[Cherrysparkle]

I had a wildflower seed selection that according to the pack was best down in early autumn. So I sowed it in early September. I went away for a week and have come back to find all my seeds have sprouted! They're ALL hardy annuals (cornflower, corn cockle , poppies etc.), will they sprout from the roots next year - or was I just a bit quick off the mark this year?

[tippben]

Some will, some won't. Your best bet is to save the seed of anything that goes to seed, and sow again in spring. It's an unusually mild autumn, which the people who labelled the packet couldn't have predicted a year ago. An even better bet (if it isn't too expensive) is to buy another packet in spring and double sow. Also, lots of plants, primulas, scabious etc, can be bought as plugs, and planted in to the area next spring. They will take, and seed around. We also collect wild flower seed from roadside verges, store them in brown envelopes in a cool dark place, and scatter them on other verges etc. in our area. You could try this approach.

[Cherrysparkle]

Thanks Ben. Next time I'll wait until it actually feels autumnal before I start doing autumn jobs!