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All of the flowers listed below are easy to start from seed (or bulb) and grow with little to no maintenance in North Texas!  Spring flowering:       1. Larkspur Larkspur is an annual variety of delphinium and handles the North Texas climate a lot better than it's perennial cousin. Seeds are directly sown into the soil in the fall so that they go through a period of cold stratification and then sprout in the Spring with very little maintenance in between. Plants will grow a large central stem with one main flower, once that flower is cut the plants will branch and make 5-15 smaller but still very usable stems. Plants will begin to lose steam in late spring when night time temperatures begin to warm up.        Gladiolus:  Grown from bulbs, Glads have gotten a bad reputation for being only associated with funerals and being too long, gangly and awkward. Those aren't the ones I'm talking about, we grow what's called "flag" gladiolus. This means that the bulbs we use are smaller than the commercially grown ones and therefore put up smaller more petite blooms with 8-12 florets. As far as growing goes they're as simple as placing the bulbs in the ground in early spring and patiently waiting. You can expect blooms about 70 days after planting. Pro Tip: Check out our blog post all about Gladiolus here:  Summer flowering:    Zinnia:  Easily started from seed in trays or directly sown into the field, zinnias are an absolute powerhouse for our farm. They come in a ton of different sizes, shapes and colors and grow without issue through the hottest parts of the summer as long as they are kept deadheaded and supported with either a stake or netting. My favorite varieties are Queen Red Lime, Benarys Giant  and Oklahoma.      Celosia:  This group of flowers is extremely broad varying from the Cockscomb series that looks like underwater coral to the Pampas Plume varieties that resemble feathery fire and a lot more. They can be started in seed trays or directly sown into the garden, don't expect seeds to germinate until soil warms, they love the heat. They'll be one of the last things in the garden to wilt on those hot 100 degree days and will hold up in a vase for 10-14 days without issue.    Sunflower:  Split into 2 main groups, Single Stem varitites and Branching varities, Sunflowers are a gorgoeus focul stem to have in the garden. With the single stem varieties you have to keep in mind that 1 seed will turn into 1 plant which will give you 1 flower. These single stem varieties can be planted as close as 4"-6" and in fact should be planted closely to keep the stems from getting as thick as broomhandles. Branching varities need far more space, taking up about 18"-24" per plant however you'll get anywhere from 8-12 stems per plant. Sunflowers have a long taproot that dosen't like to be disturbed so I've found the easiest way to grow them is to just directly sow them into the garden at a depth of 1/2 inch.    I hope you enjoyed this little article! Follow us on Facebook for more content like this! 

Making the decision to start your cut flower or vegetables from seeds rather than buying plugs or plants from your local nursery will save you an enormous amount of money on your 2021 season. Let's talk about how you do it! Where to Order from and what to check before you do! My favorite sources to go to when ordering my flower and vegetable seeds for the season are JohnnySeeds.com and HarrisSeeds.com . Both have excellent variety and decent prices especially if you're ordering in any kind of bulk. A couple of things worth considering when picking out your seeds for the season are whether or not they need to be started in seed trays (what this article is about) or if you can just directly sow them into your beds. Also make sure that your familiar with your outdoor growing area and what kind of sun you get there, your plant varieties will heavily depend on where you land on the full sun to shade spectrum. Planting Early...but not too Early You want to give your seedlings plenty of time to mature and fill out their plug trays, while at the same time not leaving them in too long so that they get root bound. Luckily your seed packet will have the ideal starting times where it will tell you the right time to plant depending on your last frost date. Don't Forget to Thin! A few weeks in, your seedlings are starting to put on their second set of true leaves and look crowded because more than one seed per cell has germinated. This means it's time to go in and choose the strongest from the pack, taking a sharp pair of scissors and cutting the rest off at their base. A strong seedling is defined by having a good set of leaves, isn't particularly taller or shorter from the rest of the seedlings and is as centered in the cell as possible.   Be Careful with Fertilizer I know it's tempting but you have to be very careful with fertilizing your seedlings. Over fertilizing can burn the tender roots and foliage of seedlings. Optimally the best seedling fertilizer has a NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) ratio of 1-2-1.   Harden Off and Start Planting! Finally it's time to get your beautiful little seedlings into the ground! In the week before planting out make sure that you get your seedlings outdoors every day for a few hours to get them acquainted to the harsher sun, wind and weather that the outdoors has to offer. On the day of planting water your seed trays well, plant them in their final spot and water them in. After that they've officially graduated from seedlings to independent little plants.