11 Self-Seeding Plants That Save You Time and Money • Schisandra & Bergamot

Tired of replanting every season? Self-seeding plants are the ultimate garden shortcut. Once they bloom and drop their seeds, they come back all on their own.

These 11 easy-care picks help you save time, money, and effort—while keeping your beds full, colorful, and constantly evolving.

Calendula

A field of bright yellow and orange flowers with green stems and leaves in sunlight. — Photo Credit: LeahReiter/Pixabay

With its sunny orange and yellow blooms, calendula is a cheerful favorite. Let it go to seed in fall, and you’ll find new sprouts popping up next spring.

Cosmos

Orange flowers with delicate petals and green foliage in the background. — Photo Credit: Kevin Menajang/Pexels

These airy, daisy-like flowers are prolific self-seeders. They grow fast, attract pollinators, and reliably return wherever you let them scatter.

Nasturtiums

An orange nasturtium flower in bloom surrounded by green leaves, with sunlight illuminating the petals. — Photo Credit: Pezibear/Pixabay

Not only are they edible and vibrant, but nasturtiums also reseed freely. Once established, they’ll fill in beds or spill over containers year after year.

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella)

Close-up of a blue Nigella flower with feathery green leaves, set against a blurred background. — Photo Credit: Agnese Lunecka/Pexels

This cottage garden favorite produces delicate blooms and fascinating seed pods. Let the pods dry, and you’ll enjoy a carpet of seedlings the next season.

Bachelor’s Buttons (Centaurea cyanus)

A close-up of a vibrant blue cornflower with a dark center, surrounded by green blurred background and dry branches. — Photo Credit: Siegfried Poepperl/Pexels

These charming blue blooms are tough, low-maintenance, and excellent self-seeders. They add vintage charm and attract bees with ease.

Larkspur

Close-up of blue and purple delphinium flowers with visible water droplets on petals, set against a dark background. — Photo Credit: monikasmigielska/Pixabay

A favorite for early summer color, larkspur reseeds generously in cooler climates. Plant once, and enjoy a fresh flush of tall, spiky blooms every year.

Shirley Poppies

Close-up of two pink poppy flowers with visible stamens and delicate, translucent petals against a light background. — Photo Credit: aliced/Deposit Photos

These tissue-like blooms come in soft pastels and bold reds. Let the seed heads dry and drop, and you’ll be rewarded with a sea of color the following season.

Verbena bonariensis

Close-up of three clusters of small purple flowers on tall, thin stems against a blurred green background. — Photo Credit: armennano/Pixabay

Tall and wispy with lavender blooms, this pollinator favorite reseeds in just the right places. It pops up year after year without crowding out other plants.

Borage

Loved by bees and beneficial in vegetable gardens, borage is a hardy self-seeder. Once established, you’ll always have its blue blooms on hand.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

A bumblebee collects nectar from the center of a yellow black-eyed Susan flower surrounded by more blooms and green foliage. — Photo Credit: citizenoftheworld2019/Pixabay

These cheerful yellow flowers drop seeds freely and spread slowly over time. They’re drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly, and ideal for wildflower-style beds.

Cleome (Spider Flower)

A pink spider flower blooms in a sunny garden, surrounded by green foliage and blurred plants in the background. — Photo Credit: Annas-Garten-DE/Pixabay

With tall stems and unique blooms, cleome makes a bold statement. Let the seed pods dry on the plant and you’ll see volunteers return every season.

Self-seeding plants make gardening easier and more rewarding. Just give them space to grow, let the seeds drop, and watch your garden come back better each year. It’s a beautiful way to save time, save money—and let nature take the lead.