Sow and plant now for summer colour, says Gillian Vine.
When it comes to sowing vegetables, October is the busiest month but don't neglect the flower garden if you want colour in summer.
For fast results, go for hardy annuals. Pansies are an all-time favourite, the top-selling bedding plant in New Zealand.
They can be grown from seed - a newer one for hanging baskets is the cascading variety Plentifall - or bought in punnets of a single colour or mixes of two or more colours. Dead-heading is a bit of a chore but ensures a longer flowering season.
Some other fast-growing annuals are clarkia, snapdragons (Antirrhinum), calendula, larkspur, annual chrysanthemums (Bright Eyes has white flowers with red and yellow rings), cornflowers, love-in-a-mist (Nigella) and stock.
If you want a hardy annual climber, sweet peas are tops.
They come in every colour except true yellow and there are some stunners from Auckland breeder Keith Hammett, among them Blue Vein, whose flowers start orange then develop blue veins as they age. Dr Hammett's varieties are usually well-perfumed, as are most older varieties, including the original sweet pea, Cupani, introduced into England in 1699. In general, red and orange-flowered sweet peas have lighter scent than the purples.
Some plants are referred to as half-hardy, meaning they'll cope with temperatures down to about -4degC, although it is probably wiser to treat them as being intolerant of any frosts and start them under cover - in the glasshouse is ideal.
One of the most common half-hardy annuals is the nasturtium. Once regarded as a weed that scrambled over everything and up trees, it dropped seed that came up for years after the original plants had been thrown into the compost bin. Although they'll still drop seeds, they're now a bit more civilised, with compact, non-trailing types available. The flowers and peppery leaves can be added to salads.
Sown under cover, or bought as plants when the frosts have gone, are the tender annuals.
Petunias, the most popular bedding plant after pansies, come in compact or trailing varieties and there are also perennial types, the latter not generally sold as seed. Because they are prone to mildew in damp, humid conditions, asters are not especially popular in northern areas.
Southern gardeners can show off with a dwarf (25cm) bedding type or grow taller ones for cutting, as they are excellent cut flowers.
Other tender annuals are cosmos, sunflowers, Impatiens (busy lizzies), Livingstone daisies, Portulaca, Nemesia, petunias, salvia splendens, marigolds (French and African types), verbena and zinnias.
Perennials that can be grown from seed include delphiniums, dianthus, bellis daisies, hollyhocks, penstemons and granny bonnets (Aquilegia), a much less expensive option than buying plants. The seedlings won't all produce flowers in the first year and the blooms they do have may be a bit disappointing but don't despair - next year, they'll really start performing.
Dahlias are perennials, so the bedding ones sold as annuals can be kept going for years. The more impressive kinds are usually bought as named tubers and give great shows from January until about Easter. They do best in very rich soil to which lime has been added, so try not to position them too close to lime-hating lilies.
Other bulbs and tubers that can be planted now for summer colour include Sandersonia, alliums, Alstroemeria, Crocosmia and gladioli, apparently back in play after years on the bench.
Planted now, bulbs of nerines, belladonnas (Amaryllis belladonna) and autumn crocuses (Colchicum autumnale) will flower in autumn.
So, just for a little, turn your back on the vegetable garden and concentrate on flowers.
