Seed Subscription: Flower, Sub-Tropical Climate, Spring 2024

Subscriptions are an excellent way to explore new seed varieties without having to spend time choosing the seeds yourself, and are perfect for busy gardeners, delivering seeds and all the information you need to plant them directly to your letterbox. 

Each season we’ll choose a selection of seed varieties tailored to your climate, and send you the seeds plus a colour information sheet with photos, tips and sowing information - all you need to do is plant!

You are currently viewing a single season of seeds which can be purchased individually. To subscribe to a years worth of seeds click here.

Seeds included in this subscription:

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  Salvia- Scarlet Piccolo

  A perennial usually grown as an annual, to 20cm. A dwarf selection with dark green foliage and dense spikes of deep red flowers in summer. Spectacular mass planted in garden beds. Suitable for containers. Compact and fast-growing.

  Raise seedlings, 4mm. Germination 10-14 days @ 22-24°C.Perennial (usually grown as an annual). Height 20cm, Spacing 20cm. 50 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Californian Poppy- Purple Gleam

  Annual plant growing to 40cm with grey/green fern-like foliage. Produces rose-purple blooms fading to cream. Flowers turn pink and close in dull weather. Ideal for beds, borders, rock gardens, and meadows. Grows in poor soil. Drought tolerant.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 3mm. Germination 14-21 days @ 16-21°C.Annual. Height 40cm, Spacing 30cm. 70 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Coreopsis- Dwarf Radiata Mix

  A 40cm tall annual with narrow green leaves and gold-red daisy-like flowers from spring to autumn. Drought tolerant, attracts bees and butterflies. Good for cut flowers and dye. Ideal for borders, rockeries, or containers. Also known as 'Golden Tickseed'.

  Raise seedlings or sow direct, 1mm. Germination 7-30 days @ 12-21°C.Annual. Height 40cm, Spacing 30cm. 70 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: MAR APR MAY AUG SEP OCT (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Ageratum- Ball Pink

  Fast-growing annual, 30cm high with mid-pink flowers. Compact with dark green leaves, small fluffy flowers. Ideal for beds, borders, pathways, rockeries, containers. Can be used as cut flower. Long flowering, attracts bees, butterflies.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 1mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 25-28°C.Annual. Height 30cm, Spacing 30cm. 90 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

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• 

  Calendula- Pink Surprise

  40cm annual with bright green foliage, large double pink-orange flowers. Known as "Pot Marigold", popular in herbal medicine. Ideal for beds, borders, containers, cut flowers. Attracts beneficial pollinators. Easy to grow.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 15mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 20-22°C.Annual. Rows 50cm, Height 40cm, Spacing 50cm. 60-70 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: MAR APR MAY JUN AUG SEP OCT (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Celosia- Forest Fire

  Annual plant growing to 70cm with dark red/purple foliage, producing fire-red flowers. Ideal for garden beds, borders, mass plantings. Excellent as fresh or dried cut flower. Long flowering. Suitable for containers.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 3mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 21-27°C.Annual. Height 70cm, Spacing 20cm. 85 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Schizanthus- Angel Wings Mixed

  Annual plant growing to 40cm. Bushy with light green leaves, producing orchid-like flowers in various colours. Ideal for containers, garden beds, borders, and as a cut flower. Also known as 'Poor Mans Orchid' or 'Butterfly Flower'.

  Raise seedlings or sow direct, 3mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 18-22°C.Annual. Height 40cm, Spacing 30cm. 120 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Zinnia- Mazurkia

  Annual grows to 30cm, with large, cream-tipped scarlet flowers up to 8cm wide. Mostly double/semi-double flowers. Ideal for beds, borders, mass plantings. Easy to grow in large containers. Fleuroselect award winner.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 6mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 21-29°C.Annual. Height 65cm, Spacing 20cm. 90 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Phlox- Sugar Stars

