Did you know that you could plant your perennial flower seeds in the fall?
This process mimics the natural life cycle of a flower. Perennial flower seeds would naturally be dropped in the fall. If a seed finds soil, it plants and settles in for the winter. You can tap into this process in your own garden and give your perennials a head start. Overwintered seed will even start blooming a few weeks earlier than seed started in the spring.
Before you start, be sure your garden has gone dormant in order to prevent your seed does not sprout. Wait until you have had a killing frost, or in warmer climates, after the rainiest season ends. This will also help to ensure the weeds are dormant and give you a little extra time to plant.
If you plant outside, prepare your area as you would for other seeds. Select an area in with the appropriate light for your variety, clear your space of any weeds or other growth, turn the soil, spread seed evenly, and compress by walking on top of the seed.
Alternatively, you can plant in seed flats. Use weed free, clean soil. Tuck your flats up against the house to keep them a bit more protected. Let your planting area get covered with snow, leaves, and more, then wait.
In the spring, your seeds will sprout early. No need to water unless they are obviously dry. Keep weeds at bay as you see them appear. Depending on the variety, you can see blooms as early as 5 weeks after sprouting. Enjoy the extra time you now have to dedicate to other spring planting!
You can check out THIS POST for flower planting tips (just skip the cardboard cover).
Great article on planting perrenial seeds in the fall! Learn something New and useful everyday!