Reseeding annuals give cottage garden appeal

By Staff
Gail Barton / horticulture columnist
October 10, 2004
A few years ago, I visited the garden of impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny, France.
My schedule dictated that I make my tour in early June, and I feared that this would be an awkward time for the garden. I knew that the wisteria blossoms which adorned the famous Japanese bridge would be spent and that I would be too early to admire the nasturtiums basking in the summer sun.
I was, however, not disappointed because a luxuriant display of old fashioned biennials and hardy annuals was in full bloom. Larkspur, bachelor's buttons, forget-me-not, sweet William, Persian jewels, foxgloves, Johnny-jump-up and poppies spilled onto the paths at every turn.
I was so delighted with the show that I came home and made a renewed effort to grow these old fashioned jewels in my own garden. I had been growing some of them in the past and had discovered that the best time to sow seed for most hardy annuals and biennials in the Deep South is in summer or early autumn.
I plant biennials like hollyhocks, foxglove, Canterbury bells, sweet William and rose campion, earlier than the hardy annuals generally in early July. I've found that since biennials take longer to bloom, I have to plant early if I desire to have bloom the following spring. If I plant too late, many of these will stay in a low leafy rosette through their first spring and wait to bloom until their second spring.
I plant most of the hardy annuals toward the end of September. I begin by identifying the "voids" in my perennial border which need filling. I generally loosen small patches of soil with a hand held cultivating tool. Then I work in some compost and sow the seed directly into the beds where they will bloom next spring. Most hardy annuals and biennials will overwinter as ground hugging rosettes through the winter months, but a few will not sprout until the following spring.
In any case, I've found that the hardest part about growing seedlings in this manner is remembering where each "flower patch" is located and keeping it watered. I generally walk around once a day with a watering container and moisten the top soil surface during the first two weeks when the seed are sprouting.
As the seedlings sprout, I often realize that I've been a bit heavy handed with the seed. If the young plants are crowded, I thin so leaves are not touching. I may repeat the thinning several times as the seedlings grow. Toward winter, as temperatures plummet, I apply a thin layer of pine straw to help protect the tender ones from the elements. The mulch may not be necessary. I rarely loose seedlings in winter, they are remarkably cold hardy.
After the first season, many of these lovelies will reseed themselves for years to come. I still remember the year my friend, Jim Perry, gave me a teacup of poppy seed. I had a grand time walking my garden from one end to the other tossing seed everywhere. In fact, I had so many seed that I did no soil prep at all.
I optimistically figured that with that many seed, enough plants would come up without it. The weather cooperated beautifully and I had a bumper crop of seedlings. In late April and May, my garden was full of the most beautiful double red poppies I had ever seen. The following fall I found plenty of seedlings for the next spring and this reseeding continued for about six years. Alas, I mulched too heavily one fall and smothered the seedlings.
Old country gardens used to be full of these treasures. The hardy annuals and biennials were popular because they were cheap and easy once established. My friend, Peachie Saxon, says the old timers used "dust mulch," a finely hoed layer of topsoil, as the perfect receptacle for the seed. The thick layers of bark mulch or pine straw used in modern gardens tend to inhibit the reseeding.
This year I'll replant the poppies and a few Persian jewels. If I can just curb my impulse to mulch heavily they will be with me for years to come for the price of a packet of seed! There's no cheaper way to give inject cottage garden appeal.
Gail Barton is director of the horticulture technology program at Meridian Community College.