Just sow and grow!

I was out in the garden today as the temperature was about 61 degrees at 7:30 am and it was a treat after some cold windy March days. I was cleaning up some winter debris and I started to think, it’s time to start planning the garden!

There is virtually no one I know who does not love flowers. However, I do know a lot a people who think they have a black thumb. This season, instead of spending a lot of money on potted plants at the nursery, give flowering seeds a try. Even if you’ve never gardened before in your life, there are seed varieties that need nothing more than a bit of soil and a drink of water to sprout and grow into beautiful plants with flowers that will delight you all summer! Here are 16 sure fire flowers that no one needs a green thumb to grow. (also this garden will go in for under $20.00)

Zinnia (annual seeds, but well worth the sowing each year)
One of the most popular flowers for American gardens, Zinnias are often the first seeds children learn to grow. These are my most favorite annuals. The colors are magnificent. You just can’t miss with these sun-loving, quick-growing plants! Give them full sun and don’t crowd them too close together, especially if you live in an area where summer nights are humid. They start blooming less than 2 months after the seeds are sown!

Zinnias are “cut-and-come-again” flowers, which means that the more you cut the flowers, the quicker you get new buds. If you want to leave the flowers on the plant, just be sure to deadhead them as soon as they begin to fade. New buds will pop up to take their place!

To sow Zinnia, rake or dig up the top few inches of soil, and plant the seeds a few inches apart, covering lightly with soil and watering in. As the sprouts become crowded, thin them to 6 to 12 inches apart. When they’re about 6 inches high, pinch them, and repeat after 2 weeks.

The butterflies will come and visit you and thank you for planting these. They love Zinnia!

Cosmos (annual seeds, but they come back in my garden every year, but never where I originally planted them)
This sun-loving annual prefers dry, poor soil, which is just perfect from our point of view — less feeding and care to worry about! Its flowers begin just about 2 1/2 months after you sow the seeds and continue for months, bringing butterflies to the garden. The plants will thrive even in poor dry soils, making them ideal for blazing-hot trouble spots as well as beds, borders, and walkways.

To plant the seeds, just rake or dig up the top few inches of the soil and broadcast (scatter) the seeds. When the sprouts have at least 2 sets of leaves and are beginning to look crowded, thin them to 9 to 12 inches apart.

Sunflower (annual seeds, but some re-seed)
The All-American flower, Sunflower is so easy to grow that you may have seen volunteers springing up beside abandoned barns or in vacant lots in the city. All this seed needs is a good covering of soil (to keep critters from eating it!) and plenty of sunshine and water.

After all danger of frost, sow the entire packet of seeds, spacing them a few inches apart. Then, as the plants sprout, thin them to 3 feet apart. When the young plants are about 4 to 6 inches tall, stake them with any support — bamboo stakes work well, but a sturdy fence is fine too. Do not give Sunflowers much fertilizer. They thrive in poor soil, and tend to get more leaves but not bigger or better blooms if given lots of food.

The birds will flock to your garden and feast on them later on.

Mexican Sunflower (annual seeds)
If you love the look of Sunflowers but want a much smaller, bushier, more compact plant, I like the Fiesta de Sol! This award-winning plant covers itself with big orange daisies up to 3 inches wide all summer long in the hot sun. Not only is this a butterfly magnet, it is a sun-lover in the blazing-hot garden and enjoy the long summer show!

To grow, just rake or dig the top few inches of soil in the area to be planted. After all danger of frost, set the seeds about 6 to 9 inches apart and cover them with just enough soil to keep the birds away. (The seeds like a little light to help them sprout.) When the sprouts begin to look crowded, thin them to about 15 to 18 inches apart. Before you can turn around you’ll be seeing the first of hundreds of blooms!

Linaria (annual seeds, but it reseeds if you leave it alone)
Unromantically known as Toadflax, this is one of the absolute best plants you can grow in the sunny or lightly shaded garden, especially in cool climates. And if you let the last flowers dry right on the plant, they will drop their seeds and bring you many new plants next spring! How’s that for a bargain! Loves poor, dry soils, where it happily reseeds itself!

To grow Linaria, rake or dig up the top few inches of soil as soon as it can be worked in spring — don’t wait for the warm weather. Broadcast (scatter) the seeds and, when the young sprouts are a few inches high, thin them to about 6 to 9 inches apart.

