Ask the RHS EXPERTS
Late to the party
Q How late can I sow summer flower seeds – time is running away from me and I’d hate to miss out.
A Most garden flowers, calendula, cosmos, sunflowers and zinnia, for example, can be sown in May. These later sowings are very useful, flowering in late summer and early autumn at a time when summer flowers, such as Helianthus (sunflowers) and day lilies, have finished, but before the autumn flowers, like Japanese anemones and asters, come into full bloom. Big seeded plants, like sunflowers, can even be sown in early June.
Some particularly hardy flowers are actually better sown in early autumn, cornflowers, larkspur, and love-in-the-mist make much better plants than spring-sown ones, but they won’t flower until next year.
RUNNER-BEAN SUCCESS
Q How do I go about growing climbing runner beans?
A Erect supports, typically 2.4m canes as wigwams or double rows securing the canes at the top.
✢ Allow 30cm between canes or other upright supports.
✢ Sow three seeds at the base of each cane, about 3cm deep – if three plants arise, reduce to two plants. Gardeners in cold regions, or where bean seed fly is troublesome, or who garden on clay soil might prefer to raise plants
