Great idea Bakemom!

1) Melampodium: It is STILL flowering...since May. What a Plant! I am collecting seeds like crazy cuz I want tons more of this next year.

2)Amaranthus "Hot Biscuit":Fluffy biscuit colored seed heads looked surprisingly wonderful in both the beds and pots. Nice contrast - never thought about that there is little of this neutral color in summer. Makes other plants "pop".

2)Tall (16-24")Ageratum. Easy to grow, long bloom time, great in arrangments.

Nancy

Since I'm just starting my second year I'm allowed to change this list right?!?!
1) poppies-they were the first ones up-so you know IT will really happen! and heck,everyone loves cheap and easy entertainment!
2)Lupine-because I didn't think I could-I've never been able to get these going-but I did with wintersowing!
3)lavender-I hope to someday have the whole bed by the driveway in lavender and Hyacinths....(me floating on clouds and dreaming).....

PS Tiffy cheated-she has four!!LOL!!
(Tiffy can we try too? I can't figure it out-you must have been a spy in a former life!)
-B

Oh gosh Brandy, go ahead!! :O)

Wow. That's a tough one...
1. White Allysum. I had this in every flower bed this year, and it really tied it all together.
2. Crested Cockscomb. Just a cool looking flower! And the bumble bees love it.
3. Double pink hollyhocks. First time ever growing hollyhocks, and these are a winner!

{{gwi:425387}}

Next year will probably be different!
E

Well here I go. I am like Brandymulvaine. Last year tried a couple.

1. Foxglove, I have tried to grow this for years. Finally with ws it was a success!

2. Shasta daisies, really what is not to love about thoses so simple faces with
great show.

3. Morning glory, this for 2 reasons. First I have a utility tie down line in my
yard I always hide. Second It was the only other one I tries last year that
was a big success.

So as you can see I have my work cut out for me this ws season. I want to
fill my lawn w/beauty. I have many flowers growing now, but they were a
lot more costly than ws. So has taken forever to fill up all the space.

Hummm, the code?? Nope not a clue.

Bonnie

ok, here goes
1. aconitums- love them as genus, aconitum carmicaelii still blooming with its intense blue colors- beauty, tough to germinate so only winter sowing works
2.dicentra eximia/formosa- perennial bleeding heart, ferny leaves on small mound type plant which blooms starting early spring and still blooming now. Again, seeds are short lived and can be grown only as winter sown.
3. Impatiens balfouri- poor man's orchid, annual which reseeds well, once you have it you have it forever, tall 2-3 feet plants, still blooming now, no staking, everyone mentions it when they see it.

I'm in - first timer - most everything didn't really take hold 'till very late in the season:

1. Tithonia - Mexican sunflower
2. Balsam [Impatien (?)]
3. Hibiscus (red shield & disco belle)

oops! was that sneaky or what?

I'm loving this whoo hooo! Next year will be better-yay!

Question: not much luck with perennials, what's up with that?

L.

Great thread! :)

It is tough narrowing it down to just three,but these would have to be it:

1. Gallardia,really feel head over heels for them this year,so impressed by how well they are still doing despite this goofy weather.

2. Tassel Flower,absolutely wonderful plant! It is also still going strong,blooming away. I love it for it's tolerance of lighting,soil and weather changes...and of course the butterflies! ;)

3.Tahoka Daisy,love this plant,the foliage and the flowers are just so darned pretty and it also is still going strong,next year I am planning an entire border of these guys,cant get enough of them! ;)

Of course like everyone else,there are many more that I just love and will always have. This only being my second year of ws'ing,I am sure there will be many more in the future that will worm their way into my heart! ;)

Petunias- bloomed amazingly early.
Flowering tobacco- love the evening scent.
ummmmm.
Cleome. Did much better then I thought it would.

Top three perennials:

1) Gaillardia 'Burgandy'
2) Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes'
3) Butterfly Weed

This list will probably change, since several of my WS perennials didn't bloom this year.

Top three annuals:

1) Petunias
2) Gazanias
3) Zinnias

Ha! See I figured out a way to cheat!

... another Bonnie

1. Gaillardia 'Burgundy' - I love the color of these. I'm doing more this year.

2. Pardancanda norrisii - They are so cute when they start poking out of the soil. I like the delicate flowers too.

3. Hostas - This was the first year I winter sowed them. They were so prolific that I will never grow them inside under lights again.

Pat

1. Poppy china white
2. Malva windsor castle
3. larkspur

Yippee I love them plants.. Barb

This year was my first year Winter Sowing and I'm completely sold on it. Lots of success on the ones that I tried. My top three were:
1.Scabiosa Beaujolais Bonnets - Gorgeous!
2.Gaillardia Oranges And Lemons that didn't come true but the plants were very nice anyway
3.Daylily crosses

Linda

Tiffy I cracked the code !!!! I just dont know if I should post the answer !!!

