Winter in New Zealand might feel like a quiet time in the garden, but for cottage gardeners it's actually one of the most exciting sowing seasons. It's where hope begins for the new spring season, and where plans start to come to fruition.
Many of our most beautiful flowers absolutely need the cold to germinate well — and getting seeds in the ground now means a spectacular spring and summer display. Here's what I'm sowing in my garden this July. 🌸
Why Winter Sowing Works
Cold stratification — a big word that just means exposure to cool, moist conditions — naturally breaks dormancy in many seeds. Rather than fighting the season, winter sowing works with it. In New Zealand's generally mild winters, this is easy to achieve by sowing direct or into trays in a sheltered spot outdoors.
What to Sow Now (July)
Direct sow outdoors:
- Poppies (Papaver paeoniflorum & laciniatum) — sow now for the best germination results ❄️ These lovely show-off flowers can also be sown in trays, this is my preference. I like to scatter them on top of the soil and prick them out in to small pots when they are still quite small. once they get more that about 4 true leaves on them it gets trickier as poppies generally don't like their roots disturbed after that. but if you're on top of it, it's worth it. plus, if you get too many coming up, you get to give them away rather than lose them to thinning out.
- Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella) — scatter over bare soil and let the cold do the work.
- Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) — perfect for underplanting spring bulbs. just perfect. these are biennial, so take a couple of seasons to establish. they don't mind being first sown in trays either, much like the poppies.
- Clarkia — direct sow into prepared soil for a cheerful cottage display.
Sow in trays in a sheltered spot:
- Lupins — soak seeds overnight first, then sow into deep pots
- Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower) — slow to germinate but worth every week of waiting
- Orlaya (White Lace Flower) — needs cold stratification, so winter is ideal
- Rose Campion (Lychnis) — a cottage garden classic, very cold hardy
- Statice (Limonium) — excellent for drying, sow in trays for best results, prick out while still quite small, when the first two or three leaves are showing
- Baby's Breath (Gypsophila) — a classic filler flower, cold hardy and easy. theses wont flower the first year generally, although sometimes you get the odd few that will. but the following season is glorious for these beautiful fluffy plants.
- Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) — fragrant and long-lasting, perfect for winter trays. Again, prick out when quite small.
My Top Tips for Winter Sowing
- Use a free-draining seed-raising mix and don't overwater — cold + wet = rot 💧
- Label everything! Winter seedlings are slow and easy to forget
- A cold frame or cloche will speed things up if you have one, although not necessary. i have been known to bring my babies in on really cold nights though until they've germinated. Hubby loves looking at soil in trays on the coffee table while he's watching tv..haha! A little heat to help them along does no harm. It's important to remove the heat once they're up though, along with any covers you may have on them to prevent damping off, a condition that causes the seedlings to rot along their delicate stems and die
- Be patient — germination can take 3–6 weeks in cold conditions, sometimes even longer. your seed packet should have a germination guide to help you without too much guessing. 🌿
Looking Ahead
By August and September, your winter-sown seedlings will be sturdy little plants ready to go into the garden just as the soil warms up. There's nothing quite so satisfying and rewarding as watching a garden you planned in the depths of winter burst into colour come spring. 🌸
Want to see everything that's good to sow right now? Browse our full Winter Sowing collection in the shop.
Happy winter sowing!
Love, Cathy 🌱
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