  Annual growing to 45cm. The purple-blue flowers have white 'stars' in their centres and fade to a delicate lavender blue, creating a mix of colours on each plant. An old-fashioned cottage garden favourite and a fragrant cut flower with a long vase life.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 3mm. Germination 14-21 days @ 18-20°C.Annual. Height 45cm, Spacing 15cm. 70 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Sunflower- Double Dazzler F1

  An annual that grows to 170cm with chrysanthemum-like flowers, this plant produces a large main bloom and smaller secondary ones. Ideal for cut flowers with a great vase life, it's perfect for rear borders, easy to grow, and drought-tolerant.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 10mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 21-30°C.Annual. Height 170cm, Spacing 30cm. 60 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

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Tips for gardening in spring:

Spring Gardening

Spring cleaning: Use this checklist to carry out a garden inspection. 

• Plant damage - look for plants damaged by winter rains, cold temperatures, frost, snow, or wind. 
• Tidy up plants and provide stakes or support where necessary. Make a note of which plants will need protection from winter weather for next year. Also look for rodent or deer damage on woody plants, evidence of new rabbit burrows or new shoots being eaten by rabbits. Protect plants with wire cages where appropriate.
• Hardscaping and outdoor living areas - check paving and decking for algae and mould and give it a good clean. Sweep patios and paths, and clean outdoor furniture. Gravel paths might need resurfacing. Check decks, benches, sheds, fences and wooden trellises for rotting timber. Walls that have become bowed may need fixing or reinforcing, and stepping stones or paving that has shifted may cause a trip hazard.
• Check gutters and drains - clearing out leaves and twigs reduces potential fire hazards and ensures rainwater can run off easily. 
• Irrigation system - check for leaks and parts that need to be repaired and unclog sprinkler heads that have become clogged with debris.
• Clean up garden beds - rake up old plant debris and matted fallen leaves if you didn’t do this in autumn. Doing so keeps pests and diseases at bay that thrive under such conditions. 
• Clean out bird baths and remove debris from water features and ponds.

Soil preparation: Boost soil structure and fertility by sprinkling with a slow-release organic fertiliser and topdressing with well-rotted compost or well-aged manure. Take extra care if using chicken manure, and use it sparingly, as it can be high in ammonia which can burn your plants. 

It is helpful to test your soil every 3-5 years to check if it is becoming deficient (or too rich) in any particular nutrient. The pH of the soil can sometimes limit the uptake of certain nutrients, so checking the pH is a good place to start. If necessary, amend the soil accordingly.  

Refresh the soil in pots and containers. Over time, nutrients are used up and soil may become compacted or hold less water. Repot suitable plants (divide if appropriate) into fresh potting mix, or simply remove the top few centimetres of soil and replace with fresh mix.

Get planting: If you haven’t already planned your garden, sort through your seeds and decide what you want to plant and where. If it’s still a bit cold in your area, you can start seeds indoors on a heat mat or in a mini greenhouse. If sowing directly in the garden, try the scatter method of sowing for a more informal approach this year.

If any of the flowers or vegetables you are planning on planting require support like stakes or trellises, set them up when you sow your seeds. This avoids disturbing the roots of newly emerging seedlings and young plants later on. 

Pests and diseases to look out for in spring:

Slugs and snails: Snail and slug eggs that have overwintered begin to hatch as the weather warms up. Baby snails and slugs start feeding immediately and cause as much damage to flowers and vegetable seedlings as the adults. Control and reduce their number by picking them off and removing weeds and places that provide refuge for them. If you choose to use bait, do so with caution as most baits can be toxic to pets and other wildlife.

Sap-sucking insects: Infestations of aphids and whitefly can detrimentally affect your plants. Female aphids can give birth to live young without the need to mate, and colonies multiply very rapidly when conditions are favourable. Adult whiteflies are usually only seen when they are disturbed and fly up in a cloud. Try physically removing these pests by squirting with a garden hose, or use a homemade pyrethrum spray or eco oil.

Fruit fly: Set up fruit fly traps and get ready to protect young tomatoes and other susceptible fruit using appropriate bags and nets.

Product code: SS_FLO_SUBT_SPR_2024