When to sow a flower strip
In zone 8, most of the UK: sow direct from April to May. Flowers about 70 days later.
Growing stages
A flower strip: calendar by hardiness zone
| Zone | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Sowing or planting | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | |||||||
| Zone 7 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | |||||
| Zone 8reference | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | |||||
| Zone 9 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | ||||
| Zone 10 | Flowering | Flowering | Sowing or planting, Flowering | Sowing or planting, Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Flowering | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting |
- Zone 6
- −23 to −18 °C (−10 to 0 °F): high mountains
- Zone 7
- −18 to −12 °C (0 to 10 °F): upland Britain, eastern France, the Alps
- Zone 8
- −12 to −7 °C (10 to 20 °F): most of the UK and France
- Zone 9
- −7 to −1 °C (20 to 30 °F): south-west England, Brittany, Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts
- Zone 10
- −1 to 4 °C (30 to 40 °F): Isles of Scilly, the French Riviera, coastal Corsica
Indicative months. A cold year or a garden at altitude shifts everything by a month; watch the frosts too.
A flower strip in practice
- Spacing
- 20 cm along the row, 20 cm between rows
- Sun
- full sun
- Watering
- low
- Difficulty
- easy
- In a pot
- yes
- Support
- none
- Family
- Mixed
Questions about a flower strip
When to sow a flower strip?
In zone 8: sow direct from April to May. The four other zones are in the calendar above; at altitude or after a long winter, aim for the end of the window.
How long until it flowers?
About 70 days after sowing in zone 8, then it flowers for about 60 days.
How far apart?
20 cm between plants along the row and 20 cm between rows.
Updated 20 October 2026, Hortipix catalogue version 1. Windows still being checked against Le Guide Clause, Vilmorin and Terre vivante (RHS and Cornell for the UK and the US), compared with OpenFarm (CC0). They remain indicative.