Excellent for many purposes. Brightly coloured flowers are held well above foliage. Very easily grown, versatile plants, flowering freely throughout the summer. Happiest in free-draining soil, in sunny positions. HA – Hardy annual. Height 23-30cm (9-12″).
Culinary information: The peppery flavour of the leaves and colourful flowers will enrich salads and the unripe seeds can used like capers – delicious combined with cream cheese or butter in canapés. For more details about edible flowers click here.
Growing Information
Sow March-June outdoors, flowers June-September.
Sowing Information
Sow the seed thinly direct into finely raked, moist, warm, weed free soil where the plants are to flower 13mm (1?2″) deep. Germination normally takes 10-14 days. As the seedlings develop, thin to achieve a final spacing of 25cm (10″). Use any spare plants to fill the spaces in the bed. Alternatively, for earlier plants sow on a windowsill or in a greenhouse at approx. 13-18°C (55-66°F) 3 or 4 seeds to a 7.5cm (3″) pot. Plant out after acclimatising to outside conditions.
