Sowing Seeds in Your Garden

Thank you to member, Lisa Elbert, for providing the March tip of the month.

​Why not have fun with sowing seeds in your garden before the weather warms up for a welcome pop of color! The ideal time to sow hardy annual seeds directly in the garden is MARCH in the mid-Atlantic region.
 
Hardy Annuals - These seeds can be sown directly in the garden BEFORE the last frost in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. They germinate and do well in cooler temperatures and can tolerate light frost. They do not do well as transplants and are an easy and economical to add color to a garden. Some of them, such as sweet pea, are strictly spring flowers, so enjoy them before the weather turns hot!

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• Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) – fragrant vines for trellises and fences; tolerates cool soil.  

• Calendula (Pot Marigold) – bright orange/yellow blooms; hardy and easy to grow.  
• Larkspur (Delphinium consolida) – tall spires of color; grows well in cool weather.  
• Cornflower (Bachelor’s Button) – blue and other colors in meadow or cottage gardens.  
• Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) – airy foliage and delicate flowers; great for cottage and mixed beds.  
• Clarkia – fast-growing and lovely in informal borders or naturalized areas.  
• California Poppy – easy and colorful; direct sow before last frost.  
• Flax (‘Blue and Breezy’ and similar) – tall and graceful blue blooms.