Flowers that replant themselves!
Sure, they’re called annuals, but buy their seeds once, and you’ll have blooms year after year.
For continuous color, you can’t beat annuals. But some people can’t bear to spend money on plants that die with the first autumn freeze. However, if you will choose reseeding annuals, they will come back everywhere. You need only look at the flower selections presented in this section to understand. Each one derives much of its seasonal color from flower seeds you buy and sow only once—plants such as poppies, larkspurs, coreopsis, cosmos and Texas wildflowers. After they finish flowering, their seeds drop to the ground, and then new plants magically appear the following year.
Self-sown seedlings, often called “volunteers,” sometimes show up in unexpected places—gravel paths, cracks between rocks, or right in the middle of a clump of something else. This randomness gives a cottage garden its charm and surprise. And if you don’t like where something sprouts, it’s okay to yank it up.
Tricks for Planting – First, do not apply pre-emergent herbicide to the area where you are planting seed.
• Select an empty spot
• Prepare the soil by adding any necessary amendments, such as compost, peat, or ground bark
• Rake the soil surface smooth, removing rocks and sticks
• Sow seeds evenly over the soil, using a rake to barely cover them; then water gently. Do not mulch at this time.
When should you sow them? Spring or fall is fine for most flowers. However, for those that bloom during the cool weather of spring, such as poppies, larkspurs, mists, fall is the only option.
After the Blooming – Once flowers set seed, you can let the plants drop them on the soil and wait to see what comes up here and there. Or you can collect the seeds and sow them at the proper time according to the above procedure. Either way, a small investment of money and time will bring you many happy returns.
Blooms that Come Back
• Bachelor’s button
• Clasping coneflower
• Coleus
• Coreopsis
• Cosmos
• Crested cockscomb
• Forget-me-not
• Impatiens
• Indian blanket
• Larkspur
• Money plant
• Poppies
• Queen Anne’s Lace
• Spider Wort
• Sweet William
Wildflowers
Bluebonnets. Picture and Article by Judy Callicoatt
Wildflower planting dates depend on location and weather patterns. Rockwall County is in Zone 8b according to the USDA Plant Hardiness Map. The recommended planting dates are October 1st – December 1st. The seeds will remain dormant within the soil until early spring. Placement has a big impact on the success of plants. Select a site that has supplemental water available and well-draining soil that is not compacted. The location should receive a great deal of sunshine per day. The flowers require a minimum of eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Some species tolerate partial shade. The source of your seeds should provide this information as well as other information to encourage successful results. Sow only to the depth recommended. It is better to sow the seeds too shallow than too deep. Do not cover the seeds.
- Mow or eliminate any existing or dead vegetation. Remove this material. Rake or lightly till the surface of the soil. No more than one inch in depth.
- Mix seeds with a carrier such as masonry sand, perlite, or potting soil. A mixture of one part seed to four parts carrier.
- Broadcast one half of the seed mixture as uniformly as possible over the prepared area. Sow the remaining seed mixture perpendicular to the original pattern.
- Press the newly planted seeds into the soil by walking or rolling over them. Do not cover any deeper than 1/16 inch.
- Gently apply supplemental watering if needed. The area should remain moist for 4-6 weeks. The area should not be allowed to completely dry.
- Extreme weather conditions: hail, drought, excessive rainfall, flooding, or unseasonably cold temperatures may be harmful.
Note about our beloved Texas Bluebonnets: To increase bluebonnet germination rate, scarify the seeds. Scarification means scratching or nicking the seed coats to simulate natural weathering processes.