Ornamental Millet (annual seeds)
Nothing is easier to grow than this splendid grass, and it’s certain to be the focal point of your garden! Plant low-growing flowers in front of these majestic stalks, and your sunny bed or border will look as though it was professionally landscaped! Germination is very quick — just 3 days! — and plant growth is rapid and vigorous under good conditions. If you begin seeds indoors, the plants will remain green until set outside, then burnish a lovely violet within several days!

Just about the only mistake you can make with Purple Majesty is sowing the seeds too early. Wait until temperatures remain above 60 degrees, even if that means you’re sowing the seeds much later than you intended. This grass will spring up so quickly and beautifully that you’ll still have plenty of time to enjoy it! Just set it in full sun and enjoy deep violet color for three seasons every year!

Space the seeds about 6 inches apart, then thin to 10 to 12 inches when the sprouts are about 4 to 5 inches high.

Love-Lies-Bleeding (annual seeds)
This Amaranthus would be worth growing just for its name, but as it turns out, the plants are utterly unique and charming! The long blooms really do “drip” from the plants — and you can cut and dry them for indoor arrangements that will last all winter!

Sow the seeds after all danger of frost is past, broadcasting (scattering) them or spacing them about 6 inches apart and then thinning them to 12 to 15 inches when the sprouts have several sets of leaves. They will reach 3 to 5 feet tall.

Blanket Flower (perennial seeds)
Blanket Flower is just as All-American and easy to grow as Sunflower, even volunteering in the sandy soil along the coast here in South Carolina! It likes nonstop sun, heat, and dry, poor soil — which many of us have all too much of in the garden!

Wait until the soil has warmed up this spring to sow the seeds, broadcasting (scattering) them or spacing them just 3 to 4 inches apart. When the plants have several sets of leaves, thin them to about a foot apart.

Arizona Sun is a perennial that will return for many years almost anywhere in the country. And it’s the only perennial Blanket Flower that doesn’t have to be planted in fall — you can set the seeds in this spring and have gorgeous blooms the very first year!

Canna (bulbs perennial)
This giant tropical plant is often sold as a plant, but the seeds are easy and quick to grow, and SO much cheaper! Give Canna lots of sun, lots of water (it doesn’t mind damp soils), dig up the bulb before first frost, and it will repay you with years and years of bold color! These are hummingbird magnets.

These seeds are very large, and need to be soaked in warm water for 48 hours before planting, in order to soften up the hard seed coat. Plant them vertically in the soil, spacing them 18 inches apart. (This is one seed you don’t want to thin!) Feed them very heavily with Algo Flash during the growing season, as well as something like Park’s Root and Bloom Boost all spring and summer. Make sure the soil never dries out; Canna loves water! Some of my Cannas get to be 5 ft. or so high.

Tropical Series – Blooms just 3 months from sowing the seed! The flowers are huge but the plant is small — just 2 1/2 feet high! Great for containers as well as the garden. These come in red, pink, yellow and salmon.

Nasturtium (annuals seeds)
You may think of Nasturtium as a big, rangy vine, but there are compact varieties that need no support and look terrific in hanging baskets, windowboxes, tall flowerpots, and the sunny garden. Nasturtium loves heat and dry soil, and actually flowers better if given little to no fertilizer. (If you feed it, you will get lovely foliage but fewer blooms!)

Rake or dig up the top few inches of soil and sow the seeds deeply, because they need darkness to sprout. Scatter them or set them 4 to 6 inches apart, then thin the sprouts to about 8 to 12 inches apart when they begin to look crowded. And if you ever tire of looking at your Nasturtiums, just eat them! Flowers and foliage are edible, and the blooms make lovely additions to salads!

Morning Glory (annuals seeds??? but this plant does not know it!)
Anyone who has ever seen Morning Glory blooming in ditches along the side of the road or in piles of dirt beside new construction knows just how easy this carefree vine is to grow! And although I think the wild varieties have their own beauty, today’s new varieties are unbelievably showy, with bigger and brighter blooms than ever. The new colors are pure jewel-like. Years ago I planted one pack of seeds which contained a variety of colors. “Katie bar the door” after that. They are all over the place.

