Bob Hobden wrote:
: "Barb" wrote ...
:: Hi folks. I'm a bit of a novice gardener, having acquired a fairly
:: mature garden with many shrubs and roses and a few "beds". I put in
:: a few small shrubs to fill some gaps last autumn and they seem to be
:: doing OK because I followed the advice and suggestions of the chap
:: at the nursery as to position, etc..
::
:: I want to grow some colourful flowers in the rather empty (and
:: weedy!) beds this summer, and I thought, say, marigolds and
:: cornflowers, on the basis that they're fairly foolproof and I grew
:: these successfully as a kid! If I dig and lay down a good level of
:: new compost, when do I sow the seeds, and can I sow them direct into
:: the ground?
snip
: As others have said check the packets, but most annuals can be sown
: direct.
: For perennials may I suggest you take a look at...
:
http://www.jparkers.co.uk/Index.cfm?..._id =478Where
: there are a number of collections for a colourful border, ideal for
: abeginner like yourself (and even those of us that aren't) that may
: not besure of what to get and what to plant where etc.--RegardsBob
: H17mls W. of London.UK

I like 'Love in a Mist' which you can sow when it warms up in April/May and
they produce interseting seed heads which keep them going year after year