Buy this year’s young plants at the Country Life Nursery (link to www.countrylife.co.uk/nursery) for top quality plants and flowers delivered straight to your door

The good gardener is always busy laying the foundations for future glory. Now is the time to sow many seeds for summer bedding plants, such as Begonia and Lobelia, in a heated glasshouse, preferably with the luxury of some bottom heat. Tiny, dust-like seeds such as these need a little extra care. Sieve a cover-ing of extra-fine compost over the filled tray, mix the seeds with silver sand and tap the mixture lightly across the finished surface. Stand the tray in 1in of water until the surface begins to glisten, et voilà!

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