Mr Fothergill's Verbascum Phoeniceum Mix Seeds, Graceful first year flowering perennial. Remove dead flowers to prolong flowering season. January to March sowings will produce flowers the same year, later sowings flower the following year.

Sow indoors to flower the same year, 0.5cm deep, in trays of compost. A temperature of 15-20°C. is ideal. Keep moist. Seedlings usually appear in 14-28 days. Transplant seedlings 5cm apart to other trays when large enough to handle. Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions before planting out 40cm apart, when frosts are over. Or sow outdoors to flower the following year, in a seed bed, 0.5cm deep, into finely prepared soil which has already been watered. Thin seedlings to 5cm apart before planting out to flowering positions in autumn, spacing 40cm apart. Remove dead flowers spikes to encourage further flowering.

• A hardy perennial, flowers first year from an early sowing
• Slender, stately flower spikes, on long upright stems
• A classic plant for mixed borders

Sow time: Jan-Jul
Flowering/Harvesting time: Jun-Aug