Seven flowers that self-propagate in your garden

Over the years, I am amazed at the flowers that readily multiply in our garden. In this post, I will share seven flowers that self-propagate. There are two annual flowers and five perennial flowers that I will review. Each of these flowers is lovely and will be a great addition to your garden.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Cosmos is one of two annuals that I have on the list. There are several characteristics that I love about cosmos. First, I can grow cosmos in both New Jersey and Florida. Second, they self-seed. Third, they are a lovely addition to a bouquet. Fourth, they are easy flowers to press. Lastly, they are easy to grow. What’s not to like?

For the past two years, I stopped starting cosmos from seeds. Why? Well, I found them self-seeding all around our garden. In some cases, this is not ideal because you never know where they will pop up. However, I ‘go with the flow’ and let them grow where they seed. Sometimes, if I find one in an awkward place, I will dig it up and transplant it to a new location. Cosmos is hardy in USDA Zones 2-11 and blooms from June until frost.

For cosmos to self-seed, simply leave the faded flowers on the stem long enough for them to form seeds. The seeds will then readily disperse and the following season you should have some beautiful cosmos. Also, my experience suggests that cosmos is a moderate reseeder. It will not take over your garden.

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

Such a pretty plant with small daisy-like flowers. There are two separate species of chamomile. Roman Chamomile is a perennial and grows up to 1 foot tall. While German Chamomile is an annual and can grow up to 3 feet in height. In our vegetable garden, I grow German Chamomile. While it’s an annual, it self-seeds so readily that I find chamomile plants all around our vegetable garden. I once observed one of our plants drop all its seeds and then within two weeks, there were more chamomile plants than I could count. While I love chamomile, I didn’t need that many plants.

German Chamomile is hardy from Zone 2-8 and blooms from June through August. It prefers full sun.

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Coneflowers are perennial flowers. They are a herbaceous flower in the daisy family (Asteraceae). A few characteristics of coneflowers include: being drought tolerant, growing 2-5 feet tall, they have a spiny central disk, and they attract lots of pollinators including birds and butterflies. While there are many varieties, the most common one is echinacea purpurea or the purple coneflower. Coneflower is hardy in USDA Zones 3-9 and blooms June through August.

Coneflowers easily self-propagate by leaving some seed heads in place at the end of the season. In addition, these seed heads are a good source of food for birds during the cooler months. However, coneflowers can be aggressive self-seeders. I frequently dig up extra coneflowers when they become too crowded. So, while I love the coneflowers, pay attention to how the plants multiply each year.

Coreopsis verticillata

Two varieties of Coreopsis, Zagreb and Grandiflora, have been growing in our yard for over 10 years. Coreopsis is an easy-to-grow, low-maintenance, sun-loving perennial. An herbaceous perennial, Coreopsis in the Asteraceae family. The two varieties planted in our gardens are as follows:

• Tickseed (Coreopsis Zagreb) – Zagreb can readily spread in the garden via rhizomes (modified stems running underground) and self-seeding. Pruning dead flowers can limit the self-seeding nature of the plant. Zagreb grows in dense bushy clumps with a spread of 1.5 feet and a height of 1-1.5 feet. The flowers are bright daisy-like yellow with a small diameter of 1-2 inches. The leaves are narrow and finely textured. Zagreb is hardy from USDA Zone 3-9 and blooms from May until early fall.
• Threadleaf (Coreopsis Grandiflora)  Deadheading of spent flowers is recommended to encourage reblooming and prevent self-seeding. As with Zagreb, Grandiflora can also spread with rhizomes (modified stems running underground).  Grandiflora grows in dense bushy clumps with a spread of 1.5 feet and a height of 1.5-2.5 feet. The flowers are bright daisy-like yellow with a small diameter of 2-3 inches. Grandiflora is hardy from USDA Zone 4-9 and blooms from June through August.

I find the Threadleaf is a more prolific spreader than Tickseed. If you are looking for a perennial to fill in a space, Coreopsis Threadleaf is a good choice. While it fills in an area, it’s not overly aggressive.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

While I cannot remember purchasing black-eyed Susan plants, we certainly have a number growing on our property. I love the fact that black-eyed Susan is drought and deer tolerant. Black-eyed Susan is a biennial or short-lived perennial that is hardy in USDA Zones 3-7. While each plant is short-lived, Black-eyed Susan readily self-seeds and will thus remain in the garden for a long time. With its self-seeding, we routinely find Black-eyed Susan in new areas of the garden each year. Just leave a few seed heads on the plant and you will be rewarded by new plants the following summer.

An herbaceous perennial, Black-eyed Susan in the Asteraceae family. It prefers full sun and will grow 2-3’ tall and spread 1-2’ wide. I don’t find Black-eyed Susan to be an overly aggressive spreader. Overall, a nice addition to the garden.

Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis)

A few years ago, I was surprised to find this beautiful plant growing in our garden. I could not imagine where it came from. So, I walked around behind our property. Our neighbor, who lives behind our home, had a patch of 4-5 bleed heart plants growing. The wind or a bird must have dispersed seeds from their plant into our yard. Well, I was delighted. This is such a dainty and lovely plant. It has delicate pendant flowers that are shaped like hearts. Over the past three years, two additional plants have self-propagated. We now have a total of 3 bleeding heart plants. All via self-seeding.

The bleeding heart plant prefers part shade to full shade. Bleeding Heart is hardy from USDA Zone 3-9 and blooms from April through May. After the plant flowers, seed pods will form. It is from these seed pods that propagation can occur. The good news is that Bleeding Heart is not overly invasive. As I mentioned, over a period of three years, we got one new plant a year.

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)

We have Shasta Daisies growing all around our home. We have a few clumps in the front of the house and a border of daisies growing behind our vegetable garden. The wonderful thing about daisies is that they divide easily and establish quickly. The daisies have been growing for many years on our property. While I’m not 100% sure of the variety, my guess would be ‘Becky’.

Shasta Daisy is hardy from Zone 5-9 and blooms from July through September. Spent blooms should be pruned to encourage additional blooms. In some areas of the United States, Shasta Daisies can become invasive. They grow fast, produce abundant seeds, are long-lived, and adapt to their environment. Therefore, it’s important to observe the growth of your Shasta Daisies each year. If you notice too many plants, simply dig up the ones that you don’t need.

I hope you enjoyed reading and learning about seven flowers that self-propagate in your garden.

Additional Information

Here is a list of posts that you may also find interesting to read.

• 6 easy steps to divide Siberian Iris
• Brilliant Method to create new garden beds: Lasagna Gardening
• Profusion Zinnias: An awesome flower to grow
• The Importance of Native Plants
• How to Create a Productive Small Vegetable Garden
• How to Create a Monarch Butterfly Garden
• Flowers in the vegetable garden, 7 that provide beneficial effects

References

Missouri Botanical Plant Finder