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Fine, dust-like seeds, such as those of Begonia and Meconopsis, are difficult to see and handle; although you can just press them onto the surface of the compost, often it is better to mix them with dry silver sand and then sow them. Here are a few clues to success when sowing fine seeds:

• Select a dry, shallow pot, about 13 cm (5 in) wide, and fill it with soil-based seed compost (this has a finer texture than peat-based types and forms a flatter surface for fine seeds).

• Firm the compost evenly with your fingers, then refill and level it with the pot’s surface. Use a round compost presser (or the top of a jar) to level the surface about 12 mm (½ in) below the rim.

• Open the seed packet and add a heaped teaspoon of silver sand to the packet. Close the packet and shake to ensure the contents are well mixed.

• Some gardeners sow seeds directly from the packet, but unless you are experienced at this it is likely that all of the seeds will fall out in a heap.

• Instead, tip the mixture of seeds and silver sand into a piece of white, stiff, paper or card – about 15 cm (6 in) long and 6 cm (2½ in) wide – that has been folded into a V-shape along its length. Then you can easily see the mixture of seeds and silver sand, and by directing the folded paper over the compost and tapping its end you can encourage the seeds to fall over the surface evenly.

• There is no need to cover the seeds; just use a presser, or the top of a jar, to press them into the compost.

• Stand the pot in a bowl shallowly filled with water; when moisture seeps to the surface of the compost, remove the pot and allow it to drain. Then, either cover it with a transparent lid or place the pot in a polythene bag and seal it.

• Remove the bag as soon as seedlings appear.