Seed Starting - Series 2 Article 3 - Starting Annuals and Perennials By Seed
By Bonnie McNamee
There’s a lot to think about when starting annuals and perennials from seed. Do you want a mixed garden of annuals and perennials? Or perhaps just annuals for continued color all summer? Would you like native or pollinator plants to help the bees, butterflies and other insects? How about plants that invite hummingbirds into your garden?
Starting annuals and perennials from seed is much like starting vegetables from seed (see Article II of this series on Vegetables). They need light, seeds, soil, water and food. Perennials sometimes take a little more patience.
To reinforce Articles I, II and III of this series, always read your seed packets front and back. Always bleach and scrub old containers or use peat pots. Use good potting mix as it’s sterilized and weeds and stones have been removed. Label everything. Always do a soil test. And last but not least, please see the final article on Herb Gardening.
There’s a lot to think about when starting annuals and perennials from seed. Do you want a mixed garden of annuals and perennials? Or perhaps just annuals for continued color all summer? Would you like native or pollinator plants to help the bees, butterflies and other insects? How about plants that invite hummingbirds into your garden?
An annual is a plant that performs their entire life
cycle from seed to flower to seed within a single growing season. A perennial is a plant that will come back
year after year. There are also
biennials that take two years to complete their life cycle. With these, plan on
foliage in year one and flowers the year following. Some biennials self-seed, giving you flowers
every year. There are so many of each flower type to choose from, it’s almost
endless. A plan and sketch as mentioned in last week’s article helps with
decision making.
Starting annuals and perennials from seed is much like starting vegetables from seed (see Article II of this series on Vegetables). They need light, seeds, soil, water and food. Perennials sometimes take a little more patience.
Most annuals and perennials can be started by seed
either in flats or peat pots indoors or directly in the soil outdoors. Peat pots are great because you plant them
right into the ground without disturbing the roots. After planting the seeds, barely cover them
with soil and keep the temperature at about 70⁰F. When ready, harden off your seedlings by
placing them outdoors on warmer days, protecting them from the wind. Starting from seed is a relatively
inexpensive way to grow plants because seed packets are a fraction of the cost
of seedlings or mature plants.
It usually takes six to eight weeks of growing indoors
before transplanting in the garden. Always wait until there is no danger of frost.
A few annuals that seem to be deer and rabbit
resistant (none are 100% deer proof) are Begonia (Begoniaceae), Geranium (Pelargonium),
Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria), and
for perennials, Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia),
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea), and Shasta
Daisy (Laucanthemum).
To reinforce Articles I, II and III of this series, always read your seed packets front and back. Always bleach and scrub old containers or use peat pots. Use good potting mix as it’s sterilized and weeds and stones have been removed. Label everything. Always do a soil test. And last but not least, please see the final article on Herb Gardening.
