Ideas for really simple “throw them in the garden seeds/bulbs”

[Passportpondery]

I need something I can literally just throw in the garden and will flower in spring?

Going into large raised beds. Nothing fancy requiring sewing indoors first and replanting etc.

Does it exist that there are plants that you just stick directly into the ground and they grow?

Complete garden novice but would like some colour by spring/summer!

Have a look on Etsy at seed bombs!! I buy the wildflower ones (very easy and attract bees) and you literally just Chuck them in top of soil and by summertime have lots of pretty flowers, usually you don't know what to expect either so it's funny waiting for them to bloom and finding out what they are!

Also have a look in b&q/the range etc at their seed sections and look at bulbs, they'll say when they need to be planted & when they will flower etc, but I have daffodils and stuff that pop up every year :)

Daffodils
Nigella
Nasturtiums
I use anything that says "easy to grow" or "great for kids" on it 😄

There's a book called Five Minute Gardener or something that might appeal to you.

That sounds perfect thank you!

Great thank you!

Nasturtiums are my go to!

You don't mean throw literally, do you? You mean super easy no-care things to grow?

Bedding plants would also fit the bill. These are plants, often colourful that you buy in packs of 6, 8 10 ish and just plant out. The short ones need no caes, eg Primroses, pansies, marigolds. Although taking the dead flower off will make for a longer flowering season.

Forget me nots

Marigolds, poppies, foxgloves and cosmos. Sarah Raven does a very short video on YouTube 're cosmos it flowers for months. Dahlias are very simple to grow, put tuber either in a pot or straight in ground once warmer, ( watch out for slugs) l tend to start most things off in seedtrays and pots to avoid slug and snail problem then plant out side once plants are bigger.

Annuals are a good start

Stick em the ground is my style of gardening and the only thing I look up is weather the soil and sunlight needs are vaguely ok for my garden and then bung them in and see how they do.

Poppies, foxgloves, aquilegia all very easy. Also had success with cornflowers and oxeye daisies in the past. Night scented stocks have also grown well from being lobbed on bare earth and smell amazing as soon as the sun sets!

Seed bombs are quite often awful - you end up with a lot of very vigorous weeds and a few of the flowers on the picture. This weekend is probably your last call for planting tulips for May, I would think. They are easy to chuck in and are fairly reliable.

Personally I wouldn't go for annuals - well not unless you're happy to start again every year! I also wouldn't go with seed bombs as often half the (really pretty) flowers are annuals - so it looks good the first year - but then you're just left with the not so pretty perennials coming back year after year.

I'd go with hardy bulbs as they tend to be very reliable and come back every year - and you don't have to worry about them being killed off by the frost. Get a mix of spring and summer ones. You'll need to be quick with the spring ones though.

You should be able to buy some ready planted tulip an daffodil bulbs now so you can put them straight in and have colour this spring

That's a good idea - I saw some nice planted up pots of iris reticulata and hyacinths at Waitrose today that will flower in a couple of weeks. You could chuck a few of those in to get you started. There will be similar around for daffs etc that will flower in early March

I recon Homebase or B and Q would have them about now too

Things that I have sown once and keep coming back are
Poached egg plant
Viola / violet / pansy
Sweet peas - need something to climb
Forget me nots
Chives

I've always found cyclamen to be quite good at lasting- usually come as partly grown, but haven't killed one yet!
Otherwise, our daffodils are showing shoots - think planted bulbs last year.

Fab thanks everyone! Loads of ideas for me to try out.