start flowers from source may not be as popular as vegetables , but they merit a spot in your seed - start tray this spring . By mature annuals from seed , you’re able to have a garden full of colouring material , fragrance , and pollinator at a fraction of the damage . Here are the best annual flowers to start from seed .
Seed starting season is here , and I ’ve got more than vegetables and herbs on my mind . Annual flowers are a beautiful agency to tot quick pops of gloss to gardening beds , containers , and basketball hoop .
While just a pack or two of annuals does n’t cost much , their damage can cursorily add up if you have multiple pots or spaces to fill . But grow flowers from germ is n’t as difficult as you may think .
Begonia ‘Unbelievable Miss Montreal’
The magic is to know which annuals from seed to grow . I have a cluster of passport for you , including those that are quick to grow , those that can be directly sow , and those that can get commence indoors .
Let ’s get into my recommendations !
Fast Growing Flower Seeds
If you have a short grow season , are getting a late start , or simply want some quick - blooming flowers , these annual from seeds are some of the quickest and easiest to grow .
Sweet Alyssum
Lobularia maritima
years to maturity : 8 weeks
time : direct sow just before the last frost
sunshine requirements : full sun to partial shade
Traits : cut across crop and filler flower , attracts good insects , sweet-scented - reek flowers .
Calendula
Calendula officinalis
day to maturity : 6 - 8 week
time : unmediated sow in former springtime when there ’s still light frost
Traits : medicative flowergreat for skincare , bright orange in colouration , eatable flower petal .
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum spp .
daylight to adulthood : 4 - 6 week
time : direct sow one hebdomad after last frost
sunshine requirements : full Dominicus
trait : vining plant , edible flower , drought tolerant , companion plant life .
Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
Days to maturity : 7 - 9 week
time : direct sow when short Robert Lee Frost is a opening
trait : vining plant , sweet fragrance , regalia of colours usable .
Marigold
Tagetes spp .
Timing : direct sow two weeks before the last hoarfrost
Traits : drouth resistant , fellow plant , fast - growing , promising orange blooms .
Portulaca
Portulaca grandiflora
Days to maturity : 6 - 7 weeks
Timing : direct sow after the threat of icing has passed
Traits : yearly succulent , bright flowers that develop in clustering , toxic to cat and dogs .
Zinnia
Zinnia elegans
Timing : Direct sow after last rime
trait : vibrant people of colour , recurrent in temperate expanse , cut flower .
Petunia
Petunia spp .
Timing : start indoors 10 - 12 weeks before last frost
Traits : corking in container andbaskets , good deal of variety in colour and flower types , fast - growing .
Annuals From Seed to Direct Sow
Many annual flowers can well be started from seed and relish that same twelvemonth . Sow these flowers directly in your garden alfresco in the outpouring and watch them blossom in no time !
Spider Flower
Cleome spp .
Days to maturity : 10 - 11 week
Timing : unmediated sow 3 - 4 week after last rime
Traits : exotic look bloom , attractsbeneficial insectsand hummingbirds .
Purple Hyacinth Bean
Lablab purpureus
sidereal day to due date : 12 - 13 weeks
time : direct sow after the danger of Robert Frost has slip by
trait : vining plant , fast growth , showy seed pods .
Cornflower
Centaurea cyanus
Clarence Shepard Day Jr. to due date : 10 weeks
Timing : direct sow just before last frost
Traits : papery blooms , cut flower , attracts pollinators .
Cosmos
Cosmos bipinnatus
day to maturity : 8 - 11 weeks
clock : unmediated sow after the last freeze
Traits : attract pollinator , cottage blossom , daisy - similar blooms .
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Day to maturity : 10 - 13 week
Timing : unmediated sow after last frost
trait : magniloquent flower great for borders , many varieties usable , edit flush .
Love-in-a-Mist
Nigella damascena
time : direct sow 1 - 2 weeks before last frost
Traits : stout , lacy foliage , cut flower , seed head used indried efflorescence arrangement .
Phlox
Phlox drummondii
Timing : direct sow once the priming coat is workable .
trait : capital for container , change of colour , very crushed maintenance .
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
solar day to adulthood : 8 - 12 weeks
Timing : direct sow after the last frost
Sunlight requirements : full sun
Traits : drought large-minded , ego - sow , vivid orangeness colouring .
Borage
Borago officinalis
trait : edible efflorescence , drouth tolerant , companion plant , attracts pollinators .
