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Photo: Julie Martens Forney
Letting Self-Sowers Go Wild
Plants that sow their own seed create serendipitous splashes of color in the garden, like this pretty combination of self-sown Summerina echibeckia and Tuscan kale. But left to their own devices, self-sowing plants can easily take over desired plantings, even established perennials. Self-sowers include plants like cleome, dill, queen anne’s lace, coneflower, nasturtium and globe thistle. To keep self-sowing plantings under control, pull plants before seeds mature. Use care tossing them into your compost pile, because you may inadvertently spread the seeds around your garden in the finished compost.