Create a Cottage Garden that Plants Itself!
Open-pollinated flowers are pollinated by insects such as bees and moths and always come true from seed, resulting in flowers that look like the parent plant, with occasional variations from natural cross-pollination that can be unique and delightful.
Plant Hardy Annuals in the Fall
Nature usually gets things right when it comes to starting new generations, and many plants in the wild shed their seeds at the end of the growing season. Follow nature's lead and sow your favorite hardy annuals in fall for flowery spring and early summer gardens. Many of these seeds are in a dormant state when the flower sheds them, so as to prevent them from germinating just before wintertime. They require exposure to cool, moist conditions over a long period of time (several weeks to months) to break dormancy and germinate.
Simple Steps for Fall Sowing
Choose the right varieties for your site: Accommodating your hardiness zone, soil drainage and the sun exposure of your site is important for success. For example, California poppies are happy in well-drained soils in sun, as are larkspur, poppies, and more. Tobacco, Chinese forget-me-not, and viola do well in partly shaded sites.
Prepare your beds by clearing away faded summer annuals and any weeds that have encroached. Be sure to rake mulch from around your self-sowers; they need bare ground to "take hold" for next year. In colder climates, wait until after the first killing frost to sow your seeds. This is done so as to ensure the growing season has ended, typically starting in October. Any seeds that germinate in fall can be protected with a very light cover of mulch, such as leaves or straw, especially if little snow is predicted, as snow insulates the ground. In warmer climates, sowing can be done November-December. This timing is suggested so that they will bloom fully and for as long as possible before the extreme heat of summer arrives and heat-loving annuals take their place.
Hardiness Zones 5 & 6
Variety (Fall sowing window)
Agrostemma (October-November)
California Poppy (October-November)
Chinese Forget-Me-Not (October-November)
Cornflower (October-November)
Coreopsis (October)
Feverfew (October-November)
Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate (October-November)
Larkspur (September-October)
Poppy (October-November)
Prickly Poppy, Argemone platyceras (October-November)
Sweet Sultan (October-November)
Tall Verbena (October)
Hardiness Zone 7
Variety (Fall sowing window)
Agrostemma (October-November)
Calendula (October-November)
California Poppy (October-November)
Chinese Forget-Me-Not (October-November)
Coreopsis (October)
Cornflower (October-November)
Echium (October)
Feverfew (October-November)
Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate(October-November)
Larkspur (September-October)
Love-in-a-Mist (October)
Poppy (October-November)
Prickley Poppy (October-November)
Sweet Sultan (October-November)
Tall Verbena (October-November)
Venus's Looking Glass (October-November)
Hardiness Zones 8 & 9
Variety (Fall sowing window)
Agrostemma (October-November)
Baby's Breath (October )
Calendula (October-November)
California Poppy (October-November)
China Pink (October-November)
Chinese Forget-Me-Not (October-November)
Clarkia (October)
Coreopsis (October)
Cornflower (October-November)
Echium (October-November)
Tall verbena with a Monarch
Feverfew (October-November)
Flax (October)
Ipomopsis (September-October)
Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate (October-November)
Larkspur (September-October)
Love-in-a-mist (October)
Linaria (September-October)
Poppy (October-November)
Prickley Poppy (October-November)
Sweet Sultan (October-November)
Tall Verbena (October-November)
Venus's Looking Glass (October-November)
Hardiness Zone 10+
Variety (Fall sowing window)
All hardy annuals (December)
When & where to fall sow Sweet Peas
California (Sow in August-October for early spring bloom; or sow November-January for summer bloom)
Southwest, South Texas and South Florida (Sow in October)
All Lower Southern States (Sow between November-January)
Easy Fall Sow Perennials
Some perennials need the freeze and thaw cycles of winter to break dormancy and grow. The following perennial seeds are best sown in the fall (Oct-Nov), especially if your refrigerator is not big enough to house the sown seeds for a month or more in early spring! Sow in pots in soilless media and place against the North foundation of your house or a in a cold frame. Cover with window screen and keep moist but never standing in water. As spring advances they should emerge.
Hardiness Zones 3-7
Great Bellflower, Campanula latiloba
Blackberry Lily, Belamcanda chinensis
Columbine, Aquilegia ssp.
Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
Coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia
Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium
Heartleaf Speedwell, Veronica grandis
Hollyhock, Alcea rosea (Biennial)
Maltese Cross, Lychnis chalcedonica
Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa
Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca
Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa
Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
Oriental Poppy, Papaver orientale
Spanish Poppy, Papaver ruprifragum
Cowslip Primrose, Primula veris
Rose Campion, Lychnis coronaria
Salvia - Silver Sage, Salvia argentea (Biennial)
Salvia - Clary Sage, Salvia sclarea v. turkestanica (Biennial)
Viola cornuta
Hardiness Zone 8-10 only
Agastache rugosa
Everlasting Pea, Lathyrus latifolius
Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
Horned Poppy, Glaucium flavum var aurantiacum
Oriental Poppy, Papaver orientale
Spanish Poppy, Papaver ruprifragum
Scabiosa, Scabiosa caucasica
Standing Cypress, Ipomopsis rubra
Wallflower, Cheiranthus cheiri