Sow the seeds after all danger of frost is past, and before you do, soak them in warm water for 24 hours. Choose a spot in sunny, loose, but fairly rich soil (add growing mix or other humus-rich mixture to the soil before planting if necessary) near a support such as a fence or trellis. As the sprouts grow, thin them to about 8 to 12 inches apart, and feed them during spring and summer.

One thing about Morning Glory is that they have a big tendency to range. So they might go where you don’t want them to be. But they are beauties and they come back again and again and again even without feeding them.

Don’t put them near anything you don’t want them to grow up on or they will strangle the plant they attach to.

Sweet Pea (annual seeds)
A cool-season bloomer that flowers in winter in the deep south and southwest, in spring and fall everywhere else, Sweet Pea is fragrant, colorful, and lovely! It likes rich soil, so work plenty of grow mix or compost into the ground before planting.

Plant Sweet Peas as soon as the soil can be worked in spring, even if it’s still very chilly. Soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting, to soften the hard seed coat. Then set them deeply into the soil, because they won’t sprout without darkness. As the sprouts emerge, thin them to 8 to 12 inches apart, and make sure they have a support to climb as they are a heavy plant and need to go upward and sometimes need a little help by tying them up. They are a perennial and will give you years of joy, so make sure you put them where you want them the first time.

,  Hyacinth Bean (annual seeds)
This is an edible bean very popular in Asian cuisine, but I have to admit I grow mine just for the flowers and the showy purple beanpods! It springs up in no time, blooming and fruiting heavily. Find a sturdy support and let Hyacinth Bean twine!

If you’ve ever grown Beans before, Hyacinth Bean is cultured exactly like a Pole Bean. If you haven’t, you’re going to see just how easy it is (and maybe next year your garden will be full of green beans as well as flowers!). Just find a sunny spot, wait till frost is past, and sow the seeds just an inch or so apart, covering them well to keep out the critters. When they’re a few inches tall, thin them to about 8 to 10 inches apart, and let them twine through fences or up trellises!

Black-Eyed Susan (annual seeds)
No American garden should be without this vine! It symbolizes the essence of the summer cottage garden, draping itself over walls, through fences, and up railings. Until just a few years ago all Black-Eyed Susans looked pretty similar, but suddenly the breeding exploded and now there are colors galore and lots of showy new combinations.

Wait until all danger of frost is past, then sow the seeds in sunny or lightly shaded soil that is rich and moist. If your soil is poor, work in some grow mix or compost before planting. Give it a support and watch it climb toward the sky, setting blooms every inch of the way!

White Lace Flower (annual seeds)
This is a bushy, colorful sun-lover, about 30 to 40 inches high and less than 2 feet wide. It sets clusters of blooms all over the plant in early and midsummer, and when the blooms pass, they are replaced by clusters of interesting green fruit. If you like Queen Anne’s Lace, which I do, you’ll love White Lace Flower! These are more well-mannered and less sprawling like you get at the end of each season. These are very popular in Europe, especially Germany and the flowers arise in big, rounded clusters 3 inches wide, and are indispensable for fresh or dried arrangements. They bloom for about 2 months, followed by charming ridged green fruits held in the same big bouquets. The fruit is perfect for indoor arrangements and adds a second season of color to this hardworking plant!

To plant these seeds, rake or dig the top few inches of soil in the area to be planted. Then “broadcast” (scatter) the seeds, cover with a thin covering of more soil, and water. You’re done! As the sprouts arise and become crowded, thin them to about 12 to 15 inches apart. That’s it — one of Nature’s easiest and most rewarding plants!

Four o’Clock (annual seeds)
Named for the time it opens its blooms (of course, if you live farther south, Four o’Clocks really need to be called Seven o’Clocks!), this delightful plant is perfect along pathways and near areas where you entertain in the evening. It is a simple, old-fashioned garden delight, with silken blooms dotting the entire plant over a long, long summer season.

To grow Four o’Clocks, rake or dig the top few inches of soil in any sunny spot and sow the seeds about 6 to 9 inches apart. When the sprouts have at least 2 sets of leaves, thin them to about 1 1/2 feet apart. Pinch them several times during growth. And at the end of the season, dig up the plant and you’ll find a knobby little bulb that you can store indoors over winter and replant next spring!

So what is your excuse now! Unless you totally hate to get your hands dirty, there is none and not even that because you can wear gardening gloves.

Back to Arlene’s Garden.

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