Ultimate list of self-seeding plants for a low-maintenance garden

Self-seeding plants are nature’s gift to gardeners. If they are happy in your garden, they will self-select seed, providing you with an abundance of free plants. They get the garden to look more vibrant without you doing too much work.

Self-seeding plants to expect in your garden

Forget-me-nots

Forget-me-not flowers will emerge in abundance, creating a lovely blue cloud on your garden’s ground. To ensure they complement your garden’s aesthetic, plant them near tulips and other spring-blooming bedding flowers. They are also easy to remove if they begin to spread too much in your garden.

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Poppies

Poppies love to self-seed and will add a splash of colour around the borders of your yard. Most self-seeding plants and poppies self-seed to prevent weeds from filling your garden. With their striking blooms and natural hardiness, they’re a great option if you are starting your self-seeding flower garden.

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Calendulas

Calendula flowers belong to the marigold family and thrive in mild temperatures and full sunlight, which encourages self-seeding. They add a vibrant splash of bright yellow to orange blooms to your garden and serve as an attractive alternative to other flowers when planted along pathways. You can expect them to fully self-seed by spring, as long as they are in the right growing conditions.

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Borage Herb flowers

Although technically a herb, the borage blue bloom flowers are a stunning way to add a vibrant pop of colour to your garden. These self-seeding blooms create visual interest with their star-shaped leaves and, like many self-seeding flower options, they’re great for attracting pollinators.

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Sea Holly

Popular pollinating plants, sea holly plants are herbaceous perennials that come in shades of steely blue and like to bask in full sun. This basking helps them seed well, providing your garden with pure purple colours. They look great in gravel gardens or around large borders. Give them ample space to shine and see them fill your garden in abundance.

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Alliums

Ornamental alliums are strikingly beautiful with an instantly identifiable architectural shape; it’s impossible to mistake them for anything else. They’re self-seeding and incredibly simple to grow with hardy properties, making them an option for most growing environments. They will produce lavender balls that sparkle like purple fireworks from late summer through autumn.