Read on below for more of these perennial flowers that you can grow from seed far more cheaply than buying established plants.
3. Rudbeckia
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cordoba’ |?Source: Soquel Nursery
There are a wide range of cultivars available for this short-lived perennial, in colors ranging from bright yellows to deep reds.
With gorgeous daisy-like flowers, Rudbeckia is well worth growing from seed for the flower garden, as their happy faces lighten up any border.
Also known as Black-Eyed Susan, some Rudbeckias are annuals but most are perennial (check the seed packet).
To germinate Rudbeckias from seed:
- Sow on the top of a damp compost filled pot at any time of the year, or directly into the ground when the summer temperatures reach 60?F.
- If growing in a pot, apply a heat-mat or place inside a propagator at 70F until germination takes place, which is anything up to 3 weeks later.
- Pot on when large enough to handle, and plant out when all risk of frost is over.
- Plant your Rudbeckias 18″ – 24″ apart as their roots like to spread, in full sun or partial shade.
Each plant will grow 18″ – 30″ tall depending on variety.
4. Verbena
Verbena |?Source: Royal Oak Farms
Available in a wide range of colors depending on variety, Verbena is a wonderful perennial flower to grow in the garden.
It is not as hardy as some perennials, and will benefit from offering some kind of protective mulch for over-wintering.
They self-seed readily, and this causes them to spread to an even wider area than you originally planted them.
A definite front-of-the-border plant, showy Verbena is not only beautiful to look at, they exude an exceptionally attractive scent and are much sought-after by butterflies.
How to grow Verbena from seed:
- Start off in compost-filled pots in late winter/early spring.
- Place just 2 seeds in each pot, and pinch the smallest one out when they both grow.
- Verbena seed needs light to germinate, and a temperature of 60 – 65?C.
- Placing them on a light but not sunny window-shelf should suffice.
- As the weather warms up, gradually acclimatise each plant to the outdoors, by placing their pots outside for a few hours each day.
- Finally, position each plant in a sunny border 10″ – 12 apart.
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