Are your green fingers itching in midwinter? Good news for you! There are some flower seeds you could sow, and you may be rewarded with early blooms.
Shorter daylight hours provide little light for your seedlings. Sowing in a bright spot without too much direct sunlight can damage seedlings.

Shorter daylight hours provide little light for your seedlings. Sowing in a bright spot without too much direct sunlight can damage seedlings.

Most seeds sown indoors over winter will benefit from the warmth of a heated propagator or warm windowsill, so provide this where possible.



Discover five of the best flowers to sow in December, below.

1——Sweet peas
Sweet peas can be sown indoors in December, ideally in containers, such as cardboard tubes, that can be planted out in the soil, minimising root disturbance.

2——Laurentia
Laurentia are bushy, half-hardy annuals, with star-shaped, scented flowers. The seeds can be sown under glass in winter, in a bright spot. A heated propagator will help to warm the soil when sowing.

3——Pelargoniums
Pelargoniums are often propagated by taking cuttings, but why not try growing them from seed, too? Ideally, surface sow in a heated propagator, in a bright spot out of direct sunlight.

4——Hardy cyclamens
Hardy cyclamens like Cyclamen coum and Cyclamen hederifolium can be sown in December. Before sowing, soak the seeds overnight, then sow straight after in small pots. Keep the pots at a temperature of 13-16°C.

5——Snapdragons
Though usually grown as annuals or biennials, snapdragons are actually short-lived perennials. They’re easy to grow, and can be sown under glass in December, to flower from June onwards.