7 Flowers You Only Need to Buy Seeds for Once
Imagine buying a packet of flower seeds once and enjoying beautiful blooms—and potentially a fresh supply of seeds—for years to come.
One of my favourite things about growing flowers from seed is that many varieties make it incredibly easy to save seeds at the end of the season. Others are enthusiastic self-seeders, dropping seeds naturally around the garden and surprising you with new plants the following year.
With a little seed collecting and proper storage, one packet can turn into hundreds or even thousands of seeds over time. It is an inexpensive and rewarding way to create a garden that becomes fuller and more beautiful every year.
Here are 7 beautiful flowers you may only need to buy seeds for once.
1. Hollyhocks - Hollyhocks are a cottage-garden classic, producing tall stalks covered in beautiful flowers that can reach several feet high. They are perfect along fences, against sheds, at the back of flower beds, or anywhere you want to add height and old-fashioned charm.
Depending on the variety and climate, hollyhocks may be biennial or short-lived perennials. They are also excellent self-seeders.
Once the flowers fade, round seed pods begin developing along the stalk. Allow the pods to become brown and dry before collecting them. Inside, you will find plenty of flat seeds ready to save for another generation of hollyhocks.
Seed-saving tip: Let some stalks remain standing until the seed pods are completely mature. You can collect the seeds yourself or allow some pods to open naturally and self-seed around the garden.
2. Sweet Peas - Sweet peas are loved for their delicate flowers, climbing habit, and wonderful fragrance. They look beautiful growing up trellises, fences, arches, and other garden supports.
After flowering, sweet peas develop pods containing seeds. If you want to save seed, leave some flowers on the plant instead of cutting or deadheading all of them.
Allow the pods to mature and dry on the vine before collecting the seeds. Store them somewhere cool and dry until planting time.
Keep in mind that ornamental sweet peas are not edible. Their seeds and other plant parts should not be eaten.
Seed-saving tip: If you want lots of flowers for bouquets and seeds for next year, dedicate a few vines or later-season flowers specifically to seed production.
3. Cosmos - If you want an easy flower that practically takes care of itself, cosmos deserves a place in your garden.
These airy flowers bloom in shades of pink, white, burgundy, orange, yellow, and more, depending on the variety. Their delicate foliage and daisy-like flowers bring wonderful movement to garden beds.
Cosmos are also incredibly generous seed producers.
Once the flower heads fade, they develop narrow, pointed seeds that are easy to collect. Allow the seed heads to dry before gently pulling the mature seeds away.
Cosmos will often self-seed too, meaning plants may return the following year without you doing anything at all.
Seed-saving tip: Deadhead throughout much of the summer to encourage more flowers, then leave plenty of blooms on the plants toward the end of the season to produce seed.
4. Zinnias - Zinnias are one of the best flowers for gardeners who want loads of summer colour.
They come in an incredible range of colours, shapes, and sizes and continue blooming until frost when regularly deadheaded. They are also excellent cut flowers and popular with pollinators.
At the end of the season, stop deadheading some of your healthiest flowers and allow the flower heads to become completely brown and dry.
The dried flower heads contain seeds that can be separated from the old petals and stored for the following season.
One thing to remember: hybrid zinnias may not grow exactly like the parent plant. If you want plants that are more likely to resemble the originals, choose open-pollinated varieties for seed saving.
Of course, letting nature surprise you can be part of the fun too.
5. Marigolds - Marigolds might be one of the easiest flowers of all for beginner seed savers.
They are cheerful, dependable, easy to grow, and produce an impressive number of seeds from just a handful of flowers.
Once a flower has faded, allow the flower head to dry. Pull it apart and you will find long, slender seeds inside, usually with a darker portion and lighter-coloured tip.
Let the seeds finish drying before storing them for next spring.
Once you start collecting marigold seeds, you may quickly find yourself with more than you could ever plant.
Seed-saving tip: Save seeds from your healthiest, strongest plants and from the flowers with colours and characteristics you particularly love.
6. Foxglove - Foxgloves bring beautiful vertical interest to the garden with tall spikes covered in bell-shaped flowers.
Many common foxgloves are biennials. They typically produce leafy growth during their first year, flower during their second year, set seed, and then die. Fortunately, they can self-seed so successfully that they may appear to return year after year.
After flowering, foxgloves develop seed capsules containing a huge number of tiny seeds. Allow the capsules to mature and dry before collecting them.
You can also leave some seed heads in place and allow nature to scatter them around your garden.
Important: Foxglove is toxic if ingested, so take appropriate care when growing it around children and pets and wash your hands after handling the plant or seeds.
7. Poppies - Poppies are almost made for seed saving.
After their beautiful flowers finish blooming, they leave behind distinctive seed pods. Once mature and dry, these pods contain numerous tiny seeds.
You can collect the pods and shake the seeds into an envelope or container, or leave some standing and allow them to scatter naturally.
Many garden poppies are enthusiastic self-seeders. Once established, they can pop up in unexpected places year after year, creating a wonderfully natural garden.
Different poppy species have different growing requirements, so check the variety you are growing before planting or saving seed.
Seed-saving tip: Leave several of the strongest plants untouched at the end of flowering so their seed pods can fully mature.
How to Save Flower Seeds Successfully
Seed saving does not need to be complicated. The most important thing is patience.
Allow flowers and seed heads to mature fully on the plant whenever possible. Seeds collected too early may not be viable.
Once the seed heads or pods are dry:
- Collect them on a dry day.
- Separate the seeds from the dried plant material.
- Allow the seeds to dry thoroughly before storing them.
- Label each envelope with the flower variety and year collected.
- Store seeds somewhere cool, dark, and dry until planting season.
Paper envelopes are useful because they allow any remaining moisture to escape. Moisture trapped with seeds can encourage mold and ruin your collection.
A Garden That Keeps Giving
Growing flowers from seed is already one of the most affordable ways to fill a garden, but saving your own seeds takes it one step further.
Plant a packet of cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, hollyhocks, sweet peas, foxgloves, or poppies this year, and those original plants can provide the seeds for future gardens.
You can replant your favourites, allow some varieties to self-seed, share seeds with friends and family, or gradually fill new areas of your garden without buying another packet.
And because open-pollinated flowers can cross with nearby compatible varieties, you may occasionally discover slightly different colours or characteristics in future generations.
That is part of the magic.
One packet of seeds can become years of flowers—and a garden that keeps giving back season after season.