Aster
Asters are popular plants, unrivalled for their range of late-season flower colour between summer and the end of autumn. Asters lend themselves well to a range of garden styles from prairie plantings to cottage gardens and mixed borders.
Brachyscome
With its soft-textured foliage and dainty blossoms, Brachyscome (aka Swan River Daisy) makes a colorful addition to the garden. Depending on the location, swan river daisies, can be grown as annuals or perennials - in the UK we grow them as annuals. When they bloom in summer, the prolific flowers cover the whole plant in blossoms, almost hiding the soft, feathery gray-green foliage.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums can be annual, hardy perennial or tender perennial, but we focus on the annual variety commonly referred to as “florists’ chrysanthemums” that have been bred from the Chinese and Japanese types to make excellent late season cut flowers. They come in a wonderful range of rich velvety colours, with shapes that vary from the neat pom-pom to outrageous spidery forms.
Coleus
Forget the flowers, Coleus is all about the foliage, no matter the varieity, Coleus doesn’t fail to delight with it’s mix of colours and leaf type to give an interesting pot plant or bedding plant for mild areas but you must keep pinching out the flower buds otherwise it can go leggy. That said, their delicate blue spires can be a joy to see above the multicoloured patterns of the foliage
Cosmos
Cosmos will put on a continuous display throughout the summer months and well into autumn, standing on tall, slender stems which sway in the breeze creating that gorgeous soft and floaty effect. Perfect for a sunny spot in any mixed planting scheme, not only will they look great in the garden and be beneficial to pollinators, but they make lovely cut flowers too. Despite their delicate looks, these plants are pretty tough and will stay standing in rain or a drought.
Gazania
Gazania, also known as treasure flowers for their jewel bright blooms, are fantastic for bringing colour to patios and sunny borders. Grown as annuals their daisy-type flowers love sunshine and if they don't get enough of it, will close up. The blooms come in shades of rose, red, pink, bronze, gold and orange and are set off by the cool green foliage.
Helicrysum
Helicrysum, also commonly known as Strawflower a popular are a popular everlasting flower. With strong stems and bright flower heads, they are perfect for preserving. To preserve flowers for the Winter, cut stems just before flowers are fully open, hang small bunches upside down in a cool ventilated area. The bright colour of the flowers will remain, whilst the stems dim to a golden colour.
Marigold
Marigolds (Tagetes) are among the most common and reliable of all bedding flowers. These cheerful flowers with warm colors and fern-like foliage are true annuals, completing their life cycles in a single growing season. The size of the blooms can vary considerably, from tiny single-petal flowers to the large 4-inch double-petal blossoms of the African marigolds. Whilst all Marigolds are edible, not all are known to be tasty
Mesembryanthemum
Mesembryanthemum is an easy to grow annual bedding flower which produces colourful blooms throughout the summer. The daisy like flowers come in shades of red, magenta, pink, yellow, white and orange and open with the sun each day and turn to face it moving across the garden. Can tolerate drought and sandy soil and is a useful plant to brighten up rock gardens, walls and paths.
Mimulus
Mimulus is known for having unusual monkey-faced, snapdragon-like flowers. Typically, they grow in woodland environments, and can often be seen beside woodland streams. Trailing varieties of mimulus will turn any hanging basket into a profusion of cascading flowers. They will grow freely in spring and when grown in a flower bed it will produce a mound of flowers throughout the summer.
Morning Glory
Morning Glory is a frost tender annual climber that bears beautiful, exotic-looking, colourful flowers on fast-growing twining stems clothed with heart-shaped green leaves. The name 'morning glory' comes from the plants’ flowering habit – saucer-shaped blooms open early and just for a day, fading by mid-afternoon in hot weather. Many flowers are borne in succession, so this plant makes a lovely display for months, flowering through summer and into early autumn.
Nicotiana
The tobacco plant, Nicotiana, is a popular summer bedding plant, coming in a range of colours and sizes. The trumpet-like, night-scented flowers make Nicotiana a great choice for planting near a seating area. Perfect for growing in a mixed border or container display. Nicotiana are easy to grow from seed. Many varieties make excellent cut flowers. Also a great plant to have in your greenhouse where the sticky leaves will trap unwanted pests.
Petunia
Petunias are some of the most outstanding bedding plants, thanks to their knack for creating a vibrant mass of colourful summer blooms. Versatile, ideal for different types of pot or hanging basket as well as in the ground. Colours range from ultra-brilliant pinks, reds, and purples, to soft pastel shades and white. The size of the flowers ranges, too, and you can choose varieties with ruffled edges and bi-coloured blooms, along with single- and double-flowered varieties.
Phlox
Phlox are herbaceous plants that bear a profusion of small, often scented flowers in summer. They range from tall border perennials to creeping phlox or alpine varieties and woodland types, as well as annual varieties that can be grown as bedding; those are the varieties we focus on at Collie Flowers and have available in our range of seeds. As well as being fragrant and long flowering, most cultivars attract a variety of bees and other pollinating insects.
Salpiglossis
Salpiglossis is an upright annual, with slender stems and wavy-edged, lance-shaped leaves. From summer to autumn these plants produce masses of funnel-shaped flowers to 5cm across. This South American native loves cool weather and blooms from spring until the plant begins to fade in midsummer. However, don’t be too quick to pull the fading plants as they will often produce a late-season burst of colour when temperatures drop in autumn.
Sunflower
Sunflowers come in a range of sizes and colours, with many now having multiple flower heads from a single stalk. Sunflowers prefer a well drained soil in full sun. Tall varieties shoudl be sown early to allpw growing time and will need staking if sited in a particularly windy area. For varieties offering multiple flowerheads deadhead regularly to encourage continuous flowering. If space allows once the flowers are spent at the end of the season leave the heads to form seeds which will provide food for wildlife through the winter.
Zinnia
Zinnia are annual plants, popular because of the colourful, daisy-like flowers. Native to Mexico, there are 18 species and hundreds of cultivated forms, which are grown as annual bedding plants. Flowers come in vivid colours from red, orange and deep pink to green, with a lovely long flowering season from summer to the first frosts. Zinnias are perfect for filling gaps in the border and also work well in container displays. Long stemmed varieties make great cut flowers and single-flowered varieties are attractive to pollinating insects.
Half Hardy Annuals to grow from seed
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Zinnia, Giant Cactus mix
Regular price £1.65 GBPRegular price -
Swan River Daisy, Azure Mix
Regular price £1.15 GBPRegular price -
Zinnia, Purple Prince
Regular price £1.65 GBPRegular price -
Zinnia, Envy
Regular price £1.45 GBPRegular price
