5 Heirloom Flower Seeds to Sow in March for a Timeless William Morris-Inspired Yard this Summer

The soil is warming up and we are slowly lifting the lid off our seed boxes to see what magic we can bring to life in the coming weeks and months within our yards. This year within my own yard I’m looking to capture the romance and artistry of William Morris, the celebrated Victorian British designer and the cornerstone of the Arts and Crafts movement, in flowers.

Morris rejected industrial, urban, and artificial styles and championed the harmony between nature and art and in his own words believed, 'Wherever nature works there will be beauty'. His love of the English countryside, gardens as well as his close observations of nature saw him distil these observations into timeless stylized patterns of flowers and birds, which to this day still flourish on prints and textiles around the globe.

To bring Morris’s vision to life in your yard, sowing heirloom flower seeds is the perfect way to embrace his timeless and naturalistic style and the essence of the Arts and Crafts movement. Heirloom seeds, with their own rich history and enduring forms, offer not only a connection to the past but are also an invitation to create a living tapestry within your yard. Below, are five of my favorite heirloom flower varieties, which I've carefully selected, each one echoing Morris’s design ethos.

1. Sweet Peas 'Old Spice'

If I had to choose at least one flower to take to a desert island with me, I think sweet peas would feature quite high up on my list of seeds to pack.

A cottage garden favorite their delicate sweet charm exudes a timeless energy and they are the flower that will keep on giving all summer long. The more you cut the more blooms you will get to enjoy indoors.

This sweet pea heirloom ‘Old Spice’ variety, available to buy from seed from Walmart, is perfect for warmer climates. It has an incredibly enchanting fragrance and boasts a palette of jewel-toned blooms; think romantic beautiful, mauves, crimsons, and creamy whites,

You can start sweet peas indoors but they don't like their roots to be disturbed. So you can actually direct sow seeds in early spring as soon as the ground has warmed up.

Soak seeds overnight to encourage germination, plant 1 inch deep, and space 6 inches apart in a circle. Create a tee pee, to allow your sweet peas to reach for the sky, creating a beautiful scented spectacle.

Best sown in USDA zones 3–8, where spring temperatures are mild.

2. Foxglove ‘Excelsior’ (Digitalis purpurea)

Another quintessential cottage garden favorite, foxgloves, known for their architectural beauty are also a favorite of William Morris, and are woven into his designs.

The ‘Excelsior’ variety, which will give your yard tall, elegant towers, punctuated with flowers in soft shades of pink, cream, and lilac, is available to buy from Eden Brothers, along with five other heirloom varieties of foxgloves.

Providing height, drama, and a vintage feel foxgloves threaded through your borders, along side roses and alliums will give a natural woodland feel, again echoing back to Morris's love of nature.

For best results sow seeds in late spring or early summer, sprinkling them thinly onto the surface of moist, fertile soil, pressing gently as foxgloves need light to germinate.

Thin seedlings to 12–18 inches apart and then pot on once big enough, remembering that foxgloves are a biennial, forming leafy rosettes in their first year and flowering the next. Once they are established you can can plant out. They will also thank you for partial shade and regular watering.

USDA zones 4–9.

3. Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena)

Love-in-a-Mist, with its sky-blue, pink or white petalled flowers and delicate feathery foliage, embodies the intricate, naturalistic motifs favored by Morris.

They give a definite whimsical vibe to your garden and are a great as cut flowers.

This electric blue variety of Love-in-a-Mist, available to buy from Amazon as seed, will bring a soft, magical texture to your flower beds and is celebrated for its unusual seed pods, which will add interest long after the blooms fade. It's also a great flower to grow to soften your edges and fill in the gaps after your spring bulbs have gone over

Direct sow seeds in early spring, lightly covering them with fine soil. Scatter in drifts for a natural effect, spacing seeds about 4–6 inches apart.

Love-in-a-Mist also prefers full sun but does tolerates a range of soils, just as long as drainage is good. Once established, it self-seeds freely for repeat performances each year.

USDA zones 2–9.

4. Hollyhock ‘Nigra’ (Alcea rosea)

Few flowers evoke Victorian romance quite like the towering hollyhock, grown alongside roses and foxgloves. Morris himself grew hollyhocks at his Red House garden. Their bold, architectural presence will also provide the perfect backdrop for a Morris-inspired yard that captures the essence of the English countryside.

The range of color of hollyhocks is also spectacular, from peaches, pinks, orange's and reds but I prefer the darker more dramatic shades, like Hollyhock Nigra, which is available to buy as seed from Amazon.

The ruffled, dark purple, almost black, full petals are not only dramatic, but will also attract the pollinators making it a win-win addition to your planting scheme.

Hollyhocks thrive best in full sun and rich soil. If growing from seed they can be sown directly outdoors after the last frost, or start indoors 6–8 weeks earlier. Plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep and space 18–24 inches apart.

These biennials may not bloom until their second year but the vertical drama and antique feel you'll eventually get will be worth the wait. It's also worth remembering to protect young plants from slugs and provide staking when hollyhocks finally get established.

USDA zones 3–9.

5. Cosmos ‘Sensation’

In shades of pinks, magenta and white, cosmos are not only a wonderful cut flower but their daisy-like flowers and lacy foliage bring effortless grace and romance to borders and pair really well with dahlias and zinnias.

The ‘Sensation’ mix is a classic, available to buy as seed from Annie Heirloom Seeds is also loved by bees and butterflies, bringing movement, life and vitality to your yard.

I would however urge you to hold of sowing cosmos, which are an annual, until after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Scatter seeds in full sun, where you want them to flower, pressing them lightly into the soil, and thin seedlings to 12–18 inches apart.

Cosmos are drought-tolerant and thrive in poor to average soil, making them a great flower to grow if you want to create a naturalistic feel to your yard and of course attract lots of pollinators, all part of Morris's vision.

USDA zones 2–11

A celebration of beauty, heritage, and creativity, heirloom flower seeds will allow you to weave history and character into your yard and live in harmony with nature as William Morris had intended. So, what are you waiting for?

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