Agastaches, such as Sonoran sunset (left) and sunset hyssop, reseed in some gardens, but not in others. The seedlings seem to spread more prolifically on bare ground or in sparsely mulched areas.
Do you have what it takes to grow self-seeding plants? Maybe, if you don’t mind seedlings popping up here and there, and you have the guts to destroy plants that turn thuggish. Because let’s face it–reseeders aren’t for everyone.
But for budget-conscious gardeners, self-sowing can offer an inexpensive way to fill gaps in a garden or cover large chunks of real estate in a hurry.
Let’s say you want to create a cottage garden in your back yard, but you’re concerned that self-sowers will crowd out your existing plants. You can select gently reseeding annuals and perennials.
The trick to successful reseeding is being able to recognize seedlings so you don’t mistake them for weeds and kill them. Study the leaf structure of mature plants, then compare it to that of the seedlings. The seedlings with long, slender leaves on the right and in the rear are sunset agastache. The plants to the left, with broader leaves, are Sonoran sunset agastache. Notice the tiny plant just sprouting at the far right? It’s another Sonoran sunset agastache.
Well-behaved annuals include sunflowers, pansies and sweet alyssum. As for polite perennials, consider low-growing bloody cranesbill with its bright fuchsia blooms; lady’s mantle with its fluffy lime-green clusters; or cupid’s dart with its purplish-blue flowers resembling bachelor buttons. You can also choose English lavender, bleeding heart, lupine, purple coneflower, chocolate flower, penstemon or agastache, as well as biennial snapdragon.
If you’re more interested in populating a large, sun-scorched area to prevent weeds, pick seedy characters that spread quickly. Aggressive annuals, such as California poppies, larkspur, bachelor buttons, cosmos and blue flax will sprout in your yard for years to come. You can also toss in a few strong-willed perennials, such as hardy four o’clock, with its deep-pink trumpet-shaped blooms and mint-green leaves; globe thistle with its architectural growth habit and spiky blue flowers; and knautia with its burgundy, pincushion-shaped flowers on long stems.
Broadleaf weeds or desirable perennials? These are baby soapworts, which can spread 24 to 36 inches wide and produce masses of pink flowers in spring.
Other quick spreaders include prairie winecups, Jupiter’s beard, Mount Atlas daisy, catmint, yarrow, hollyhock, rose campion, soapwort, and salvias such as May night. And don’t forget ornamental grasses, such as Mexican feather grass and little bluestem.
In the vegetable garden, lettuce is notorious for producing babies if you allow the plant to go to seed. You may also find volunteer tomatoes, spinach and purple mustard.
Check around your compost pile, too, for baby cantaloupes and other squashes that may have sprouted from seeds of decomposed parent plants. You’ll need to protect these little ones from the cold in early spring, but you can transplant them to your garden once the weather warms up.
Chives, both common and garlic, can reseed to the point of weediness in the garden. So can dill. Other self-sowing herbs are culinary sage, cilantro, some sorrels, catnip, oregano, borage, calendula, parsley and chamomile.
If you eventually discover that you have too much of a good thing, you can discourage reseeding by deadheading or yanking plants before they go to seed.
Blossoms & Blueprints 