Informal, sprawling, old fashioned, and self seeding annuals are a mainstay of the Cottage Garden. There are many that I dearly love, including Poppies, Nigella, Chinese Forget me not, Touch me not, and Four O'clock, but I think my very favorite is Larkspur. Please share your favorites and your experiences with them :-)

What a great Cubit, Neal! Thank you.

I love all that you've mentioned above, and am trying Ava's Himalayan poppies this year, too.

Gonna watch this Cubit closely!

Thanks Shar! I would just once love to see those blue poppies with my own eyes! Last year was so cool and mild, I bet we'd have had a good chance with them then.

You might have a better chance with them, Neal. It's drier and hotter here in summer. I keep trying though!

I'm anxious to see more pictures from your garden.

I just planted bell flowers (Campanula) yesterday. First time, and I worry that it might even be too hot for them here, but we'll see. Surely not....don't they grow pretty well in most places?

Are those the perennial Peach leaved Bellflowers? Or perhaps the biennial Canterbury Bells? Those both do well here, and I think I recall some midwesterners growing them. I believe they should do well for you.

Ah, here's a pic with your name all over it, and another of my favorite reseeding annuals- RED Poppies!

Interesting to me, that although I would never have intentionally combined peach and red, I found that so pretty! Do you think that has something to do with the varying amounts of orange pigment they share? ...more likely looking good to me because along with middle age has come tastes for gaudy colors, LOL.

I LOVE gaudy colors!!!

Not sure about the bells, they were sent to me from a friend with no explanation. So I'm guessing....

Gaudy colors.....

mmmm....yummy colors! like fruit smoothies and sunsets!

I hold it down in some spots, subtlety does have its place (just not a real big one), LOL. Blue Nigella is so nice for cooling off hot colors. This is in my "Sky Garden" of blues, white, and yellow. Those Lilies will be somewhat taller this year- I can't wait to see them arising from a cloud of blue!

A broader shot of that bed.

Back to gaudy, this pic reminded me of another reseeding annual I've come to love, Verbena bonariensis, 'Verbena on a Stick'.

Your blue/white/yellow makes me think of Van Gogh's Starry Night series. Polly and I have just been talking about those paintings.

Hi You All
I just found this cubit by checking out DG this morning. So glad that I did. Thanks Neal.
You just explained my affinity for the hot and gaudy colors that I am being drawn to but sadly mine is more of a senior condition.
Thanks for the pictures, I just know I'm gonna love this cubit and its forums.

Veronica

Veronica... did you happen to read i finally got a B&B seedling?? YAY.

Yes I did!!!! Congratulations. I didn't save any seed this year; seems like last year I didn't have a lot of blooms but they were still pretty. One was kind of shaded. I also didn't overwinter the ones I had so now will have to buy at least one maybe 2. I'm thinking of putting Victoria in the spot where it was kind of shady but that will probably cut down on its bloom too.
Take care of those 'little ones' and if at all possible bring at least one inside this fall.
Then next year there should be enough to divide and make two or three. That is the way I ended up with three and they grew very well. I am still leaving them in the ground but I'm not betting the farm.
Veronica

B&B is easy to start from cuttings too. I kept some under lights one year, they were no problem at all to keep going. Then my original survived the winter, so I haven't done cuttings anymore.

Well I aimed to post this on here and messed up and started a new thread so I just copied and pasted for here I'm just rushing too much this morning

Neal, do you even have your Victoria Blues reseed or do you have to plant those every year? I used to have those come back when I planted them near the road out front I'm going to try them again out there I lost them when we had that freak freeze a few years back. Those are a definite favorite!

I would have to say and my Bush Violets and Subrotundo salvias too, I always hate to see them go wish they would reseed for me and I wouldn't have to plant them every year! And of course my caladiums from Bill no flowers but the foliage is to die for!

I love the Snow Nymph and Forest Fire too going to plant some Patens salvias with them this year to have the red, white & blue thing going on I have several of them coming up downstairs now The Patens are a fav. too because they are blue like the bush violets and not purple and have had the Patens to reseed for me for the past couple of years.

Did you ever plant any bush violets in your sky garden Neal they would go so perfect in there it really looks pretty in your picture! All of these flowers are so pretty!

I've got a jug of canterbury bells going I missed growing them last year or maybe two years with life going on so I won't have any to bloom for me this year but they always do good for me here.

Lea -- I didnt reply to the other post ,as i figured Neal can just delete it.

My Victoria Blue reseeded [only had it one yr now] and I've already got babies [i think - i'll have to double check]
and I'm hoping the Subrotundo survived the winter. I got the seeds from you. I planted it way out back, and our winter this year was not a bad one. I know where it is, and when i tugged the dead foliage, it did not pop right out like the other annuals... so i'm hoping.

Woops spelled the name wrong it's Subrotunda I keep doing that but when I first got the seeds it looked like an 'o' and keep doing it lol Those aren't a perennial for us Terese hardy zone only goes to 9 and mine have never reseeded you might get one to reseed let me know if you do:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/...

If you want more seeds to the Suvrotunda I think I have a few I just planted some the other day and pretty sure I had some seeds left.

I want my VB to reseed so bad and it won't I need more compost in this darn clay soil that I have I keep working on it! I have babies going now down stairs and four B&B babies so far

Congrats to you too Lea on the b & b babies. Maybe this is the year. I am so disappointed that I didn't keep mine.

I have 2 of the victorias that made it through the winter but don't know about any volunteers and where most of them were I also had (last year) some lady in red and coral nymph volunteers so I won't know what they are until they bloom. There is a lot of stuff coming up and some I know are weeds and some is anybody's guess. I also have some black prince snaps that made it through about 3 or 4 plants. Yaayy!!

I was going to trim the roses but it is kind of cold and windy so think I will wait until tomorrow or Wed afternoon.

Veronica now that's what I'm wondering about why the VB doesn’t reseed for me I need to get these gardens in shape!

Lea, I haven't grown Victoria Blue for several years, not since I've lived here for sure. I don't really know why, they're gorgeous! Well, I haven't bought any bedding plants the last few years either, and just didn't acquire any seed.