Lazy gardeners, rejoice! No longer must you sacrifice cherished time on the sofa to dig, plant, water, and mulch. You can enjoy a great floral show next spring simply by casting seeds on the ground. Buy seeds now, or use seeds you've saved. Just plant them pronto.

Why the rush? Brenda Beust Smith, who writes "The Lazy Gardener" column for the Houston Chronicle, explains that our warm climate makes an early start in late fall or winter essential for many flowers seeded directly into the garden, including larkspurs, poppies, and coreopsis. "If you wait until spring to plant, the ground heats up too quickly, and the flowers don't do well," she says. By the time the plants start blooming, they fry.

All You Need Is Love-in-a-Mist
You won't find an easier or more rewarding flower to grow from seeds this fall than an old favorite called love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena). This annual grows 12 to 18 inches high and likes full or partial sun. Blue, pink, or white blossoms appear in spring atop stems adorned with delicate, threadlike leaves. Decorative seed capsules, which are prized by flower arrangers, form after blooms fade. They overflow with black seeds that supply next spring's flowers.

Sow and Watch Them Grow
Read the list (below) for suggestions of annuals for direct-sowing. Growing them is simple. First, clear a spot in a bed this fall or winter. Gently rake the soil surface, and then sprinkle the seeds over the soil. Use the back of the rake to gently tamp the soil and settle the seeds, but don't cover them. Let the rain plant them. Never cover them with mulch, which reduces germination by about 90%.

Sow these flowers where you won't have to move them. Most don't like being transplanted. Brenda suggests sowing flower seeds between and around perennials and shrubs that die to the ground in winter. "The flowers you seeded will be beautiful just as your (hardy) plants are coming up," she notes. When the spring annuals finally wither from the heat, the hardy plants will have filled out to take their place. Lazy gardeners, rejoice!

Wildseed Farms (1-800-848-0078 or www.wildseedfarms.com) is a great source of seeds for every spring annual listed here except (wouldn't you know it?) love-in-a-mist. But you can order it and other seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds ([417] 924-8917 or www.rareseeds.com).

SIMPLE SPRING FLOWERS FROM SEEDS

"Plant Seeds Now to Supply Next Spring's Flowers" is from the November 2005 issue of Southern Living.