Top Seeds for Scattering

Here are my favorites arranged from small to tall.

Alyssum--a low compact edging plant that comes in white, violet and rose colors. When blooms start dying off, just cut back and flowers reappear shortly again. This year, 2011, I bought Ferry-Morse White Carpet of Snow 450 MG per pkg. Still looking for violet ones. Annual $1.35

California Poppy—Commonly recognized as orange, is also showing up in other colors. Works really well in dry soil for those areas you don’t want to water, but come to think of it I haven’t watered any of these plants listed.  I purchased Mission Bells which looks like it should be a pastel mix of yellows, and shades of oranges. Ferry-Morse 750 MG per pkg. Annual $1.58

Nasturtiums planted in 2010

Nasturtiums—These flowers, so they say, are used in salads. Started as orange but is breaking out in other as well. This however isn’t a "throw-in-the-air" plant. You need to actually put the pea size seed in the ground and cover with a little soil. I bought Ferry-Morse 7.5 G Jewel, mixed colors, Annual $1.78 per pkg.


Sweet William Catchfly. Silene armeria. In Wanda's garden it's called Sweet Wanda Catchfly--a Top Seed Pick. Reseeds--annual. If you can find this, buy it! Pink, annual.

Sweet William Catchfly came up from seed 

Nigella/Love in the Mist-- Beautiful when it has gone to pod. Great old fashioned cottage garden look that dries beautifully just by hanging from the basement ceiling. Note: I gave up drying flowers in my basement when the snakes moved in.  Probably won't purchase, the volunteers come up every year and I just either thin or move or leave them where they are. Burpee did have Nigella seeds but they were called Chocolate Sundae (?) or something like that-Ugh!

This comes up from last year's seeds as well.

Four O’clocks (yellow, red, pink, white) usually come in mix colors but I think you can find them in just one color. Thinking I may not plant these this year.

Sweet William

Sweet William (sometimes blooms the first year—other times the following) pink, salmon, scarlet, white. These will come up again.

Larkspur

Larkspur--(whites, pinks, violets) relative of those unwieldy perennial delphiniums  where even if you stake them with recycled aluminum gutters, they still flop over. These too usually come back through the spread of previous year's seeds, but I bought more. Ferry-Morse 975 MG, Giant Imperial mixed colors, per pkg $1.35. Annual

Cleome

Cleome or Spider Flower (known for pink and white blooms). Cottage gardeners can't live without them! Sometimes volunteer seeds show up which is okay, but they can be a little dorky looking. I bought Ferry-Morse Four Queens Mix, 185 MG. $1.35 per pkg. Annual

Cosmos

Cosmos (all colors)  Reseeds readily, but expect a surprise when it blooms because you won't know until then. Annual. Best to get seeds so you know what color it's going to be ahead of time!

Verbena

Verbena.  (purple/violets) Lots of types of verbena--this one V. bonariensis. Also did not buy; seeds like weeds, but it's pretty both in the garden and off, ready to cut and put in a slender vase.

Zinnias—small ones, medium, tall, ruffles, name the color, they come in it.


Herbs: Cilantro (fast and easy growing) has nice white flowers; seeds fall off and reseed themselves; and of course smell and taste wonderful. Great filler with a delicate baby-breathe charm. Will reseed from last year, but bought Dill and Basil also. 

Brown-eyed Susans

Brown eyed (sometimes called Black eyed) Susans

For early spring:

Dame's Rocket

Dame's Rocket - Considered an "illegal flower" by some uppity gardeners, but I've had no trouble with it.

Meadow with Dame's Rocket and Ox-eyed Daisies (also called weeds)