Six weeks or so ago I sprinkled some three-year-old Shirley Poppy seeds in a bed I've been having problems trying to get anything to grow but the daffodils that are in there. I plant only annuals in this bed to grow when the daffodils are finished. About three weeks ago I saw poppy sprouts all over in the bed, which surprised me really because I thought the seeds would be too old. So then I sprinkled quite heavily Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa), Farewell-To-Spring (Clarkia amoena) and Queen Anne's Thimbles (Gilia capitata). I now have lots of little sprouts in that bed, and if it would ever get warm and the sun shine, those little babies would grow faster. All I did was sprinkle them around just before a rain so the rain would beat the seeds into the soil to give the seeds better contact with the soil and not get blown away. I hope the plants do well, otherwise next year I'll be on the hunt for something else to try to grow in this bed. Karen

With annuals like zinnias and cosmos (both of which I plant a lot), I tend to sow them pretty close and don't worry much about distance initially. Both are easy to move around when seedlings emerge. Ultimally, I leave 12 to 18 inches between them, I suppose. Zinnias can get mildew if they're packed too closely, but that's not a huge issue in my climate. I always space annuals more closely than the package recommends. That's my 2 cents worth anyway. dan

Bronze Fennel n the back for color, texture, butterflies and can be direct sown. Dill and Parsley also have that umbrel type flower that attracts beneficial insects. Parsley is Biennial but starts easily from seed with patience, you just have to wait until the second year for bloom. I planted seed every year for awhile, so I always have some seedlings getting ready for the next year and bloom for that year. I use mine mid border. Try wintersowing Hollyhocks when your house is finished. I gave up on Hollyhocks due to rust. Maybe you'll have better luck. They are gorgeous. Delphiniums are a great cottage garden plant, but not easy to start from seed and germination is low. The newer Millennium varieties are the best, and if you find seedlings for sale somewhere, you would probably be better off. I am talking about the perennial. Not sure if there is an annual? I grow my 4 oclocks in pots rather than the ground because they produce tubers that can keep coming back and I'm overly cautious about anything that can become a pest. They are very fragrant but open around dinner time not during the day. On a warm summer night the fragrance can really travel. I wouldn't be without them. Calendula is very easy and good for front of border. And easy to save the seed from year to year. Cosmos 'Double Click', I had this briefly, but it didn't stay upright Other single cosmos are great and do reseed in a mannerly way. I found that once I planted them, I was never without them again without any need for me to start more. Love Verbascum, but have not tried to grow hybrids from seed. It can be front of the border or mid border Achillea will spread a lot and quickly. Echinacea is a wonderful perennial addition and some varieties will reseed for you once established. I have a lot of seedlings this year. Some people find Verbena bonariensis a pest eventually. I have been growing it for about 3 years and this year I am starting to see it pops up in a lot of area that requires my attention. Still liking it though. Columbines are very easy but they reseed a little too vigorously for me. I still like them, but I deadhead carefully now. Dianthus is easy from seed, but I have only winter sown them not direct sown. I think they may need a cold period? They are a nice cottage garden plant for the front of the border and will give a good period of bloom if you don't mind deadheading them. They are another plant whose seed are very easy to save and start for year to year. Wintersowing them is as easy as it gets. There are perennial and annual versions. Some are fragrant. Four years, your Butterfly Bush should be performing well. Is it growing in full sun?

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK Perhaps I am. Indeed, I know I am overcomplicating this. Apologies. I guess? While I appreciate your offer of help (or maybe, more precisely, the claim that you are offering help). . . let me just say that I feel as though, from your tone--you decidedly do not understand what it means to be on a fixed income and rent (e.g., not have any long-term commitment to the garden you're trying to improve). I don't have time; that's exactly it. Annuals just make more sense. It's unfortunate that I have some shade, but I have to make the most of it and figure out what works for me. I can't spend $400 on plants; I don't think I can spend $200 on plants, frankly. And then all the other stuff @floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK: e.g., Hall's Honeysuckle might seem to you to be ugly and "potentially invasive,"--admittedly, it is in most places--but it decidedly is not in Portland, Oregon, from every single source I've read. And trust me, I'm thorough. I just want something that will thrive and grow quickly despite my difficult soil conditions. That's why answers like those of @einportlandor are a little more helpful, you know? "Yeah, I was broke, too, I understand how you feel... planted poppies and nasturtium and it all worked out fine!" This isn't rocket science. I just want my backyard to look nice. On the super-cheap. I don't need cutting comments for no good reason guised as "help." And to address your query re the soil; argh. I have done everything within my very limited means and power to fix the soil problems and spent approximately $700 in the past year in the wrong-headed attempt to do so: I mixed in 6" of compost 2x by double digging and excavated about 50 gallons of pebbles/rocks and a miscellany of items left by previous tenants. I created a swale and taught myself how to build a rain garden to handle what the gutters can't manage; I regraded the yard, aerated the lawn; etc. etc. This year, I decided to give up on anything more than a little patch o' grass for my dog and constructed "lasagne"-like raised beds (not supported by anything; my landlord won't let me install anything permanent, like even a floating deck, but I put down wood chips everywhere else. It's the only way that I'll anything approaching meaningful drainage (on my budget) and not spoil even moisture-friendly perennials. Forgive me; just a bit frustrated by what feeling like I've been subjected to [inexplicable] derision/passive-aggression rather than been helped. I'll back out slowly now . . . I honestly don't believe you really even want to look at photos or mappings of my garden (other than to get in something that might be helpful but will definitely be officious). I don't ever do this but this nice/mean thing sucks and I just had to respond; sorry. Thanks all.