Sow your Seeds in Fall for a Beautiful Garden

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Sow your seeds in Fall to get a jump start on many perennial and biennial plants. Get a gorgeous garden next Spring for less money.

Do you want to get flowers earlier in the Spring? Do you want to save money on plants but still have a lot of them?

If you do then select flowers that do well in your area and plant the seeds in Fall and even winter. Better yet, many of the plants can and will reseed themselves year after year.

pink shirley poppies with blue larkspur in the cottage garden

What we learn in this Post

  • Why Sow Seeds in Fall?
  • What you Need to Know Before you Sow Seeds
  • What Flowers Can You Plant in Fall?
  • How to Sow Seeds in Fall so they grow
  • Read the Seed Packet for helpful information

(remember that many hybrids don’t always come true from seed so you will get a variety when they reseed themselves)

When planting from seed you save so much money that if that plant doesn’t perform well or if you just don’t like it, you can remove it guilt-free.

Most, if not all hardy plants that are sown in Autumn will be healthier and more robust than if you wait to start them in Spring.

The plants listed in this post I am growing in my very own garden and every one of them I started from seeds.  

Year after year they will reseed themselves if I let them.  (to prevent self-seeding see this post, Off With Their Heads!)

You can have an abundance of beautiful flowers by next spring and summer if you sow your seeds in Fall. 

Do you want to know how to get a thick, lush border like this and not spend a lot of money?

Great, I show you how I do it and so can you!

Flowers grow from seed in summer

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link I may make a small commission at no cost to you.

Many of the flowers are linked to the source where I get my seeds.

Why Plant in Autumn?

Did you know that Fall is actually the best time to start a garden?  If you go to that article and read it you will find many reasons why.

One reason is what I am sharing here today.  Getting a head start on next year’s garden for a lot less money. 

By starting from seeds in Fall you can get hundreds more flowers for the same dollars spent as buying them in a pot or even a six-pack.

Plus you won’t have the extra work of starting seeds indoors.

Another key to success is great garden soil and the easiest way to get that is by composting.

Building great garden soil is an ongoing process yet very achievable.

The beauty of building healthy soil is you will save masses amounts of money in the long run because you won’t need to keep buying expensive fertilizers and other products often heavily marketed to garden enthusiasts.

Want to know how to help your soil and plants talk to each other? You can find out here, Plant Growth Stimulants.

What You Need to Know Before You Sow Seeds

Be sure to research any seeds you will sow and find out if they are considered an invasive species in your area.

Many plants are invasive because they reseed and propagate themselves easily crowding out native species.

We love easy-to-grow plants but we don’t want to create a problem either. Just because something reseeds itself easily and is simple to grow does not mean it is invasive.

Some claim that a plant became a pest in their garden but when it is investigated more, the reality is they just did not know how to manage that plant’s ability to reseed.

What flowers can you plant in the Fall?

There are tons of flowers you can seed in the Fall. Remember some will thrive in one area but not another so do your research and find out what does well where you live.  

Plants to seed in Fall:
Daisies
Delphiniums
Poppies
Morning Glories
California Poppies
Snapdragon
Cosmos
Cleome
Larkspur
Hollyhocks

Excellent Resources

A fantastic book on how to plant in autumn for a cut flower garden is called Cool Flowers and is a wonderful resource of information on which flowers do well in different zones!

Keep in mind that growing zones are relative and you need to know your local growing conditions.

I am in Zone 8a but my growing season is shorter than many in lower zones because of my local conditions. Find out why you need to focus on many factors other than USDA zones!

You can read why in this article: Garden by Zone, why not?

Or you can be like me and just experiment.  You may be surprised.

Seed I sow in Fall

 Here are a few I grow including the Purple Echinacea

Pow Wow Echinacea Coneflower, FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com

Related: How to Grow Echinacea aka Purple Coneflower

Shirley Poppies

shirley poppes in red

and these Forget Me Nots below…one of the harbingers of Spring.