Ok, this WAS SOOO hard...but I would have to say...

1.annuals

2.perreniels

3. bienniels

How is that for cheating ??? LOL

OK, Ok..Ill pick three...

1.zinnia, they have such a long bloom season..and really make a statement in the garden

2.nasturiums...they have such pretty leaves, and color combinations AND they are still blooming today!

3. blackberry lily seeds...I did them last season BUT I was soo excited to see the blooms this season..and the seeds are soo pretty in the fall.

Ask me tomorrow and my list will have changed..LOL

Kym

Last year was my first WS season- such good results it's hard to pin down just three ;-)
1. Cannas- such cute seedlings, and I love the ones with big showy flowers.
2. Hostas- amazing ratio of seeds to plants!!
3. Daylilies- how exciting to watch them grow and to anticipate the blooms.

I couldn't crack tiff's code. Darn it now I am curious. Payback is h - e - double toothpicks.

Chitownlady, your post interested me b/c winter sowing is a fabulous way to grow perennials. It's cheap and easy. Of course I run off to Baker's Acres in Alexandria each year to buy some dainties, but otherwise I am never buying a perennial plant again.

My favorite wintersows are the plants from very small seeds... plants that are in trouble with indoor sowing.
So my favorites are:

Toad lily: flowered the first year with WS and these flowers are gorgeous

Great blue lobelia: again flowered the first year and doesn't mind my patchy shade

Heuchera: tried this plant first from the store and it died but my WS plants are going strong.

I've said this many times before, but the wintersowing/seed exchange folks are some of the nicest human beings on the planet. Thanks to your trades and advice I've planted a little oasis in the "concrete jungle" that's been my escape from urban madness.
Blessings on you all. (and I have to try to limit my containers to 30 this year)

Peace
George

Kym,

Well, what is it?? I am actually packaging seeds of five different kinds this morning. :) Gotta love 'em!!

It was my first year. My top three:
-Anise Hyssop: It started smelling great when it was tiny still in the milk jug.
-Peony Poppy. Stunning blooms, I'll be looking for different color ones this year. One of the first to germinate too.
-Nicotiana. I'm in love with it, I'll plant more this year, the scented variety. In spite of the cold, they are still going strong.

Brandymulvaine, I think lavender would look beautiful along your picket fence! LOL at you guys who are trying to cheat! Picking three favorites is very hard. But of all the WS plants, grown for the first time -

1) Yvonne's Salvia - can't say enough good things. Stunning in the late summer/fall garden, makes a great cutting flower, and the Hummers loved it.

2) Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius) - perennial, shorter aster, resistent to mildew, bloomed profusely the first year (when planted out early enough), and the bees/butterflies loved it.

3) Dill/Fennel - These WS well. They have lovely fragrant flowers, fragrant tasty foliage that can be used for cooking, they make a lovely filler plant, and they are a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly - and a momma did indeed come and lay eggs on the plants.

Truthfully, I love ALL my WS babies! As you can probably tell, when my little winged friends love them too, all the better. Pics of my faves -

Yvonnes Salvia
{{gwi:366981}}

Aromatic Aster (Aster oblongifolius aka Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
{{gwi:444235}}

Black swallowtail caterpillars on Bronze Fennel -
{{gwi:426157}}

OMG, you've got to be kidding me! Three? Only three? Hmm, I liked Kym's answer, lol!

Okay, let's see....

Chinese asters - all of them

Sunflowers - all of them

Either zinnias (all of them) or marigolds (all of them).

Okay, I know, I know, I cheated, but I honestly can't decide!

:)
Dee

the code was....lynchnis ( and she got the numbers from the phone...or from texting)

Im sooo glad this wasnt a test....we ALL would of been in trouble...LOL

I am getting soo excited about WS...I am actually going to put out a few containers now.. I was lucky enough to have someone share some jack in a pulpit seeds with me..sure hope I can get them to grow !

terrene: Those Yvonne's salvia are awesome! Have you harvested many seeds from them? I'm hoping to get a few more, but, boy, it's getting harder to get out there. About 40 degrees today, but cloudy, windy, and wintry. I'm not used to these temps yet. Brrrrrr...

Karen

Congratulations Kym!! You got it! Definitely one of my all time favs!

This changes every year, but the best this year were:

1) Iceland poppies - blossomed in bright colors from May well thru July, and everyone who saw them commented on them
2) My seven-foot tall hollyhocks
3)Sweet williams - I had planted these as whole milk jugs, so I had gigantic clumps of them that spread out to almost 3 feet across, and they bloomed themselves silly. Very pretty with the siberian irises and other blues in the garden in early June

I guess if I have to pick three than it would be some of the ones that I do every year,

1. Petunias
2. Pansies
3. Columbine

Really really hard to pick just three ;-)
Wendey

Karen, I just LOVED the Yvonne's Salvia, and yes I harvested seeds! I packaged the seeds the other day, and got about 500 seeds. I am wondering how well they will germinate - as some of the seeds that fell into the cup were whitish and swollen-looking when I harvested them, but then they turned dark and small after drying?

