20 Self Seeding Plants That Do All The Work For You

Almost all the plants you see here have self-seeded. Some arrived on the wind, and others are the great-great-grandchildren of plants that I planted long ago. These self-seeders mean I haven’t actually had to buy any extra plants to fill gaps in my border this year, so it’s plants for free. And since they've chosen where they want to grow, they're very low-maintenance—they don't need fertilizing, they don't need staking, they simply pop up and grow. It's Alexandra here from the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel and blog, and I'm going to pick out around 20 plus of my favorite self-seeders. They're all plants that grow in a wide range of climates and zones, so I'll display their hardiness on screen. And I'll start with alliums, which make such a pop of color in mid-summer. I bought about 15 Alliums, Purple Sensation, maybe 10 to 15 years ago, and I've had hundreds of Alliums since. They are quite well behaved; they tend to stay within the border I planted them in. The other Allium, Allium Christophiae, was actually already in the garden when I arrived 23 years ago, but there were only one or two of them then, and now we have dozens. Alchemilla mollis grows between the cracks of our pavers, and weeding between pavers is really quite a tedious job. So a couple of years ago I made the decision that we would only remove the plants we don't want between the pavers. And we would allow the plants we do want, which are Alchemilla mollis and daisies, to grow between the pavers. And then that prevents weeds from settling in those cracks, making it much easier. We do far less weeding now. And there are two kinds of daisies that will grow between pavers, one being the lawn daisy, which has the Latin name Bellis. And the reason I'm saying that is because the other one is known as the Mexican daisy or seaside daisy, and its Latin name is Erigeron. So they're not actually related by DNA, and they're both very resilient little plants. It really won't matter if you step on them, especially not the lawn daisy, which has always been stepped on. I personally would love to have more Erigeron in this garden because my neighbors have absolutely beautiful Erigeron in their front garden, and it looks gorgeous emerging from the cracks in their stonework. But one of the things about self-seeders is that they very much choose where to be. And if they've chosen not to be in a particular part of your garden, there's not going to be much you can do about it. If you're an enthusiastic weeder, you won't end up with as many self-seeders, because anything you do to eliminate weeds will also remove the self-seeders, such as applying a thick layer of bark mulch. But if you're an enthusiastic weeder and you want self-seeders, then simply learn to recognize what the smaller, tiny plants look like, and you'll be able to leave some of those in. Aquilegia often appears on lists of the best self-seeding plants, but it hasn't been one of my most successful self-seeding plants. And that's another thing about self-seeders: they're highly dependent not just on your climate and soil, but also on your microclimate, and whether your garden is sheltered or perhaps somewhat exposed to the wind. All sorts of things that mean a plant self-seeds well in your garden may not self-seed well in my garden. But Aquilegia still self-seeds well enough to belong on this list, because its beautiful, delicate flowers pop up like little surprises around the borders. One plant I've always wanted is borage, and one day it appeared. It blew in on the wind, landed in one of my borders, and has now scattered itself all around the garden. I'm going to have to take a very firm stance on pulling it out. I don't like borage, I don't like borage, I don't like borage, I don't like borage, but I do love its fluffy gray foliage and the tiny, delicate flowers that pollinators adore. It also chose to land among the stems of this rose, and since the stems of a rose are never the most beautiful part of the plant, I'm actually rather delighted by that. Some self-seeders are plants that you grow from seed yourself, and then simply let them reseed naturally throughout the garden. When I first grew Serinthe, I planted it into seed trays; I had a whole packet of seeds, and I ended up with only one or two plants. I planted them out, and they didn't look particularly happy at first, but ever since then I've had lovely clumps of Serinthe. They have beautiful blue flowers that bloom from mid-spring to mid-summer and are once again beloved by pollinators. And that's the thing about self-seeders: they need to have good flowers in order to be pollinated by nature. So you might find that some plants grow better as self-seeders than they do when you've deliberately planted them, and Serinthe is certainly one of those for me. Now Chrycosmia raises another issue for self-seeders. The Chrycosmia was in our garden when we arrived, and it has wonderful scarlet flowers and lovely architectural seed heads. However, since it was introduced into this garden, it has been added to a government list of plants that should not be grown in the wild, should not be planted in the wild, or allowed to grow in the wild. Now, the term "invasive" is used by gardeners in various ways, but certainly, self-seeding plants are more likely to be invasive. The most common use is when people say, oh, that's invasive, and it means it goes much further or faster than you really would like. And that's entirely up to you regarding what you're willing to tolerate. But the more important definition of invasive is when it appears on a list of invasive plants that are prohibited from being sold, bought, planted, or allowed to grow in the wild, among other things. And those lists are on government websites. And the problem with those plants is that they'll self-seed into the countryside. They will outcompete native plants. And that means local wildlife may be deprived of habitat or food sources. So when planning self-seeders, check whether they're invasive in your area. What I mean is, go online, type in the plant's name, add "invasive," then include the name of your area, and check whether it appears on any government lists. Here, Crocosmia has been placed on a government list. And another self-seeder I have, called Euphorbia oblongata, is quite invasive in that regard in some states in the United States, but it's perfectly fine here. And that's why I say it's really important to find out what is technically invasive near you rather than simply accepting someone saying, oh, that's an invasive plant. One of the most charming and delightful self-seeders, particularly for autumn, winter, and early spring, is Cyclamen. Their flowers, white or