15 Perennial Flowers to Direct Seed in April

With spring upon us, we are in full gardening swing. Bulbs have popped out of the ground, and perennials are beginning to show themselves. This is a great time to peek around your garden and begin planning new or replacement plantings.

Before it is time to get your annuals in the ground, April is a great time to get some perennials started right in your garden. Seeds are a very affordable option for filling your gardens with fresh plants. Aside from seeds, all you need is a water source and a small trowel or rake to get your seeds started!

Below are some of my favorite perennial flowers that you can sow directly into your gardens in the month of April. Enjoy the process of growing your own beautiful plants but remember these plants may not bloom in the first season!

Black-eyed Susan

	botanical name Rudbeckia hirta
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 2-3 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-9

These sunny yellow perennials are well-loved by many gardeners. Their flowers are daisy-like in appearance but have yellow petals and dark brown centers. Black-eyed Susans are very easy to add to any landscape. They are pretty when planted throughout a perennial garden or used in a mass planting.

Black-eyed Susans will self-sow if you do not deadhead them, so adding new baby plants to your garden with easy. Planting these seeds yourself is also a breeze.

Wait until your temperatures reach 60 degrees consecutively. Press the seeds into the soil about ¼ inch deep. Keep the soil moist and await germination, which should take place within a month.

Chocolate Daisy 

	botanical name Berlandiera lyrata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-10

This perennial is perfect for dry and hot areas of your garden. The chocolate daisy is a native perennial wildflower. Its flowers resemble those of Black-eyed Susans. However they have a deep maroon center instead.

Their foliage reminds me of thistle but with a velvety finish. Plant this perennial somewhere you can enjoy the chocolate aroma that it emits.

Plant these seeds by scattering them on the surface of your soil. Keep the seeds moist and allow them to get as much sunlight as possible. Germination can take place in 7-30 days.

Columbine

	botanical name Aquilegia spp.
	sun requirements Full to partial sun
	height 1-3 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-8

Columbines are beautiful perennials that come in a wide variety of colors. These plants have ornamental leaves that look like parsley. The flowers appear on slender stems that can reach up to 3 feet in height.

Columbine is a great early-season bloomer that can easily be added to woodland gardens or partially shaded perennial beds.

Simply press the columbine seeds into your soil, and do not cover them. These seeds need lots of sunlight to germinate. Keep the seeds moist, but water gently so they do not get washed away. You should begin to see germination in 3 or 4 weeks.

Coreopsis

	botanical name Coreopsis spp.
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 2-4 feet tall
	hardiness zones 2-1

Also known as tickseed, coreopsis is a yellow or orange flowering perennial. The height can vary by species, but no matter how tall your coreopsis becomes, the plants will be nice and dense with thin and lacy leaves.

The flowers are on the smaller side, but there are so many of them it doesn’t make a difference. Coreopsis is easy to maintain and only requires a shearing after the first bloom if you would like it to bloom again before the fall.

After your last frost occurs, you are in the clear to plant your coreopsis seeds directly into your garden. These seeds should be planted ½ inch deep into the ground and kept moist. Your coreopsis seeds will germinate in a few weeks.

Foxglove

	botanical name Digitalis purpurea
	sun requirements Full to Partial Sun
	height 2-5 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-10

This biennial produces gorgeous bell-shaped flowers in a variety of colors. Foxglove will not bloom in its first year but will bloom beautifully in its second year.

Unfortunately, that will be the end of the foxglove’s life cycle. The good news is that foxglove will self-seed and produce new plants at its feet. You can plant seeds every other year if you would like to keep the blooms going!

Plant these seeds once the soil has warmed up. Scatter them on the top of the soil and keep them moist. You should see seedlings germinating in about 2-3 weeks.

Hollyhock

	botanical name Malva spp.
	sun requirements Full to partial sun
	height 2-4 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-7

Hollyhocks are fun and beautiful flowers that are a must have for any cottage garden. You can find hollyhocks in a variety of different colors, but most of them reside in the pink, red or purple range. Hollyhocks will grow to 4 feet and make a great plant for the middle or back of a garden.

When your weather has turned and you are out of threat of throst you can sow your hollyhock seeds in your garden. Simply press these seeds into your garden and lightly cover with soil. You should begin to see seedlings pop up in about two weeks.

Oriental Poppy

	botanical name Papaver orientale
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 1-2 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-8

Everyone knows and loves a poppy, but did you know that these plants are also easy to grow from seed? There are many different colors of poppies available, although you may be most familiar with red or orange varieties. Oriental poppies make great additions to a sunny perennial garden or a border planting.

Direct sowing poppy seeds is the best way to grow poppy plants because their long roots do not like to be disturbed.

Scatter the seeds in the area that you would like them to grow and do not cover them with soil. You will see poppy seedlings sprout in about 2 weeks.