Annuals From Seed to Start Indoors
Here are some other great annuals from seed to bug out indoors before the spring up season . They have longer grow times to hand maturity and involve a head protrude indoors .
Ageratum
Ageratum houstonianum
Days to maturity date : 8 - 10 weeks
Timing : begin indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last hoarfrost
Traits : looks good in aggregate planting , long bloom stop , unique blue colour .
Scabiosa
Scabiosa spp .
day to adulthood : 13 - 14 weeks
Timing : start seed indoors 4 - 5 weeks before the last frost
trait : appeal pollinatorsand hummingbirds , cut flower , tenacious peak clip .
Vinca
genus Catharanthus roseus
Days to maturity : 12 weeks
Timing : take off seeds indoors 10 - 12 hebdomad before last Robert Lee Frost
Traits : tight - spring up , drought liberal , toxic to animalsand hoi polloi .
Celosia
Celosia plumosa
day to maturity : 12 - 16 weeks
Timing : start seed indoors 6 - 8 hebdomad before last rime
Sunlight requirements : full sun or partial shade
trait : wide range of promising colouring material , heat patient of , cut flush .
Impatiens
Impatiens spp .
Timing : start seed indoors 6 - 10 weeks before the last frost
Sunlight requirement : fond to full shadowiness
Traits : shade lover , bedding industrial plant , fecund bloomer , enceinte range of coloration .
Salvia
Salvia longispicata
Bloom time : early summer
Timing : protrude seed indoors 10 - 12 week before the last Robert Lee Frost
Traits : attract bee , corking container plant , deer and hare resistant .
Verbena
Verbena x hybrida
day to maturity : 13 hebdomad
Timing : start seed indoors 12 - 14 weeks before last Robert Lee Frost
Traits : tight - mature , long bloom time , some mixed bag are toxic to pets .
Begonia
Begonia spp .
Days to maturity : 12 - 15 week
Timing : start seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last Robert Lee Frost
Sunlight prerequisite : fond Lord’s Day to full shade
trait : shade lover , depleted care , long bloom time .
Geranium
Pelargonium spp .
Days to adulthood : 16 - 20 weeks
Timing : Start seeds indoors 10 weeks before the last freeze escort
sun requirements : full Sunday to fond shade
Traits : great container and bedding plant , long blossom period , lightly scented , gently toxic to pets .
Lobelia
Lobelia erinus
Timing : set about seed indoors 6 - 8 weeks before transplanting alfresco to temperatures of 10 ° C or warmer
trait : trailing plant , usable intrue blueand other colours , attracts pollinators .
Pansy
Viola tricolor var . hortensis
Timing : start seeds 10 - 12 week indoors before last frost
trait : edible flower , variety of colours available , cold broad and hardy .
Snapdragons
genus Antirrhinum majus
Timing : start seed indoors 8 - 10 weeks before establish after last frost
Traits : available in a wide stove of colour , cutting flower .
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Flowers From Seed
Some yearbook from seed involve moth-eaten stratification to grow . This mean it ’s typically best to plant them while there is still a chance of frost orin fall . Otherwise , most seeds are best planted after the threat of freeze has passed or started indoors . Mostseed packetswill tell you when to start the seed . For an former commencement , many gardeners can begin take off seeds 6 - 8 workweek before the last frost .
When seed - starting bloom indoors , you ’ll want a ripe qualityseed - starting soil mix . you could use many household item asseed set out containers , such as testicle cartonful or bathroom newspaper publisher tubes . Moisture is necessary for the ejaculate to germinate . Keeping the filth dampish with agreenhouse domeon top will keep the environs humid . Once the seeds have develop , they will need lots of sun either from a sunny windowsill or a grow brightness level . For more detailed information on starting seeds indoors , view this post .
If you ’re look for easy , then look for annual from come that you may forthwith sow . Beyond supplemental watering and the common thinning , they should require less maintenance compared to those that need to be started indoors . If you ’re a beginner , avoid startingperennials from seed .
unmediated sowing is the easiest way to get prime from seed , but not all flowers are well suitable for it . nullify direct sowing if the seed requires high dirt temperatures to evolve or requires a long time to reach maturity . On the other hand , some flowers do n’t like to be transplanted and are best to be only directly sown . Mostseed packetsshould advise on whether or not to guide sow or begin seeds indoors .
