Cornflowers are easy to grow wild flowers and will give your garden the most wonderful flowers in the summer.

Sow cornflower seeds outdoors where they are to grow from March to May. Choose a position in full sun on well drained soil which has been raked to a fine tilth. Water the soil before sowing and allow the drill to drain. Sow seeds thinly, at a depth of 3mm in drills spaced 30cm apart. Water the ground regularly, especially during dry periods. When cornflower seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to 15cm apart.

Alternatively, grow cornflowers indoors from September to October for late spring and early summer flowering the next year. Sow cornflowers on the surface of a good quality seed compost at a temperature and cover with a very fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Do not exclude light as this helps germination. When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant and grow them on in cooler conditions until large enough to move outdoors. Overwinter cornflowers plants in cool, light, frost-free conditions before planting out the following spring, or growing on as greenhouse pot plants.