I’m accused of being cheap, so maybe I’m particularly attracted to self-immersing garden plants, but in reality, don’t gardeners love free plants? Plus, self-sours sometimes make great design choices. They combine with other plants in ways you never think of them, stuffing themselves in places where they weren’t able to plant anything. Certainly, it is the tiny line between “attractively carefree” and “weeding headache,” but here is the choice of self-immersing plants that I have found to behave happily in my garden.
Woodland Flocks
Phlox divaricata
Zone: 3–8
Size: 12-15 inches tall, 12-18 inches wide
Condition: Perfect color from the part. Rich and moist soil
Native Scope: Eastern and Midwest US
When I first noticed that my favorite prox was not simply spread by rhizomes, but was sowing new plants, which seemed too good. For my pleasure, the colour of the new plant changed color from the blue of the original cultivar “Perfume Cloud” and rose in lavender and pink white and pastel shades. Seedlings also began to appear in shaded sections of the lawn. There, after flowering in medium spring, it allows for occasional high mowing.
Blooming dogwood
Benthamidia florida syn. Cornus, Florida
Zone: 5–9
Size: 20-30 feet tall, 20-25 feet wide
Condition: Partial shade from the sun. Average to average soil
Native Range: Eastern North America
It is difficult to pull self-soaking plants, but somehow woody plants are the most difficult. In my area, these seedlings often arise from native seeds, but there are mature plants in my backyard and I think it’s up to the volunteers in my garden to blame. Without a mind to pull them, I each transplants them to the edge of the forest. In the front yard there is a large koosagwood (Cornus kousa, zones 5-8). This complicates the native volunteer dog woodless cue campaign, as it produces many seedlings, making it difficult to stay away at that stage. Generally, the leaves of the coosa are slightly narrower and become sharper points. Though popular, Kousa Dogwoods has shown an invasive tendency and may come to your nearest northeastern state invasive plant list, so you’ll probably want to avoid saving that sapling.
Wales Poppy
Papaver cambricum syn. Meconopsis Cambrica
Zone: 4–8
Size: 8-14 inches tall, 4-8 inches wide
Condition: Perfect color from the part. Rich and moist soil
Native Range: Western Europe
Although perennial, these impressive little poppies travel back and forth into my garden, protecting generally wet and shady areas. I’m completely harmless self-invasion of them, do not control other plants and do not come in too thick. Of course, I know they are there, but I am always happy and amazed when the bright yellow or orange paper-like flowers open in spring. Sherny leaves are also pleased, in contrast to the more powerful shaded plants. It is best to grow this sweet little shade garden addition from seeds and grow it to transplant volunteers when they are very young, as the taplout is moving.
Flowering spurt
Euphorbia Conollate
Zone: 3–9
Size: 24-30 inches tall, 12-24 inches wide
Condition: Perfect sun. Average to dry soil, drought, compression resistance
Native Range: Eastern and Midwest North America
This native convulsive delicate baby breath flower is a welcome accent of a bolder summer flower, and is rarely removed when it appears. In autumn, asters, golden rods and other slow bluemers help to shine with their red and orange leaves. In my mostly sandy rocky garden, this plant happily fills the dry spots of Fursan, difficult and frustrated by other plants. Its light and airy nature means that it never suffocates your neighbors, and it looks best when scattered with sturdy, more upright plants that help support its vast habits. Flowering, convulsive, blue-green seedlings are fairly easy to recognize and transplant, but will grow stronger if they can stay on the plant itself.
coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Zone: Cool-Weather Annual
Size: 24-30 inches tall, 12-24 inches wide
Condition: Perfect sun. Best in rich, moist soil
Native Scope: North Africa, Middle East, Southern Europe
Make sure this cool weather herb goes to seed once. I think this is a delicious blessing, but even if you are one of the unfortunate people who have genes like Coriander Tast, Coriander is underrated as an annual spring ornament. Delicate umbels of white flowers look good on almost anything and create a filler suitable for the blank spots of spring gardens. They are also constantly abused pollinators completely! Coriander is best grown directly from the seeds on the ground, and tends to be stressed and stunted during transplants. Its strap-leaf seedlings are one of the first species to germinate in the spring, so they are easy to find, but if you are in doubt, check the identification with a simple crash and sniff test.
Notes on cultivating self-immersing plants
Self-existence is often desirable in the garden, but behavior can be a problem. It is always a good practice to investigate new garden additions for aggression and avoid planting those listed on the state’s invasion plant list. It also helps you check the list of neighboring states. Native planting is insurance against accidentally spreading harmful species, but even native plants in other parts of the country can become a problem outside their native area.
Details of where you live:
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Chloë Bowers is a landscape designer based in Newtown, Connecticut.
Photos except for photos: Chloe Bauers
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