At this lovely time of year (don't say the words "dog days" quite yet), many gardeners need some extra oomph to putter in the garden. One idea to reinvigorate the garden and ourselves while planning ahead is shopping nursery sales for already-bloomed perennials that will benefit from late summer planting, and re-seed. This way you get a lift both in terms of the hardiness of the plant next summer and perhaps some babies as well.
So let's play at being Johnny Appleseed. One obvious proof of re-seeder's success is to look at the persistent weeds in the garden. They re-seed with a persistence that is shocking. Why can't we get the rest of the garden to do the same?
One reason self-seeders are so easy to care for is because they virtually grow themselves. Among these plants are agastache, berlandiera, blue flax, centranthus, columbine, coreopsis, delphinium, echinacea, gaillardia, helianthus, hollyhock, foxglove, penstemon, sage salvia and achillea. Some grasses re-seed as well, but make sure about hardiness before investing in these. Other re-seeders, usually considered annuals, are nigella, sunflowers, cosmos, sweet alyssum, dill, California poppies, cornflowers, parsley, violets and pansies.
Don't try to replant seedlings from re-seeders. It makes them most unhappy. Just think about those mail order versions that wither upon planting for no apparent reason. I had two do that this summer: same plant, same place, same results. It was a cosmos. It's best to plant these by seed, and allow nature to take her course. It makes for stronger roots and longer life.
It's also worthwhile to leave room for the re-seeding plants to spread. Biennials such as hollyhock, should be planted, so there are two or more years in succession. After a few years of reseeding themselves, there will always be some plants in bloom.
The right kind of mulch can also help the re-seeding process. Top-dress the perennial bed with compost, organic mulch or gravel, which hides the seeds from hungry birds and small animals. Another way is to scratch the bare soil around the plants to create a seedbed.
If you are saving seeds that birds like, such as sunflower seeds, place a paper bag over the seed heads as they dry.
Two things to keep in mind: Be careful about where you put self-seeders and allow seed heads to dry out on the stem. They'll look nasty but Mother Nature will do the rest of the work for you.