I originally got the seeds from Mskee in a trade (Emily, one of the Yvonne's Salvia gurus) and they had great germination. I compared the seeds I harvested to the ones that Mskee sent, and they look the same.

I've already got a neighbor and a sister who want to grow this plant!

terrene: In my experience, they are tough seeds. I had tons of volunteers in spring, even through thick leaf mulch. Watch for volunteers once your weather breaks.
{{gwi:350582}}

Emily grows her giant ones by starting inside, under lights. She says her volunteers don't get as large as the inside- started ones. I think some of my volunteers were among my taller ones, though. I lost track over summer because they were all planted in the same area, as a hedge.

Karen

I should have said:
1)red ones
2)yellow ones
3)blue ones
....and any hybrids!
-B

Brandy...Love your answer !! LOL

Kym

• Zinnias

• Tomatoes

• Leaf Lettuce

I chose these three simply because they're so reliable - I never have to worry if they'll come up, only when. They really give me a lift when winter seems to be dragging on and on and on...

nicotiana
impatiens
dianthus

this was my first year winter sowing and my top 3 are

Cleome-received from trudi they were gorgeous

foxglove-huge plants can't wait till next years blooms!!

shasta daisy- same reasons as above

Annette

1. Clarkia (C. amoena and/or C. elegans)
2. Zinnia (Profusion type)
3. Cosmo (Cosmic Orange)

I tried petunias for the first time this last season and must say I am totally hooked on them now. They were so easy and in constant bloom. I am looking forward to branching out on varieties this next go round.

Statice is also a forever must have. Such pretty, vibrant colors and the butterflies seem to really enjoy them.

Strawflowers have earned my respect and admiration.

Wow, that was really tough. Next year can we make it our top 5 favorites?;-)~

Okay...I'm going to take this from the stance of what I cannot live without having in my yard, rather than
A. what I plan to WS
B. what I already have in my yard that reseeds
(I'm reading too many academic journals lately and I lack the ability to answer a question in a straightforward manner, without a significant qualifier...)

Zinnias
Cosmos
Sweet William

(Now I had to leave out Calendula...but, Calendula, don't think I don't love you a whole lot.)

There. Whew.

Linda

Vinca
hibiscus
hollyhock
Very easy to winter sow and they blooms all summer.
Carol

My top three WS performers are

Rudbeckia's - all varieties

Lynchnis' - all varieties and they seem to sprout at 110%. I sow as thin as I can and the milk jugs still overflow.

Dianthus' - they are very prolific in them WS jugs too.

The list actually can go on and on and on.......

Annuals
Vegetables
Perennials

ML

LOL!!!

:)
Dee

You know, after reading the "How much will you WS" thread, and seeing Sandysgarden's pictures of Maltese cross - Lychnis chalcedonica - isn't Tiffy's code spelled wrong?? Not that I would have cracked the code in any case because I'd never heard of Lychnis anything before this thread!

In any case, they are very striking and I'm thinking about WSing some. Do they attract butterflies or bees?

Butterflies and Hummers!! And- they are tough as nails! A great plant that Maltese Cross! They make it through our cold MN winters- hot summers- and they are pretty drought tolerant as well!

Gaura, The Bride

Dianthus, Rainbow Loveliness

Columbine, Red Star

Salvia Lady in Red is my number one
Tassell flower is number two
Geum is number three!!!
Can you tell I love red???

Penstemon, viola, foxglove.... Oh my, I see what you mean about this being hard... 'Cause there's also delphinium, hollyhock, scarlet runner bean... :-D

Lois in PA

1) Celosia
2) Zinnias
3) Scabiosa 'Beaujolais Bonnets'

And so many more...three is just not enough!!

OK, I'm cheating 'cause I forget one .... DIANTHUS! WSed them last year and they bloomed forever! Even in winter!

In late spring:
{{gwi:383991}}

Still blooming now (although they do look a little ratty)! Definitely doing more of these!

PV

PV, That's gorgeous.

It's that decision time again; I see. And I am still cleaning up my garden for the season.

Since I have no more room for anything substantial, I have to limit myself to these favorites that I don't want to do without:

1. Petunia
2. Annual Lobelia
3. Marigold 'Lemon Gem'

But I will do a lot more veg. this winter. :-)

oh I really liked this thread, I have never WS before but I was thinking about trying it this year.

Mary

PV: I've not tried dianthus yet. Yours are gorgeous! I love the red one. What kind are they?

Karen