The self-sown annual garden offers a magical charm of its own and it's a well-worn expression that Mother Nature is the unsurpassed, but not the most orderly,
gardener.
We have a wide variety of self-sowers in the garden and I shall name but a few. Cleome has to be weeded out, but I wouldn't be without it. This tall growing annual mixer has distinct, lightly scented, spidery blooms and deserves a prominent role in the border.
It is a statuesque plant which is best exploited by using it in a rhythmic order rather than strewn regardless throughout the garden.
Verbena bonariensis lacks physical solidity, which avails it a transparent appeal, with veil-like wands of square, almost leafless stems that permit views to distant plantings. Topknots of posy-like, minuscule, bright purple flowers adorn the terminal stems.
A highly functional genus is Nicotiana. They can be exploited to act as backdrops or to punctuate a border, delivering a sweet scent upon the air.
Nigella damascene, or as it is commonly known, love-in-a-mist has clear blue corn-flower-like-heads nestled in a halo of thread-like bracts ornamented by delicate grassy foliage. The flowers are succeeded by highly decorative seed-pods.
The sweet-night-scented-stock and Lobelia erinus compacta always seem to know where to appear to suit clear roles to the fore of borders.
I love the swishing tails of Love-Lies-Bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) and I usually sow it in a position that allows it to take on a central role in a border. It blooms in early spring, then self-sows to bloom in late spring through early summer, then self-sows to bloom in late summer and is in bloom as I write.
One of my favourite returnees is "cow parsley" (Anthriscus sylvestris). This plant ignites fond memories of English country lanes, and the unparalleled English countryside.
Then there are the poppies, with such cheery appeal.
These are just a few of our treasured, self-seeders. Now, I shall talk about some of the varieties of seed that I plan to sow in early November for spring glory.
A new find is a bright, buttercup-yellow form of poppy, which is commonly known as the "yellow poppy" and is said to be rarely seen and - allegedly - easy to grow. Its botanical name is "Dicranostigma franchetianum".
Pansies, botanically known as Viola, do extremely well in Bahrain and this year I have chosen Viola x wittrockiana "Envy", which presents olive-green blooms and is a breeding breakthrough.
I shall also sow Viola" Jolly Joker" with extra large blooms and vivid colour combinations of almost black petals with pumpkin-orange hearts.
A breathtaking snapdragon is Antirrhinum majus "Royal Bride", with pristine-white, "fragrant" blooms carried atop 36-inch-stems. Fragrance in an Antirrhinum is rare, and therefore a luxury.
A splendid annual for the bog garden is Tigrinus hibridus "Mixed", commonly known as "mimulus". These plants produce pretty, orchid-like flowers in shades of yellow, blotched copper.
The wildflower "Ragged Robin", too, is a good choice for the bog garden. Botanically known as Lychnis flos-cuculi, it has fascinating shredded flowers in pale to purplish pink - sometimes white - that provide open-air cafes to butterflies and bees.
The pin-wheel flowers of Silene, or as it is botanically known Caryophyllaceae caroliniana (syn. Viscaria), in hot-pinks, purples and mauves planted together with the purples, warm pinks and milk-white blooms of Salvia horminium "Claryssa Mixed" (clary sage) harmonize so well with the cornflower Centaurea cynus "Blue Diadem". Centaurea cynus "Black Ball" adds intrigue to the border and is extremely free-flowering.
Perhaps to contrast against Cynus "Black Ball" would be the glorious miniature suns that bounce off Bidens ferulifolia "Golden Eye". This plant brings sparkle to borders when planted as a ground hugger or in baskets and containers or left to spill over low walls.
The first striped Dahlia from seed is Dahlia "Fireworks Mixed". The seeds can be sown directly at growing site - which is my preferred method of sowing.
These are bushy, dwarf plants that are free-flowering, exploding into an extensive array of bright, effervescent colours, which makes them perfect for border display or grown in containers.
A happy-go-lucky annual climber is Black-Eyed-Susan (Thunbergia alata "Salmon Shades") with each flower carrying a central black eye.
Do try to get hold of Chinese Forget-Me-Not "Chill Out" (Cynoglossum amabile "Chill Out". Last year, I sowed the seeds in a raised bed in full sun and diligently dead-headed as the season progressed.
The plants bloomed from early spring well into summer and presented a froth of sky blue and cool white flowers.
This plant is perfect for creating a tranquil drift of colour and will harmonise with the more pastel shades in early spring, and cool down the hotter colours that will join it as the season rolls on.
Scatter packets of mixed wild flower seeds. I have some from North America, some from the Mediterranean, a mix of English meadow seeds, an English wild flower mix and an "Attraction Series" that catch the fancy of butterflies and wildlife in general. All of which are hardy and half hardy.
Apart from sunflowers for the parakeets, I shall sow "teasel" - Dipsacus sylvestris - to attract seed-eating birds.
This is a tall and conspicuous, thistle-like plant with jagged leaves and large spiny flower heads. These also provide a valuable source of nectar for bees and butterflies - your ever important pollinators.
Some of the above-mentioned plants feature in my book Exotic Perennials & Annuals 'for Pots and Gardens in Bahrain'.
