All Gardeners’ World events
base - It ’s the summertime of cornflower
The perfect plant for your summer garden – cornflowers! Coming in deep blues and shades of pink, maroon and white, these ruffled flowers make a lovely addition to a border or garden path.
If you visited BBC Gardeners ’ World Live , you would have seen Paul Stone ’s headlineA Garden Fit for a King , which overflowed with beautiful cornflowers . Scroll down to see the pic gallery .
Read on for expert growing tips from our friends at BBC Gardeners ’ World Magazine and , if you ’re looking for more aspiration for the season forrader , get ticket for the BBC Gardeners ’ World Autumn Fair at Audley End House & Gardens from 1 - 14 March 2025 .
Growing and caring for cornflowers
Grow strawflower in sun and well - drained grunge , sow come directly into smoke - liberal ground or into pots , in leaping . lose weight out the resulting seedlings . After that , little guardianship is needed apart from deadheading to encourage more blooms .
Grow as a gap - fillerin any scanty spots in borders , as part of a seed mixing to create an yearly florescence meadow , or in pots . Well - drain territory is best , and sunshine for at least half the day . Cornflowers do advantageously in dirt with low rankness so there ’s no need to add fertilizer or organic subject .
bluebottle in potsneed a world-wide - purpose , peat - free potting compost mixed with a third by mass of coarse backbone . Shorter - arise mixture are ripe for gage as taller ones tend to flop without accompaniment . Be mindful that cornflowers bloom for around 10 - 12 weeks , which is n’t as long as many summer - bloom bedding plant .
Ideally , sow seed directlywhere plant are to blossom . Otherwise sow in in seed trays and harden them off before planting out in outpouring , spaced 15 cm apart .
Remove fade efflorescence headway to encourage more blooms to form . Once efflorescence is over , you could pull out up and compost the plant life , or leave them to self source and provide food for birds such as goldfinches .
Propagation
cornflower usually self - semen readily , but if you need to save the seeded player , collect it from the faded flowers . put in the semen in an envelope and seed from former spring to other summertime , 0.5 - 1 cm abstruse , either in Mandrillus leucophaeus , or simply by scattering the seminal fluid and lightly raking to address with soil . Thin the leave seedlings to 10 - 15 cm aside . Making several sowings throughout spring will assure a chronological succession of blossom through summertime .
If ground or weather condition do not permit outdoor sowing , an alternative is to inseminate in modular trays or pocket-sized pots under cover in an unheated glasshouse or polythene tunnel .
Read more about Paul Stone ’s garden here .
Get garden inspiration for the season ahead at the BBC Gardeners ’ World Autumn Fair at Audley End House & Gardens from 1 - 3 September – book of account ticket today !
Garden inspiration at the Autumn Fair
Find out what’s on at the Autumn Fair
New class , new garden , novel trends !
We ’re through the garden logic gate into 2023 , with a host of gardening trends blossom throughout the country . Fromhouse plantsreaching dizzying heights of popularity , to the colour of the year ‘ Viva Magenta’,read on for our full list of trends .
To get up close and personal with brisk garden brainchild , new plants , the latest gardening outfit and more , join us in 2023 .
Colour of the Year 2023
script - picked by Pantone , the colour of the twelvemonth has been nominate as ‘ Viva Magenta .
Pantone describe the colouring material as‘brave and fearless , and a pulsating color whose exuberance push a joyous and optimistic festivity , writing a new narrative . ’
Discover a world of colour and scent in the stunningFloral Marquee , bursting with award - winning nurseries and display .
Sustainable gardening
Whilst your garden might seem to already be very green , it can always be greener !
Discover way you may make gardening more sustainable , like upcycling mutual item to make stylish feature . What was a pallet , hessian bags , bits of pipe , and tin throne , could become a plantation owner , grow bags , water features , and wildlife habitats .
Be inspired by the BBC Gardeners ’ World Magazine editorial team as they ’re bring together by expert to give tips and advice .
Grow your own food
Looking to go from grunge to supper this year ? Get brilliant advice from the National Allotment Society at the event .
Peat-free gardening
larn about the latest peat - free compost from exhibitioner who can offer face - to - nerve advice .
Indoor gardening
Foliage does n’t just belong outside – institute nature indoors and be enliven by the Houseplant Hub .
Mindful gardening
Beautiful Borders return with this twelvemonth ’s theme ‘ My Garden Escape ’ to give you outer space savvy ideas .
Gardening on a budget
Discover different ways you may allow your garden blossom under a tighter budget , with advice from expert gardener .
Fermented foods
gossip the BBC Good Food Summer Show ( with innocent entry with your tag ! ) and key out the up-to-the-minute epicure trends .
Feeling inspired ? Find out what else is happening at BBC Gardeners ’ World Live this June !
