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1Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
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Light: Full sun to part shade in hot climates
Sweet alyssum is a low-growing annual with honey-scented flowers. Pollinators love this flower, which blooms well into autumn until a hard freeze. The minuscule seeds will spread themselves everywhere, filling in cracks between stone pavers and garden beds to provide a carpet of white or pink.
2Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
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Light: Full sun
Cosmos have feathery foliage and beautiful flowers in every colour you can imagine. These annuals produce more blooms if you deadhead. But if you want them to self-sow, leave a few to go to seed so they can drop into your flower beds. They’re a great addition to cutting gardens.
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3Love in a Mist (Nigella damascens)
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Light: Full sun
This charming flower has a delightful name, lacey foliage, and the most ethereal-looking flowers you’ve ever seen in shades of blue, pink or white. It’s a lovely annual to sow amidst your flower or vegetable garden, where it will return for years.
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4Ammi (Ammi majus)
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Light: Full sun
Ammi is a tall annual that pollinators love. However, this plant does tend to be a wee bit aggressive about reseeding, so deadhead some of the spent flowers and let others go to seed, or this plant can take over. Its flat white or pinkish flowers are amazing in cut bouquets.
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5Viola (Viola tricolor)
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Light: Full sun to part shade
Violas are a welcome hallmark of spring. These annuals prefer cool weather and will happily bloom until the heat of summer arrives, self-seeding for next year. Plant them in part shade, and their blooms will last longer.
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6French marigolds
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Light: Full sun
This sturdy annual has been a favourite for generations because it’s so cheerful, easy to grow, and tolerant of heat and drought. When the flowers dry up, help them self-seed by removing the spent flower head, breaking it open, and spreading the seeds across your flower beds. Deadheading them this way will also produce more blooms.
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7Forget Me Not (Myosotis spp)
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Light: Full sun to part shade
These clusters of azure-blue flowers popping up in gardens are a joy to see in spring and early summer. These little blue beauties also self-seed prolifically, so will quickly spread around the base of other plants, crowding out weeds and providing soil cover.
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8Lupine (Lupinus)
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Light: Full sun to part shade in warmer climates
This hardy perennial prefers cool weather. Its gorgeous spikes of pink, blue or white flowers appear in spring. Because it’s a short-lived perennial that only thrives for a few years, it’s smart to allow it to self-seed so you have flowers again next year.
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9Poppy (Papaver)
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Light: Full sun
Poppies can be annual or perennial, but the common red poppy, which is as hardy a flower as you’ll ever plant, is an annual. Once its flower fades, it forms a round-ish capsule full of seeds that happily self-sow in the garden.
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10Allium (Allium spp)
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Light: Full sun
Alliums have striking ball or drumstick-shaped flowers that appear in spring to summer, depending on the variety. These pollinator-friendly perennials are fabulous self-seeders, and if they pop up somewhere you don’t want them, simply transplant the hardy seedling elsewhere. There are both edible alliums, such as chives and garlic chives, and ornamental cultivars with various heights ranging from a foot to 3 feet tall.
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11Vervain (Verbena bonariensis)
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Light: Full sun
The tall, gangly stems of vervain make a wonderful addition to cutting gardens, and pollinators love them. The striking quality makes this plant a great addition to contemporary and traditional border garden design.
Vervain self-sows readily in autumn – but due to its tall, airy stems, it doesn’t crowd or smother other plants.
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Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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