Why autumn-sown hardy annuals flower better

If you only change one thing about how you grow annuals, make it this: sow the hardy ones in early autumn rather than waiting for spring.

What actually happens

Sown in September, a hardy annual germinates in still-warm soil, makes a small rosette, and then spends the winter putting down root rather than growing upward. Come March it has a root system a spring sowing cannot match, and it grows away fast.

The result is a plant that flowers earlier, stands taller without staking, and carries more stems worth cutting.

Which ones

Orlaya, Ammi, cornflower, larkspur, calendula, nigella and scabious all take to it. Anything described as half hardy or tender does not - leave those until spring.

The one thing to watch

Drainage. Autumn-sown seedlings rot far more often than they freeze. On heavy ground, sow into modules in a cold frame and plant out in spring instead of sowing direct.