24 Self-Seeding Plants for a Low Maintenance Garden Full of Color

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Self-seeding plants, whether annuals or perennials, can easily reseed themselves. By choosing self-seeding plants, you can save time and money while enjoying a low-maintenance garden.

The real beauty of self-seeding plants is that once you sow them, they continue to thrive and regrow year after year without any additional work. Allowing them to self-seed means you can avoid the yearly expense of buying new plants yet still enjoy a garden bursting with vibrant color and character.

Embracing self-seeding plants is one of the simplest ways to ensure your garden flourishes with new life each season. Below are 24 self-seeding plants that will effortlessly bring color to your garden.

California Poppy

California Poppies bring big, bold, gorgeous colors to the landscape, and most types self-seed freely and reliably. They make great cut flowers and are naturally deer-resistant and drought-tolerant. For the best results, plant your poppies in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.

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Calendula

Calendulas are bright, cheerful additions to any garden. Their leaves and flowers are edible and are often used in salads or as garnish. They are easy to grow in well-drained soil and prefer gentle sunlight. Plant them in early spring to enjoy their vibrant blooms from late spring to early summer.

Calendula self-seeds well and sometimes escapes from the garden, but it will not overcrowd native plants, so it is not considered invasive. 

Additionally, Calendula’s are known to deter pests, deer, and rabbits, making them useful for protecting vegetable gardens.

Blue Forget-Me-Not

Forget-Me-Not produces small, delicate blue flowers with yellow centers that emerge above green foliage in spring. This biennial prefers shady areas and moist, well-drained soil and often self-seeds for continuous blooms. It’s suitable for USDA zones 3-8 and is ideal for borders, woodland areas, and cottage gardens.

Borage

Borage is another self-seeding plant with edible flowers. The bright blue flowers are also a favorite for bees, making them an excellent pollinator garden addition. This plant isn’t picky about soil and rarely needs fertilizer but does prefers full sun to partial shade. It also serves as a great companion plant, especially for tomatoes.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory vines are famous for their large, trumpet-shaped blue flowers that open each morning and close in the afternoon. They require full sun, well-drained soil, and regular watering. These vines are typically annual but may be perennial in warmer climates. Plant morning glory for a dynamic, daily display of vibrant blooms.

Larkspur

Rocket Larkspur, or Wild Delphinium, offers tall spikes of flowers in blue, white, pink, and purple, creating a stately effect in the garden. Due to its height, it prefers full sun or partial shade and may need staking.

This plant is a cool-season favorite, sprouting on its own when seeds are sprinkled in the garden in late winter. Its soft fern-like foliage complements the striking flowers, making it a standout in ornamental borders.

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella Damascene)

The whimsical name of Love-in-a-Mist is perfectly matched by its delicate blue flowers and fine foliage. Blooming in late spring and early summer, this plant is a low-maintenance choice that adds a soft texture to the garden. It thrives in full sun or partial shade and is best sown directly outdoors in early spring.

Foxglove

Foxglove has tall spikes of bell-shaped flowers that add a vertical element to shaded garden spots. It blooms from late spring to early summer.

Coreopsis

In warmer climates, they can even bloom well into the winter. Deadheading your plants will keep them producing bushels of blooms that draw pollinators like a magnet. To let them go to seed, simply let the flowers dry on the stem. They are drought and heat-tolerant and make for beautiful cut flowers, as well. 

Bachelor’s Button

Bachelor’s button plants self-seed very well. Bachelor’s buttons are hardy little plants that can grow in a wide range of climates and soil types. They are drought tolerant, and while blue is the most common color, it is far from exclusive. These flowers come in many shades of purple, pink, and white. They require little to no maintenance, and pollinators appreciate their presence, as well.

China Aster

China asters are fast growing and bloom for a long period, from late spring through the fall. Flowers are most commonly shades of purple or blue, but they can also be pink or white, depending on the variety. After they sprout, give them some mulch to protect their shallow root systems. Asters like to be kept moist, so planting them in partial shade is advisable.

Alyssum

Sweet alyssum is a delightful little plant that makes a wonderful ground cover. It can be grown as an annual in almost any climate. Alyssum begins blooming in spring and continues until the first frost. Planting them in a space with afternoon shade will keep them blooming through the hotter months. 

Cosmos

They are highly attractive to pollinators and butterflies feed on their sweet nectar. These pretty flowers are low maintenance. Plant these seeds in full sun and keep the soil moist until they are established. Once established, they are drought-tolerant and require very little maintenance.

Sunflower

This summer beauty is known for its beautiful yellow flowers that attract insects. It is edible to both animals and humans when prepared in a delicious manner. It is self-seeding and if you can manage to keep critters and other birds at bay, especially during winter, you might get some sunflowers in spring. 

Nasturtium

It is an edible flower that works well in salads.  The attractive leaves are edible as well. The flowers are usually large, colorful and delicate with a peppery taste. This fast-growing flower attracts pollinators and grows well on the ground or in containers, spilling over the edge of the garden. 

Viola

Violas are cool-weather flowering plants with edible flowers and surprisingly good frost tolerance. They self-seed readily. Although they can continue to bloom in hot climates if given enough shade, they much prefer cooler temperatures. Plant your violas in containers or the ground in rich, loamy, moist soil that is slightly acidic.

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Amaranth

Amaranth is commonly grown as a food source, but there are wonderful ornamental varieties as well. The young leaves are edible, and the flowers have a fuzzy texture. If left on the plant to dry, the flowers will go to seed and self-seed well.

Sweet Pea

 These annuals self-seed excellently and tolerate cold temperatures. These climbing vines like to have a structure to climb and flower well in early spring to early summer. Deadheading the flowers helps control how aggressively they reseed.

Strawflower

Strawflowers do self-seed and are most successful in mild climates. These plants prefer dry weather and average, well-drained soil. Cutting the flowers or deadheading will help to control how aggressively this plant reseeds itself. The flowers smell wonderful and have a great vase life. 

Snapdragon

Plant your snapdragons in partial shade with morning sun for best results. This will help to keep their roots cool during the hottest months. These plants are very resilient despite their delicate appearance and can even survive a light frost once they  establish. 

Petunia

Petunias are fast-growing, low-maintenance sun lovers that thrive in garden beds and containers. Hybrid varieties will not always breed true, so it’s difficult to say what your new flowers will look like. With so many beautiful varieties available, there is a petunia for every garden. Petunias like fertile soil and a moderate amount of water. They bloom best in mild weather.

Impatiens

Impatiens are attractive flowering plants that prefer partial shade and will self-seed if their seed pods are left on the plant. These are mounding plants, and they are not aggressive about self-seeding. Impatiens look stunning in a mass planting. They need rich, moist soil, and in exchange.

Marigold

Marigolds are also edible and make a stunning garnish or addition to baked goods. We don’t typically consider marigolds self-seeding, but they are indeed. A month before you expect the first frost, stop deadheading your marigolds and allow the seed heads to dry on the plant. They will burst open and drop their seeds.

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Black-eyed Susan

When grown in a sunny spot, this plant can produce quite a number of flowers in a short period of time. These self-seeding flowers are easy to maintain and make excellent cut flowers. They are also drought—and heat-tolerant and prefer full sunlight exposure. 

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