Flowers my Mum grew in her Garden

With Mothering Sunday approaching I was thinking of the flowers that my Mum liked to grow. Looking at the list I noticed that most of them were scented. Scent is very evocative a smell can quickly transport us to a place or time.

 

I would say Sweet Peas were her all-time favourite. She would snip bunches to bring in the house and every year collect the pods to save the seeds for sowing the following season.

I like to think I am still growing my Mum’s sweet peas from her last harvest. 

 

There was always colour in the garden from snowdrops and wild primroses in late winter followed by spring bulbs through to tulips underplanted with forget me nots and lily of the valley by the front door to flamboyant dahlias with nicotiana and night scented stock supplying heavy scent in the warm summer evenings.

Christmas time saw bowls of hyacinths brought out from under the stairs into the light. The prepared bulbs would have been planted in late autumn in anticipation of some cheer in the shorter days  

Obviously, some of these are perennial, the shrubs and climbers – fuchsia, roses, honeysuckle and clematis, or bulbs – snowdrops, tulips and hyacinths. Others are easy to grow from seed and can be sown now.

Dahlias; start indoors now in the warm. Sow shallowly, cover lightly with compost and water. Cover with polythene to maintain the humidity. 

Once the seedlings have true leaves transplant into individual pots. Acclimatise the young plants to outside conditions before planting outdoors.

 

Wild Primroses (Primula vulgaris) from seed; so w them in autumn in seed trays, cover lightly with soil, and leave them in a shady spot over winter to benefit from the cold temperatures needed for germination in spring. 

Sweet peas; sow now singly in pots or modules. Keep moist by covering with plastic bag until seedlings emerge. Then remove covering and grow on in the light. Or sow directly outside when the soil has warmed up in late April.

Myosotis (forget me nots); sow the seed directly where you want them to grow. When large enough to handle, thin the seedlings to 15cm. Will self-seed freely.

Nicotiana; the fine seeds should be sprinkled thinly on moist compost. Keep inside in the warm and light. Transplant when big enough to handle and then harden off for planting out.