Get sowing again

Get sowing again for a second wave of young plants to take over the flowering frenzy from the summer lovelies reaching their peak any moment now. They'll be over in a month or two, but with a little canny planning you can have new plants in the wings ready to burst into bloom the moment they finish, keeping the display going well into autumn.

In our garden centre here in Co. Limerick you'll find a huge choice of hardy annuals, which are the best type of flowers for late sowing. Cosmos make graceful plants with feathery foliage and big open daisy-like flowers in pink, white or wine-red. There are cornflowers in every shade from palest blue to deep purple; multistemmed sunflowers and spectacular salvias; delicate love-in-a-mist and sturdy calendula: all will be in full flower by autumn if sown now.

If there are gaps opening up in your borders you can sow direct into the ground: clear a patch of earth, remove weeds, water well and then simply broadcast- sow your seeds in generous drifts. But if you're after young plants to drop in to the borders later in the season, sow into 5cm modules of seed compost in a cold frame and grow on till they're needed.