If you’re dreaming of a garden that’s colorful, low-maintenance, and returns every year without replanting, then self-seeding plants are your best bet. These plants scatter their seeds at the end of the growing season, allowing new plants to sprout the next year. Over time, they naturalize your garden and make it look beautifully effortless. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the top 10 self-seeding plants that will keep your garden blooming with minimal work.
1. California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, sandy or poor soil
Hardiness Zones: 6-10
Bloom Time: Spring to early summer
California poppies are cheerful, drought-tolerant flowers with silky petals in vibrant shades of orange, yellow, and sometimes red or pink. Native to the western U.S., they thrive in sunny, dry areas where other flowers might struggle. Once established, these poppies self-sow generously. Their seeds can lie dormant and then sprout with the right moisture and warmth in spring.
They are perfect for wildflower gardens, roadside plantings, and rock gardens. Since they thrive in poor soil, they’re ideal for neglected spots where you want a splash of color with little maintenance.
2. Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Average, well-drained soil
Hardiness Zones: 2-11 (as annuals)
Bloom Time: Mid-summer to fall
Cosmos are light, airy plants with delicate, daisy-like blooms in shades of pink, purple, white, and even orange. They grow tall—often up to 4 feet—and make beautiful cut flowers.
Cosmos are one of the easiest annuals to grow and self-seed readily, often forming natural-looking colonies year after year. They’re heat and drought tolerant, making them perfect for sunny borders, cottage gardens, or even vegetable gardens (where they attract pollinators).
3. Nigella (Nigella damascena, a.k.a. Love-in-a-Mist)
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Moist but well-drained
Hardiness Zones: 2-9
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Nigella is a charming, old-fashioned annual that produces fine, lacy foliage and delicate, star-shaped flowers in soft shades of blue, white, pink, and purple. After flowering, it forms decorative seed pods that resemble little balloons.
This plant is a favorite for informal garden borders and looks beautiful mixed with other cottage garden flowers. The dried seed pods also work well in arrangements. Simply let the seed pods mature on the plant and fall naturally to ensure self-seeding for the next season.
4. Cleome (Cleome hassleriana, or Spider Flower)
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Average to rich, well-drained soil
Hardiness Zones: 10-11 (grown as an annual in other zones)
Bloom Time: Early summer to frost
Cleome is a tall, dramatic plant with fragrant, spidery flowers in pink, lavender, purple, and white. It can grow up to 6 feet tall and is a magnet for bees and butterflies.
Although considered an annual, Cleome self-seeds so prolifically that it often behaves like a perennial. It’s great for back borders or as a vertical accent in beds. As long as you allow some seed heads to ripen, you’ll find new Cleomes sprouting every year.
5. Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea)
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Rich, well-drained soil
Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Bloom Time: Midsummer to fall
Tall, stately, and dramatic, hollyhocks bring an old-world charm to gardens. They come in nearly every color and are often planted along fences or walls. While technically biennial (flowering in the second year), hollyhocks self-seed so reliably that they appear year after year.
Leave a few flower stalks to go to seed and shake the seeds into the soil. They’ll overwinter and sprout next spring. Great for cottage gardens and informal spaces.
6. Calendula (Calendula officinalis, or Pot Marigold)
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Moderately rich, well-drained soil
Hardiness Zones: 2-11 (grown as annuals in most zones)
Bloom Time: Spring through frost
Calendulas are cheerful, golden-orange flowers that bring warmth to any garden. They’re not only beautiful but also edible and medicinal.
These hardy annuals bloom quickly from seed and continue producing flowers through the season. They self-seed easily if you let some seed heads mature. You’ll often find them popping up in surprising places the following spring.
Calendulas do best in cooler weather and can be planted again in late summer for fall blooms.
7. Larkspur (Consolida ajacis)
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, fertile soil
Hardiness Zones: 2-7
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Larkspur is a cool-season annual that produces tall spikes of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers. It is a cousin to delphinium but is much easier to grow. These plants add elegance and height to garden beds and are loved by pollinators.
Direct sow the seeds in the fall or very early spring. Larkspur seeds require a period of cold to germinate well. Once they flower and go to seed, they will return year after year in most temperate climates.
8. Verbena bonariensis
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, average soil
Hardiness Zones: 7-11 (grown as annual elsewhere)
Bloom Time: Mid-summer to frost
Verbena bonariensis is a tall, airy plant with clusters of small, purple flowers on long, thin stems. It adds a soft, elegant texture to borders and is beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds.
While not perennial in cooler zones, it seeds itself generously. The new plants are often stronger than the originals, and they create a natural, flowing look across your garden.
9. Borage (Borago officinalis)
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil: Average, well-drained soil
Hardiness Zones: 3-10
Bloom Time: Late spring to early fall
Borage is a fast-growing herb with brilliant blue star-shaped flowers and soft, hairy leaves. It’s an excellent pollinator plant and is also edible—flowers can be used in salads or frozen into ice cubes.
This plant will readily reseed itself once you’ve grown it. It fits perfectly in herb gardens or among vegetables to encourage beneficial insects.
10. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness Zones: 5-9
Bloom Time: Spring through fall (year-round in warm climates)
Sweet Alyssum is a low-growing flower that forms dense carpets of tiny blooms, usually in white, pink, or purple. Its fragrance is sweet and honey-like, attracting bees and butterflies.
It reseeds reliably and often grows as a groundcover. Perfect for borders, between stepping stones, or spilling over containers. In warmer climates, it may bloom through winter.