Self-seeded plants are flowers for free. And they’re the lazy – or busy – gardener’s best friend. And because they’ve chosen where to grow, they won’t need much attention. They’re the ultimate in fuss-free gardening.
Here I pick 20+ of my favourite self-seeders, with tips on how to make the most of them (though they’ll be doing all the work!) Plus what you need to know about ‘invasive plants’.
00:00 These flowers are almost all self-seeded
00:41 Alliums
01:05 Alchemilla mollis
01:34 Common daisy – Bellis perennis
01:40 Erigeron karvinskianus – Mexican daisy
02:16 Do less weeding for more self seeders
02:36 Aquilegia
03:10 Borage
03:40 Cerinthe major purpurescens (Honeywort)
04:20 Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
04:43 Invasive plants and self-seeders – always check for your area
05:42 Euphorbia oblongata (Mediterranean spurge)
06:00 Cyclamen hederifolium
06:38 Gladiolus communis ‘Byzantinus’ – wild gladioli
07:10 Lychnis coronaria – rose campion
07:38 Foxgloves
08:08 Marigolds and primroses
08:56 Smyrnium perfoliatum (perfoliate alexanders)
09:34 Nigella (Love-in-a-mist)
09:48 Poppies (Papaver rhoeas)
10:37 Sisyrinchium
10:57 Purple toadflax (Linaria vulgaris purpurea)
11:23 Verbena bonariensis
12:10 Video on self seeding and spreading ground cover plants for difficult places: https://youtu.be/ckUwEcn7oI0
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21 Comments
Just found you and your garden is a goal of mine. Do you ever collect the seeds?
love your videos!
I'm glad you mentioned about the aquilegia as I have a tiny little clump which comes up every year but has never spread. I haven't actively taken seeds from it so maybe I need to do that and see if I can get it to grow and flower elsewhere.
Beautiful garden
Your taste seems to come naturally to me. I wonder if it is my abundance of English (Walton) DNA? I appreciate your presentations. Thank you so much.
I have decided Queen Anne's Lace and our local purple milkweed is so beautiful that it belongs at the back of my beds. After the larkspur goes to seed, the purple of the milkweed is a perfect replacement. My most successful self-seeder has been pinks. (Dianthus)
Thank you for this beautiful explanation.You navigated so well. It was a joy watching snd listening to you.
I decided some time ago that I wanted a Piet Oudolf style garden with just ornamental grasses en perennial flowers. But I just can't seem to say goodbye to the selfseeders in my garden. I especialIy love Californian poppies and long-spurred valerian. They do really well on our dry and sandy soil.
Very well done!
I planted some Green alkanet the other day from the hedge
I live in central Europe. In my garden and in the many gardens that I know of Verbena bonariensis, which I used to love, has recently become a weed which is difficult to keep under control. It self-seeds everywhere, even in the pots with roses and pelargoniums. I find it really impossible to eradicate even though I do try to dead-head it regularly. It might become an invasive plant soon.
Thank you so much. Had to subscribe. Just wonderful.❤️🇨🇦
I wish seeds could speak and say where they want to settle so that I wouldn't fret about whether or not they would grow where I put them, such as recently scattered foxgloves. Hopefully there were so many seeds that at least one might germinate!
Anyway thank you for the video which is beautiful in sight abd sound!
Glad I found your videos! Awesome
I tried for many years to grow Verbena from seed and never had any luck. They don't like "care".
A kind lady told me to throw the packet of seeds in a gravel area and that was the method that finally got me my most beloved plant. Now it is migrating to all more borders and I can't believe just how much I adore them.
Those daisies are looking lovely, I would like to see them one day in my garden
☺️☺️☺️
Really enjoy your informative videos here in British Columbia., Canada, My flower beds are filled with self seeders, love them all.
Fabulous! Thank you, Alexandra!
the Euphorbia oblongata is not the same as Blupurium (Sp?). A plant that was marketed here in the US as a filler for florist arrangements? Yes, it is a prolific self seeder.
Your advice and knowledge has been at the forefront of my garden design in my new garden. I'm learning so much from your videos, thankyou x