Annuals & Reseeding

How do you know which annuals will reseed themselves? Is there some procedure for this?

If you can let us know where you live and what the annuals are that you're interested in someone around here will probably know whether they're likely to reseed for you or not. For some plants that are especially good at reseeding the seed catalogs/websites may list that information as well, but sometimes how well things reseed depends on your climate too so it's always good to hear from someone who lives near you and has personal experience with the plant.

I live in central Virginia. Sometimes I see the zone listed as 6 and sometimes 7. I want to order some seeds from a catalog, but the information is very confusing. For instance, I thought that Dahlia's were perennial bulbs and would come back every year if properly winterized, but the catalogue has something called a "Dahlia Harlequin Mix," which is listed as an annual. I am very confused and could use just a couple basic rules of thumb about buying seeds. For instance, if a packet comes with 25 seeds, I don't really want 25 of one plant. Can I save some of the seeds to plant again next year, or will they "expire"? Will all 25 seeds produce a plant? I'm a relatively novice gardener with only a few seasons of experience with your run-of-the-mill, common garden center plants. The economic advantage and variety of seeds is very intriguing, I just don't know if my thumb is green enough :-(

So many questions - Dahlia - If you live east of Hwy29 and give them a 4-6" layer of mulch for the winter and protect them from winter winds they should come back in the ground. You can dig up the tubers and replant, if you have the time.

Dahlia needs sun, if you plant them where they get sun all year (in winter too, sun will keep the ground warmer than in shade) they will be OK. Try some, if they fail then you know. All Dahlia are perennial bulbs no matter what the labels says, but, if the ground freezes they die.

Seeds - If you are sowing them directly into the garden or container you will want to plant several seeds. Not all will germinate and there will be losses due to circumstances beyond your control. Read and follow the directions on the package. If you are planting seeds of a single color you can over plant, you don't always have to thin seedlings. Sometimes plants look better in clumps, just like in nature.

Checking out a local knowledgeable garden center can help answer a lot of questions. Forget HD, Lowe's or Wally's those folks rarely are gardeners.

Want to see a top of the line seed catalogue? go here http://ivygarth.com/images/Annuals.htm and click on the image to see the plant color

Thanks for the reply dale_a_gardener!