Tiny Seed
 
Tiny seed planted just right.
Not a breath of air
Nor a ray of light.
Rain falls slowly to and fro
And now the seed begins to grow.
Slowly reaching for the lights
With all its energy,
All its might.
The little seed’s work
Is almost done,
To grow up tall
And face the sun.

Some hardy annuals can also be direct-seeded in the fall, and these plants will flower much earlier than plants seeded in the spring. When fall seeding, plant the seeds a bit deeper than you would in the spring, and spread some mulch over the seedbed after the ground has frozen. 

Examples of hardy annuals include bachelor’s buttons, calendula, spider flower (Cleome  ), pinks (Dianthus spp.), larkspur, linaria, Shirley poppies (Papaver rhoeas), nigella (love-in-a-mist), scabiosa (pincushion flower), snapdragons, lavatera, annual baby’s breath (Gypsophila elegans), heliotrope, stocks, and sweet peas.

Half Hardy Annuals. Can be direct-sown outdoors after the threat of hard frost (temperatures below 25°F) is past. Indoors, start seeds in flats 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date, and harden off the plants before transplanting them to the garden. Once they have hardened off, half hardy annuals can withstand a light frost. 

Examples include statice, nicotiana, painted-tongue (Salpiglossis sinuata), China aster (Callistephus chinensis), and various types of salvias and chrysanthemums. Tender Annuals. Seed can be sown directly in the garden only after all danger of frost is past. For an earlier start, sow seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost date for your area. Examples include marigolds, morning glories, zinnias, sunflowers and tithonia (Mexican sunflower), cosmos, amaranth, ageratum, celosia and gomphrena (globe amaranth). 

Some annuals are so good at fulfilling their mission in life — flowering and setting seeds — that they will self-sow readily under the right conditions and produce brand-new plants the following year. Common annuals that can self-sow vigorously include ageratum, petunia, foxglove, annual larkspur, forget-me-not, calendula and wild or striped mallow (Malva sylvestris).