Painted Daisy

	botanical name Tanacetum coccineum
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 2-3 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-7

Painted daisies are such a fun perennial if you love standard daisies. These flowers come in a range of shades of pink from pale pink all of the way to red and even yellow. Painted daisies attract all sorts of pollinators and are a cute addition to your butterfly garden.

When the weather has warmed, rake your garden soil lightly and scatter the painted daisy seeds on top of the soil. Cover these seeds with about ¼ inch of soil and lightly water. You should see seedlings in about 2 weeks.

Pampas Grass

	botanical name Cortaderia selloana
	sun requirements Full sun to Partial Shade
	height 5-10 feet tall
	hardiness zones 7-10

Pampas grass has grown in popularity lately for its beautiful plumes. These flowers can be easily used in floral arrangements and are beautiful when growing in your garden.

This drought-tolerant grass is considered invasive in some areas, but it can fill up space quite well if you have a large area without plants, as long as you are able to plant it in your region..

Plant pampas grass seeds as you would plant any other grass seed. Scatter seeds and cover them lightly with soil and keep the seeds and soil moist. You may opt to plant these seeds in containers to control any spreading. The planting process is the same for containers as it is for planting in the ground.

Primrose

	botanical name Oenothera speciosa
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 12-18 inches tall
	hardiness zones 5-8

Evening primrose has lovely light-colored flowers that tend to open in the evening hours. These flowers can reach up to 3 inches in diameter.

Evening primrose can be used as a showy flowering plant or as a ground cover, and the results will differ depending on where you plant your seeds. The more sun evening primrose gets, the more flowers it will produce. If you plant evening primrose in the shade the result will be a compact green ground cover with fewer blossoms.

In early April plant your primrose seeds about 1/8th of an inch deep in your garden soil. Keep the water moist. Germination will take 20-40 days. Allow enough time for these plants to germinate before the weather heats up in your area to have the most successful plantings.

Shasta Daisy

	botanical name Leucanthemum x superbum
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 2-3 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-9

Shasta daisies are a classic garden flower. Their sunny faces brighten up any garden. The classic daisy: with white petals and a yellow center are surprisingly easy to grow from seed.

Growing to about 3 feet tall Shasta daisies grow nicely in any sunny perennial garden, along a fence, or as a border. The daisies will attract pollinators of all kinds into your garden.

Plant your shasta daisy seeds in April by scattering the seeds on the surface of your soil so they will get enough sunlight. These seeds should be planted in groups of 3 and thinned out to remove weaker seedlings. You should notice germination in about 2 weeks.

Sneezeweed

	botanical name Helenium autumnale
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 2-5 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-8

Helenium, which is better known as sneezeweed, is a pretty wildflower that is native to the United States and parts of Canada. These are quick growing plants that love to live in moist soil, so take some care before you plant these seeds and make sure they are not drying out too much!

The flowers of sneezeweeds come in shades of bright yellow, orange and red and are a really fun addition to your landscape.

To plant your sneezeweed seeds just cast them on top of your garden soil that you have lightly raked over. These seeds need lots of sunlight, so do not cover them! You should notice germination in about two weeks.

Sweet Pea

	botanical name Lathyrus latifolius
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 6-9 feet, vine
	hardiness zones 3-8

Perennial sweet peas, also known as everlasting sweet peas are very similar to the annual sweet peas you may be familiar with. These vines are beautiful and are filled with pink or white flowers.

Because sweet peas are vines you should plant them near a trellis, a fence, or another structure that you would like covered. This pretty plant can also be used as a ground cover in your sunny areas.

Plant your sweet peas directly outdoors in early April. Sow each seed about one inch into the soil, and plant in groups of three seeds with plans to thin out the weaker seedlings. You should begin to see germination in 2-3 weeks.

Verbena 

	botanical name Verbena bonariensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4 feet tall
	hardiness zones 7-11

Verbena, or vervain, is a tall growing perennial with purple flowers clustered on the top. It makes a beautiful background plant for a shorter garden with annuals growing in front of it.

In fact, this verbena can be grown as an annual in cooler zones. Verbena is a great addition to cutting gardens or to butterfly gardens.

In April plant your verbena seeds by laying them on top of your garden soil and barely covering them at all. Germination will occur within three weeks to a month.

Yarrow

	botanical name Alchillea millefolium
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 1-2 feet tall
	hardiness zones 2-9

Yarrow is an extremely hardy and tolerant plant. If you have a sunny spot where you are having trouble getting anything to grow, yarrow just may be your answer.

This perennial has lacy foliage that is silvery green. Coming in a variety of colors these pretty foamy flowers appear in tight clusters and are very long-lasting.

Plant your yarrow seeds by pressing them into the surface of your garden soil. Keep the soil moist and you will notice germination in about 2 weeks.