These are a hybrid that is not invasive, some types can spread a bit aggressively.   

Sow your seeds in Fall. Baby Blue Eyes forget me not, FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com (1 of 1)

They bloom in early spring and then go to seed, I pull them once they are all done and the seeds will fall to the ground.  The seeds sit all summer and winter then sprout again next Spring. 

White Swan Echinacea is a personal favorite and has reseeded itself for more plants in my own garden. It blooms non-stop through the toughest heat and on into cooler Fall weather.

Sow your seeds in Fall. White Swan Echinacea

update: The white swan cross-pollinated with the regular Purple Echinaceas in my garden.  The seedlings came up pink and not white.

To get a White Swan plant and know that it will come true see this post on how to divide them.)

In fact, all of the Echinaceas are on my list of faves for seeding in the Fall.

They are fantastic for blooming non-stop during the hottest part of summer and on into Fall when other flowers are lagging.

Gaillardias are grand performers in the hot summer garden. I just love them with their fiery colors and tough disposition.

sow your seeds in Fall,

Gaillardias keep on performing even when others have stopped for the season. Just keep them deadheaded.

Rudbeckia, is a fabulous one for creating swaths of summer sunshine in your garden with ease…they can be single or double blooms.

Related: How to Grow Black Eyed Susans

Black Eyed Susans

These also keep on blooming well into late Fall with consistent deadheading. They come in different shades of yellow and even burnt orange tones like these Rudbeckia Cappucino .

Larkspur are a Hummingbird favorite around here and you can keep the blooms coming by deadheading and reseeding throughout the summer. 

Did you know blue is one of the colors readily seen by pollinators? Yes, so bright blue can attract Hummingbirds as well as red!

Larkspur in the garden, Sow your seeds in Fall

The lupine blend I grew from seeds are hardy souls as well, one of the first in Spring to bloom,  they never fail to wow.

Lupine Russell blend

Hollyhocks are a fabulous addition, their height and vigor can be used as a screen.  

Some say it was used back in the outhouse days as a screen from the house so you didn’t always see the privy.  

Many varieties can grow to 10 feet tall and quite thick so I can see where that would work well.

Renees Garden Seeds carries some nice varieties.

How to Grow Tall Elegant Hollyhocks in your Cottage Garden, FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com (4 of 9)

Related: How to Grow Hollyhocks

September 19 garden walk, FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com-0016

As you can see I have personally grown the plants that I linked to but there are so many more.  So take your pick! 

I linked to the flowers that I showed here so it was easier for you to find these specific ones.

Bachelors Buttons come in a variety of colors, this one bloomed all summer long for me.

Bachelors Buttons also are used as a cover crop since they replenish the soil as they grow.

How to plant your flower seeds in Fall

The general routine when sowing seeds in the Fall is to clear out a garden bed of weeds and debris.  Sometimes it is an area of a garden bed that already has other plants in it. 

After you clear the planting area of weeds, loosen the soil a couple of inches with a small shovel, hoe dag, or another tool, and spread an inch or two of good compost on top. 

Next, sprinkle the seeds on heavily and press in with your foot. (I am not stingy with seeds because nature isn’t).

Some seeds prefer light to germinate and some like to be planted a bit deeper, read the seed packet instructions for specific directions on this.     

Some seeds should be sown after the first frost and others you can do before. Many of my plants that reseed themselves do so before the first frost so I figure I can too.  

Read the seed packets before planting

It is good to read the seed packets and do a little research online for your zone if you are planting any particular seed that is new for you.  

Many seed companies will also tell you if the seeds you are purchasing can be planted in Fall.

Daisy with Bee, FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com

Daisies

Related: How to Grow Daisies

How to Grow

Foxgloves

Easy to seed and grow in your garden. Toss the seeds in Fall for a glorious Spring!

