Successful sowing of annual flowers

Spring is the time to sow annual flowers that will bloom from June throughout the summer. Here we will take the example of the annual poppy in a large bed of perennials. Annuals can quickly brighten up "holes" in beds. Sowing directly in the ground is easy to do and saves time by avoiding transplanting, which poppies do not tolerate. The most important thing for successful sowing is to prepare the location well by working the soil thoroughly. Start by loosening the soil. To do this, you can use a broadfork, which will be very effective, but you can also replace it with a digging fork. After aerating the soil, break up large clods of earth with a hoe to refine the future seedbed and remove any roots or other clumps of grass. The location is now ready to receive the annual poppy seeds. Place the seeds in the palm of your hand before scattering them. Since the seeds are very fine, sprinkle them over the surface as if they were salt on a plate. Take the hoe again and gently rake the surface of the soil to bury the seeds in the first few centimeters. Then I pack it down with the back of a rake or here with the back of the hoe. Last step, water abundantly to allow the seed to be in contact with the soil to obtain good germination. In a few weeks the poppies should emerge and flourish.