Easy to grow flower seeds & plants

The traditional gardener's gardener grows from vegetable or flower seeds. Nurturing plants from earliest germination to full bloom is a wonderful experience. Children love to get involved and watch the flowers grow... I've included links to easy-to-grow seeds lower down.

Alternatively, with little time, difficult flower seed perhaps needing heat, or too late in season, you may need ready grown live plants - potted, plugs, bedding strips, supplied to you direct (get info on this link).

You get the biggest choice of flowers from flower seed packets including prize winners to grow at home. More on sowing and growing further down.

Seed Mats, Seed Tapes, Make Sowing Easier
The easiest (or laziest) way to grow seeds is from Seeded Mats and tapes - detailed below. American gardeners have quite a lot to choose from mixed seed mats. Small mats are available for growing herbs in pots. Bigger mats can be cut to size and shape for borders. Seed tapes are for plants grown in rows, like vegetables and Sunflower...

AMERICAN GARDENS

Amazon.com Widgets

Easy to Grow from Seeded Mats & Tapes
& easy to grow seed varieties

SMALL SEED MATS FOR POT HERBS & VEG
Couldn’t be easier. Just fill pot with compost, place the mat on top and water. Available for pot grown herbs and vegetables. For the U.K. find Grow Easy Seed Mats for Pot Herbs & Seed Tapes here . American flower seed collections for borders and themed gardens see side bar >>>

ADVANTAGES OF PRE-SOWN MATS

Flowers are spaced out correctly to avoid need for thinning
Easy and simple for children to use
Mats can be cut to any size or shape
The mats are natural and biodegradable
The seeds get off to a good start - but you must keep the mats well-watered
Mats available for attractive flower mixes & small flower gardens chosen around a theme
Seed tapes are good for growing in rows.

Also on these links you’ll find flower seed varieties that are in fact easy to grow – hence the name; available in both America and U.K.

More Plants From Flower Seeds

For easy seedling transfer use the ROW TRAY shown below.

<< See links in text

When starting seed to transplant into rows, I recommend the row tray. Unless you already happen to have a spare piece of clean guttering to make do with, the row tray is a real handy piece of kit.
Row Tray available in America on this link

Row Tray available to U.K. gardeners here

TRADITIONAL SEED
Flower seeds in packets usually cost you far less per plant than live plants. They are the best choice wherever a mass of color is needed and seed can be broadcast. Herb gardens and wild flower patches for birds and bees are examples.

To easily cultivate the fine crumb soil needed to germinate seeds, I fully recommend the Soil Mill. There's nothing quite like it.

Ordinary seed is often dusted with a fungicide to reduce disease attack. But you can get organic seeds in U.K. of more resistant varieties harvested from organically grown plants and the seeds not treated with chemicals.
Flower Seeds including organic seeds - America - for attractive naturalist flower beds & herbs (click here)

Remember: Seed Compost or Multi-Purpose Compost generally provide more consistent germination conditions than typical soil as long as you maintain moisture – also 'no-dig' gardeners and 'mulch users' may prefer to plant out.

Propagators & Trays - U.K. Gardeners

Propagators & Trays - America

Harrod Horticulture

Ferndale Lodge

Gardeners Supply Seed Starting

Henry Fields stock an advanced cocunut fibre based plug material for rearing seedlings

The cost of seed compost, modules, trays, or pots is especially worthwhile when using more expensive seed.

F1 HYBRID SEED
These seeds grow into plants that are particularly attractive for one reason or another. Each time they are produced by hand pollination of the chosen parents, and this makes them more expensive. F1 seed packets may contain fewer seeds but the plants they grow are prized by gardeners for superior qualities such as appearance, vigour and disease resistance.

Live plants are often a better option with hard to grow seeds, seeds requiring heat, or for those exquisite and refined dot plants not offered as seeds.

PELLETED OR COATED SEED
These are easy to see and handle which is especially good for small seeds. They are less attractive to pests such as birds. The coatings may contain plant stimulants but previously I have found they need to be well watered.

This may come in handy: Lawn seed protection mat protects seeds from bird attack & binds new lawn surface - great for small lawns - biodegradeable.

Easily break rough soil down to the fine crumb seed bed essential for sowing outdoors with the Soil Mill for U.K. gardeners on this link.

Available to American gardeners as the Wolf Garten Soil Crumbler on this link .