taken to our Country Garden Store.  (garden store front)

Just Flowers or Just Herbs (choose a photo below)

Laura Childs
This article was originally published on GoodByeCityLife.com in 2002

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