Looking for free plants? These perennials self sow. Garden writers talk about ‘polite’ and ‘aggressive’ self sowers. These are nice plants. Seeds self sow and new plants pop up. If they appear in an undesirable spot, you can easily relocate or remove them.
Celandine poppy emerges in early spring and is one of the first plants to bloom, usually in late April and May. It readily self=sows from the amazing looking seed pods.
Blue mist flower (Conoclinium coelestinum) blooms in fall and thrives in sun and partial shade. It prefers moist soils. Please note the Missouri Botanical Garden, worldwide expert of all things plants, does call this plant aggressive in certain areas. That has not been my experience in the mid-Atlantic but if you have had a different experience, please let us know in the comments!
Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a sparkling spring flower in partial and full shade. In my experience the plants that seed sow always grow the largest as compared to the store bought originals.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) are long blooming perennials that also do a terrific job of self sowing.
Golden ragwort is a late spring early summer bloomer that bloom in shade and sun and thrives in moister soils.
For more information:
About how to to encourage self sowing: one article from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and another from Fine Gardening magazine.
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