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Desirable Weeds

Scott Robinson

Updated on the 15th of December 2015


One of gardening's most enjoyable experiences, that requires no effort at all from the gardener, is the appearance of self sown seedlings from a much loved plant. Many spectacular annuals, biennials and perennials are only at their best as self sowers, their seedlings resent being transplanted and rarely perform as well if they have been. Plants will only self seed if the conditions are suitable, from this we can infer that the self seeding plants in your garden are the most appropriate for your conditions. I often wonder why I bother persevering with plants that are obviously not content, when self seeders are so rewarding with so little effort.

The other main benefit of course is the fact that they're free. I doubt very much that I would spend the thousands of dollars needed to purchase the huge quantities of Coreopsis tinctoria that each year in late spring fill the nursery with a riot of sunshine yellow and rich velvety red. Every year it's different, dynamic, exciting.

Sadly many gardeners never get to experience this delight or the consternation of having to choose which seedlings to edit from their garden. There are several reasons for this lack of volunteers.

Eliminate snails and slugs, and keep at it. Their is nothing more delicious, or possibly more nutritious, for snails and slugs than newly germinated seedlings. While complete eradication may be beyond our reach it is possible to reduce them to a point where they cause little or no noticeable damage. Whether you trap them with beer or poison them with pellets not only will you notice an incredible increase in self seeding but the rest of your plants will look and flower better without constant predation.

Mulch is not selective. One of the main reasons we mulch our gardens is to control weeds. A weed is simply an undesirable self seeding plant. Seeds need moist soil to germinate, the surface of a coarse mulch, such as wood chips, dries out very quickly preventing germination. Clear small areas of mulch away from around your desirable self seeders to provide a seed bed, you can also help by lightly tilling the exposed soil. Alternatively don't mulch and enjoy an entirely wild garden, meadow or jungle. You will quickly learn to recognize weed seedlings and they are easily plucked as they appear. Weeds are inevitable, choose ones you like.

Choose appropriate plants. There is a fine line between a desirable plant and an undesirable weed. The difference between one and the other varies depending on each year, site and of course personal preference. My weeds may be for you, in different soil and conditions, challenging to grow. Sometimes that beautiful plant, that next year became a magnificent stand, isn't quite so cherished when thousands of seedlings are swallowing your garden. Sometimes also the reverse is true, that curse you once couldn't eradicate but which provided swathes of colour and filled in bare spots, declines and eventually disappears altogether, whether due to changing conditions in your garden or perhaps soil pathogens. For me Gaura lindheimeri is to be destroyed at every available opportunity, within the nursery. On my road verge it is beautiful, indestructible, needs no water and is therefore not only appreciated but encouraged.

Research. Books, the internet, fellow gardeners and gardens all provide valuable insights into what plants will best suit your conditions. Don't be afraid to experiment, many plants are adaptable, just because it comes from Siberia doesn't mean it wont grow well for you.


The following is a far from exhaustive list of plants that can perpetuate themselves by self seeding, without becoming too weedy, and contribute to a gardens beauty. Perhaps the best garden of all is the one where nature does the gardening.


Agastache spp.
Anethum graveolens
Aquilegia spp.
Arctotis spp.
Asclepias curassavica
Bidens ferulifolia
Briza maxima
Centrantherum intermedium
Centranthus ruber
Chasmanthium latifolium
Coreopsis tinctoria
Dianthus amurensis
Dianthus japonicus
Digitalis spp.
Echium candicans
Echium simplex
Eryngium giganteum
Eschscholzia californica
Euphorbia characias
Euphorbia coralloides
Foeniculum vulgare
Freesia spp.
Gaura lindheimeri
Gazania spp.
Geranium incanum
Geranium maderense
Geranium palmatum
Impatiens walleriana
Ixia spp.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘High Scent’
Lavandula stoechas
Lavatera plebeia
Leonotis leonurus
Limonium spp.
Linaria purpurea
Lychnis coronaria
Lychnis flos-cuculi
Lysimachia mauritiana
Lythrum virgatum
Mimulus cardinalis
Myosotis sylvatica
Nemesia caerulea
Nicotiana spp.
Oenothera spp.
Osteospermum spp.
Papaver spp.
Pavonia hastata
Penstemon palmeri
Penstemon tenuis
Persicaria virginiana
Petroselinum crispum
Physostegia virginiana
Polygala lancifolia
Ratibida columnifera
Rudbeckia laciniata
Salvia coccinea
Salvia roemeriana
Scabiosa atropurpurea
Scabiosa columbaria
Scabiosa prolifera
Sidalcea purpurea
Symphyandra spp.
Tephrosia grandiflora
Trachymene coerulea
Tropaeolum spp.
Verbascum spp.
Verbena bonariensis
Verbena hastata