The results are in the photos above, all of these were planted from seed in the garden in Autumn.

The wonderful thing is many times, once you have bought seed you don’t have to again.  

I save my seed from year to year to replant and share.  Click here to see how I save seed and get your Free Seed packet printable!

free seeds

How to Save Seeds with Printable Packet

Saving seeds is a wonderful way to get expand your garden and share with friends. I show you how. Feel free to download the printable packet to keep your seeds in.

Want the check out some of my favorite garden tools & gadgets, you can right here. 

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34 Comments

  1. Thank you so very much, Pamela, for sharing such a magnificent amount of valuable information. What a wonderful source to happen upon!

  2. Nice to find this site. I have a wildlife habitat that I started in my yard years ago. This year some of my beds were destroyed by totally unexpected storms and some of my huge and not so big trees falling. In some areas I have to start from nothing, so I am planning to collect seeds from the other area. Every where I looked they say “start in spring”, which made no sense taking into account they re-seed on their own, so obviously Autumn was not killing them. I will be collecting a lot of seeds. People were getting nervous, they thought I was getting rid of the habitat and kept telling me not to, with me having to explain: “starting over, backyard full of bees and butterflies”.

  3. I have been thinking about starting a wild flower Garden When I read this all I can say is Wow

  4. I don’t rely a lot on Zoning. In fact, I have an article written all about that.

  5. One of the things I haven’t seen you mention anywhere is where you are located/in what zone. I think knowing would help a lot of people, especially seeing the seeds you’ve had success with. Thank you!

  6. Chandrakan says:

    Very imfomative and practical tips

  7. Love the info you provided about plants.. Thank you so much….I am gonna try to plant as many as I can. Peggy/Illinois

  8. Good to know, thanks for sharing! Sorry you lost some beloved plants.

  9. I learned a valuable lesson this past year. Don’t let my husband near my plantings while spreading weed n feed for the grass. He had the spreader set for a wide swath and I lost my peonies and several stands of coneflower. Even a few granules can kill a beautiful planting.

  10. Mary Ann Younk says:

    Dear Pam,
    I found you on Pinterest and thoroughly enjoy the garden helps you publish.
    I live in Manistee, MI. about a mile from Lake Michigan. We retired her 12 years ago. The ground is pure beach sand so in order to grow things we had to do lots of amendments to the soil. Then There are lots of deer 🦌. Absolutely love them but they eat everything even plants that they are not suppose to like. So the only thing we could do is enclose the garden with a fence.
    I grow combination of flowers and veggies..
    But to finally get to my question. At our former residence north of Detroit I grew Cleome. They were beauties and grew to be 7 feet high. Self seeded. Well we are a bit farther north but the climate is about the same. I have tried over and over to grow Cleomies but nothing happens beyond a sprout and then it disappears. Do you.have any suggestion for me?.
    I’d appreciate hearing from you.
    Mary Ann

  11. Thank you, I keep on learning then sharing. Gardening is always an ongoing learning process.

  12. Cristina Polter says:

    You always have such great planting and painting ideas. Thanks a bunch! Love it!!

  13. Thankfully I have little trouble with rabbits. From some gardeners I know that do some use a Tabasco spray (2 tbsp Tabasco sauce to a gallon of water) but you need to reapply frequently and especially on new growth, erect a three foot barrier (fence) of garden mesh or chicken wire around your plants or use row covers while plants are young and tender.
    I hope this helps. There are probably commercially available sprays at garden centers that may work as well.

  14. Betty Mcclure says:

    Most of the seeds. You planted in the fall were ones I had already planted and the rabbits ate them all. What can I plant that rabbits won’t eat?

  15. Norma Rolader says:

    Great info I never thought of sowing seeds now always heard not till spring Love your flower garden and thank you for all the inspiring info God bless

  16. that is such a broad question and there can be so many answers but they could’ve been too small, not enough sunshine. You don’t say if the plants even sprouted or not. Where did you get the dahlia tubers? Were they fresh or dried up and shriveled. So many variables are involved it is hard to say.

