Perpetuals

Some annuals are such reliable self-seeders they can pretty much hold their own with their perennial counterparts. They are usually wild meadow flowers, a little rugged but relentless in the propagation of their species.

I still find tall bell flowers from two years ago, blooming where I never planted them, and weedy little sprouts like the French mallows in the picture, whose seed heads, 'cheeses' as they are called, produce more than enough seed to populate the entire northern hemisphere. A third generation of Spider flowers reigns supreme over an entire flowerbed after it elbowed out the competition over the course of two summers.

I still find calendulas from seven years ago as well as the occasional snapdragon, stripped of the hybrid characteristics of the original cultivar and donning the more classic features of its parentage.

The vegetable garden surprises me every year with marigolds, and the flower borders with love-in-a-mist and moss roses.

Heirloom varieties are more likely to self-sow and they usually come true from seed.