pink, appear in autumn and winter. And then their leaves, which are tiny heart-shaped things, are such a delight covering the ground in spring and early summer. And then they vanish beneath the soil. There's a group of cyclamen in my garden that have sprung up along with a large amount of sweet woodruff, another delightful early spring self-seeder bearing tiny white flowers. One thing about cyclamen is that you can buy pots of what's called florist cyclamen. That's not so hardy. If you plant those in the garden, they may not survive your winters. They certainly won't if they're very cold. There is one self-seeder that is particularly special in this garden, and that is Gladiola communis, or wild Gladiola. When we moved in, we met someone who had been born in this house in 1937, and he remembers wild gladiolas in the garden from his childhood. There was also a botanical artist who grew up in this house during the Victorian era, and she used to paint wild gladioli. So I think we can safely say that this plant has been self-seeding in this garden for well over 100 years. It dances around across different borders. It spreads throughout the garden, but tends to appear only in the sunniest spots. Lichtis coronaria is one of my favorites. It's called Rose Campion. And this one comes from a couple of plants I bought probably eight or nine years ago, and it has self-seeded ever since. And it self-seeds all around the garden. It spreads into paths, pavers, and similar areas. So last year I gathered up a lot of the tiny little plants and grouped them together so that they would all come out in a clump. But it also self-seeds in a clump. Foxgloves are absolutely at the heart of my late spring and summer garden. And that's another plant that I've found grows better as a self-seeder than when you plant them. I don't think I've really succeeded in planting any foxgloves. They've always just seemed to be here. But one of the things I always find quite amusing about foxgloves is that they seem to have a sense of color. So the pink foxgloves go with the other pink flowers, and the purple foxgloves with the purple alliums, and the white foxgloves next to the silver birch. I mean, they're really thoughtful about how they position themselves. Marigolds and primroses are two of the most common self-seeders, and both are charming. One of the things about marigolds is that they make a good companion plant. I used to let it self-seed in my vegetable patch. In fact, the zucchinis that grew near the marigolds simply had fewer aphids than those located farther away. I don't think there's any scientific research on that, but that's just my experience. And as for primroses, they are such a charming sight in late winter and early spring. They're the easiest plants you can imagine. Other plants crowd them out. And then, when the other plants have disappeared, the primroses return. They don't seem to worry about anything, and they're truly completely charming. And they're another plant that provides an excellent early source of pollen. Because if you have a sunny day in winter, then bees can wake up. And if there are no flowers, there is nothing for them to eat. One of the most striking plants in my garden in spring is Smyrnium perfoliatum. And that really does spread throughout the garden very vigorously. I planted just three plants, which I bought as seedlings, literally around 20 years ago. And now we have it in several borders in the garden. Smyrnium perfoliatum is highly admired. Everyone loves it. However, it is beginning to spread into the countryside. And I think there is a possibility that it will be classified as an invasive plant at some point in the future. So it is worth considering that if you live very close to open countryside or the coastline, it could invade. Nigella is another one that I don't find to be a particularly good self-seeder. It shows up here and there. It is a beautiful, delicate flower and also an excellent cut flower. So it's worth having, but it's probably never going to be a nuisance. Of course, that varies from garden to garden. But where would any discussion of self-seeders be without poppies? Poppies emerge when the ground is turned over. Famously, during the First World War, the trenches, the tanks, and everything else truly churned up the soil. So when the war was over, all the poppy seeds had been stirred up, and there were miles and miles of red poppies. which now stand for the remembrance of the dead and, to some extent, hope. So wherever you've turned over your soil, you'll bring poppy seeds to the surface. I've wanted lilac poppies because my neighbor has some lovely lilac poppies. So I've scattered lilac poppy seeds along the borders. Absolutely nothing has happened. Red poppies have bloomed. Occasionally, a lilac poppy pops up and then it somewhat merges with the red poppy. So once again, this is another plant that truly does exactly what it sets out to do. It doesn't necessarily do anything you've designed it to do. Scissorhynchian is another plant that I've never grown. I don't think it was in the garden when we arrived. It is scattered quite a lot throughout the garden. It's probably the one I open more than anything else. It really is quite persistent, but I do like its creamy spikes along the border. And it is also known as yellow-eyed grass. Another spiky plant, which many people actually consider to be a weed Is purple toadflax or Lenaria purpurea. I used to weed this out. It's a very good food source for caterpillars. And in fact, its flowers are beautiful. And this year I've let it spread much more, and I think it really contributes to the garden. This is a photo I took very late, just after the sun had set. And I think you can see how the blues and purples work really well together. One of the most popular plants today is Verbena bonariensis. because they have really long stems. You can plant it at the front, middle, or back of a border. Its flowers are beloved by pollinators and create a magnificent cloud of purple that is visible from afar. And it self-seeds very well. However, what I've found is that if you just plant one or two Verbena bonariensis Under the impression that you will soon get a clump, you don't really get a clump. If you do plant a clump to begin with, and a friend gave me a whole load of plants one year, Then you will get some regular self-seeding. So you need to plant quite a lot of Verbena bonariensis initially to establish good self-seeding. If you prefer low-maintenance, free plants, then plants that spread are also a good choice. So don't miss the video on 23 stunning ground cover plants, Which are plants that self-seed and spread in very difficult shady conditions? And that's coming up here. And thank you for watching. Goodbye!