  17. Thanks for the questions Barbe, I have added a couple paragraphs at the end to answer you. Yep, just a bed of dirt. Most of these seeds do not like to be covered, just pressed into the dirt. Many like to be seeded after first frost which is different in each zone.

  18. Marta Ferguson says:

    I planted dahlia roots and had no flowers this year. What went wrong?
    Thank you,
    Marta

  19. You talk about the fruts of labour bt don’t say anything about your . What did you do to start? Just a bed and dirt? Did you cover until spring? How deep? How late in the year?
    What did not work?

  20. I like finding bulk seeds, you have a greater chance of success and for the price of a 4inch potted plant you get tons of seeds of a individual variety.

  21. We took down a huge pine tree in the back and I’m getting ready to move several bushes into the area but I also love the idea of sowing seeds in the fall which is something I have actually never done. I’ve only grown plants from seed in the spring or purchased transplants. Thanks for the great list. I’m exciting to see how they do, and hey, if some don’t make it I won’t worry because the cost of seeds is so nominal.

  22. I have thought about adding a lot of new plants for borders. Now I’m thinking I better hurry up and get them started so they have plenty of time to get rooted good. Thank you for the seed sources.

  23. Most of these flowers are native wildflowers and Fall is when nature reseeds itself. From what I have read most of these can been sown in Fall down to zone 4. If you are in doubt, maybe get the seed, sow half in Fall and see what happens then in Spring sow the rest as a back up. Or start them indoors to plant out.

  24. I hope this will work for me – I’m in zone 5. I know our zones are quite different. Does this work for all areas? I’m planning a large patch of the perennials you show, but I thought I would have to purchase the plants next spring.

  25. Many of the plants I listed can be sown in most zones. The only way to really know is to try. Also many other factors play a part, soil condition, mulch or lack thereof, etc. Some actually do better with a bit of cold exposure, some of my seeds I have to refrigerate to fake that winter chill if I am planting them in Spring. One thing is certain the more of the seed you plant the more chances of some coming up. Some seed companies let you buy in bulk as well as the smaller packages. That is the route I like to go if I am trying to get a particular plant started enmasse from seed sown in Fall.

  26. Karen Howard says:

    Hi Pamala. I had no idea that I could plant these flowers in the Fall. I live in RI& have another garden plot in MA right over the state line. Can I do that there too or is it just for your region? I love the photos you have here of the flowers- they are so beautiful.

  27. I am a member of LIstia and I list seeds and I also get seeds from different people all over the country. Most people offer free shipping. You can get a huge variety of flowers, flowering bushes etc. You get some points for just signing up or you can buy points or you can sell things (not just seeds) to get points. I have met a lot of great people thru it. Also if you have Dollar General stores around you they just got fresh supplies of seeds here in y area so I am sure if they are in yours they will have them. Also there are lots of online websites as well that sell seeds and will still be doing so this time of year.

  28. Hi Lucy. Each flower name that is in blue is a link to the seed source. Other sources I like are Swallowtail Garden Seeds, Renees Seeds and Johnny Select Seeds. Happy planting! What is nice about the Botanical Interests site is you can go in and find Fall Sown Seeds and it will give you a much longer list than I have here. 🙂

  29. Hello
    I love this idea of planting now for spring, but where do I find these seeds ?
    Thank you,
    Lucy

  30. Love your site. Enjoyed reading Lazy garden and so much more.

  31. Thank you, Gail. I have so many seeds I am including them in ‘Thank You’ cards I am sending out for gifts we received on our anniversary. Spread the flowery love. 🙂

  32. Just loving your blog. So glad I found you. I am collecting seeds myself and love all your info.

  33. I’d never thought of that before. I know if I don’t deadhead my annuals they come back in the spring, so why would perennials, right?

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