No luck with growing Stock

My first time gardening this year has been quite successful up to now apart from my Stock growing skills!
My Night scented Stock are doing well and have just started to flower.
I also sowed ten week Stock in pots which were doing well until I put them outside then they died so I decided to sow some seeds in various parts of the garden straight into the ground just like it said on the packet but they've not done well either. They seem to get to about an inch high then shrivell up.
Are they known to be hard to grow from seed?
Any tips? x

 

Did you harden off the stock in pots before planting them outside? If not, that may be the reason they died. My stock that I grew from seed is currently in the garden and growing on okay. I rarely plant flower seeds direct, or if I do I plant some in trays as well as a backup - I don't trust them to grow without my help! Having said that, I did scatter seeds of "plants for pollinators" in April and the plants have all sprouted up okay - I'm waiting for them to burst into flower!
for the night-scented stock.