Which annuals readily reseed for you?
luvtosharedivs
16 years ago
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aka_margo
16 years agotsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Which Annuals Will You Grow Again And Why?
Comments (52)What other sources have you used for your Whirligig zinnias, Zenman? As you may recall, I am not after the doubles particularly, but the singles, which the butterflies prefer. They make better "landing pads" for them. I think these are the ones I'll try next year. Thank you! My best performing annuals this year, and ones I will keep, include a lovely purple flowering Gomphrena that "volunteered" via seeds or something else. The foliage is particularly nice - a rather flat green, but has pink veins. It grew large in width, but only about 1-2' tall. Loved it, and the smaller butterflies, like the Hairstreaks, Blues, and Skippers were all over it. Another is Gazania! Love the color changes in those flowers, from a pink/white to brilliant orange. They take the heat and drought like troopers, too. They do need sun or the flowers won't open, but boy, are they stunning flowers. Cleome is one I allow to reseed and will always be a garden staple. I grow it because of the unusual flowers, and because the Cabbage Whites use it as a larval host plant. Doesn't stop it from blooming its head off. Sunflower - a yellow common one that popped up in the garden from bird seed mix. Much branching habit, smaller flowers than the Mammoth and such, but it has been loved by the finches, bees, moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds. I think the hummers dine on the tiny insects that are attracted to it. They get about 10-12' tall, but the wildlife show you get from them is outstanding! I always have Cosmos 'Cosmic Orange' in the garden, which self sows yearly, and the butterflies love it, too. A native annual I grow that I adore is Verbesina enceliodes, or Golden Crownbeard. The leaves are a bluish green color - very attractive - and the flowers are a very nice color of yellow, with yellow stamens, so you get a monochromatic look from them. They are very popular with the butterflies and get about 3' tall. Leaves are attractive with serrated edges. It also reseeds, but not to the point of nuisance. Susan...See MoreWhich annual seeds to direct sow now? (fall)
Comments (9)I would like to try direct sowing some flower seeds in the Fall to assure that I get blooms in the Spring from them. Here's my dilemma..For the last two years,We have paid somebody to do our Fall maintenance and put down mulch. My husband insists we have mulch spread both in Spring and Fall. How can I continue to have the fall mulching session and direct sow flower seeds where I want them to grow? I feel that the Fall mulching keeps the soil too moist or wet. The soil is very rich, I think it needs to be lighter if that makes sense. Hubby wants the flowerbeds to look neat, even in the winter. I feel that there's still mulch left on the flowerbeds from the Spring Mulching..why pay for adding more? If I direct sow before Mr. B comes to do the Fall mulching, won't the mulch smother the seeds and they not be able to germinate? If we do have Mr. B to Fall mulch, can't I just pull the mulch away to sow the seeds and not put the mulch back where the new seeds are sown? This question seems so long but I need to work this out in my mind. I have never sown any seeds in the Fall....See Morewhich annual plant
Comments (34)I was thinking Amaranthus 'Intense Purple'. You can get it to grow much shorter (as short as you want actually) and bushier if it's cut back a few times to a few more depending on what outcome you're looking for. Beware though it re-seeds like crazy, but is easy to pull or hoe. In my case I need to use a hoe mostly in places where it re-seeds to the point of being a carpet! When I get a reasonable smaller patch after hoeing then I can thin it out easier by hand. You can also dig up and transplant to different locations easy when they are still seedlings. To collect seed, I just cut off the flower plumes and toss into paper bags and shake. Dump some in a large bowl and winnow the chaff out. Seeds are also edible in hot cereals, in making breads as seed or ground into flour :) Here are some pics showing them growing at different final heights of my choosing: Growing here at about 3' tall...tjey looks shorter in the picture than they actually were... ...about 2 to 2.5 tall: ...and finally I had these ones growing with Profusion Zinnia's at about 12" tall!...See MoreBoston Area - Annuals that Reseed.
Comments (9)Aside from the Asclepias tuberose that DtD mentioned, I am unfamiliar with 'reseeding' annuals that attract butterflies, but I haven't been focused on doing that. I have tried to include plants that butterflies like, but those I have are not necessarily annuals that reseed. Parsley is an herb that some butterflies use and I do grow that. It is a biennial though. You can grow it from seed and it will provide foliage that can be used in cooking that first year, then I leave it in place here in zone 6 and some years it winters over and sometimes it doesn't. The second year, it produces a flower and seed which you can collect and keep it going that way. Then there is the annual zinnia that butterflies seem to like, as Dee mentioned, but I've never had it reseed either. But, it is very easy to start from seed every year. It germinates in a week or less I think and will keep blooming all season to the Fall. As for annuals that reseed, poppies, columbine are two that I use. Like debra, I sowed portulaca once and I still get some coming back every year. Oh, California poppies have reseeded very well for me. And Lunaria is another biennial, that blooms in late spring, drops seed later in the season, which germinates and starts a new plant that blooms the next spring....See Moreluvtosharedivs
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