7 beloved perennials that rarely thrive when bought as seedlings

Some seedlings look great at the garden center but disappoint everywhere else.

Buying seedlings is a tempting shortcut for a full, blooming garden, but doing so could lead to weak growth and years (not months) of disappointing results. These plants may look promising at the garden center, but most struggle to thrive once they’re transplanted into the ground.

Simply put, some flowers establish stronger root systems when grown from seed, bare root, or divided plants rather than nursery seedlings. To help you navigate this, we asked gardening experts to share which popular perennials are better skipped at the seedling stage, why they tend to underperform, and the smarter way to grow them instead.

Meet the Experts

• Lucie Bradley, a garden and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation
• Julia Omelchenko, a resident botany expert at Plantum

Related: 6 Long-Lasting Perennials That Will Bring Beauty to Your Garden for Decades

01 of 07

Alliums

Ornamental alliums are hardy perennials with globe-shaped flowers on tall stems, and they bloom from late spring into early summer. But like other plants on this list, they are slow to mature when started as seedlings. “Whilst these alliums could be grown as seeds or bought as seedlings, it would take a number of years before they would be large enough to start producing flowers,” says Lucie Bradley, a garden and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation. “Even at this time, they are unlikely to produce the same type of blooms as their parents due to cross-pollination.”

The most common way to introduce alliums to your garden is to buy them as bulbs. “You can choose a known variety so you know exactly which flowers will form, and when planted in the fall, they will provide you with striking blooms in the following spring,” says Bradley. Eventually, an allium plant will form clusters of bulbs, which Bradley says you can divide every three to four years to prevent overcrowding.

Tip

A seedling is a young plant that still needs time to develop, whereas a bulb is a mature, stored plant structure that already contains what it needs to grow quickly.

02 of 07

Anise Hyssop

Cost-wise, anise hyssop is one fast-growing herb where starting from seed makes far more sense than buying already-established seedlings. “Anise hyssop seeds have a high germination rate of over 90% and can be sown in early spring directly into well-draining soil, including sandy and poor soils as it thrives in nutrient-poor soil,” says Bradley. “I’d always recommend preparing the seeds with cold stratification to break their dormancy. To do this, place the seeds in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator for a month prior to sowing.” 

Once stratified, the seeds can be sown right into the garden, and you can expect germination within as little as seven days (up to 14 days). The seedlings will be relatively low-maintenance until they get established within the season.

03 of 07

Foxtail Lily

Foxtail lilies (aka Eremurus) can reach up to eight feet tall and come in several shades like white, warm shades of cream, and yellow and orange together with pastel pinks. “When you want to introduce foxtail lilies into your garden, you will find them available as small potted seedlings or larger potted plants,” says Bradley. “However, their brittle, fleshy root system does not tolerate disturbance. When transplanting potted seedlings, the roots often break, at the least delaying growth significantly or even killing the plant.”

Your best option is to buy this perennial as large, dormant bare-root crowns, Bradley explains. Plant these in late fall, carefully handling any roots as you spread them out. The crown should rest just a couple of inches below the surface of the ground.

04 of 07

Lupine

Lupines are a great perennial to add to any cottage-style garden, but seedlings are not a reliable option. “Because they develop a long taproot early on, they can draw moisture and nutrients from deep in the soil,” says Julia Omelchenko, a resident botany expert at Plantum. “However, this makes them notoriously difficult to transplant; even minor damage to the root can stunt their growth or prevent them from establishing.”

Fortunately, lupines are easy to grow from seed if you prepare them correctly. “Lupines have very hard coatings to their seeds. In order to improve germination rates, I recommend using a piece of sandpaper to rub the seed to create small scratches to allow moisture to enter,” Bradley explains. “Then, soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm water prior to planting.” Add them directly to your garden in early spring where they will get at least six hours of full sun every day.

05 of 07

Meadow Flower Mixes

“Many perennial meadow flowers, including popular species like rudbeckia (Rudbeckia) and columbine (Aquilegia), thrive when sown directly in the garden rather than transplanted as nursery seedlings,” says Omelchenko. “These species are hardwired for a natural cycle: They drop onto the soil, overwinter in the cold, and sprout only in suitable conditions. By mimicking this process, you produce hardier plants with root systems that are adapted to your garden’s unique soil and climate from day one.”

Omelchenko recommends preparing a bed of loose, weed-free soil and distributing the seeds evenly across the surface in either spring or fall. “Since many perennials require a cold period followed by spring warmth to break dormancy, fall sowing often yields the best results,” she says.

06 of 07

Peonies

Peonies are beautiful early spring bloomers, so it’s tempting to add several of them to your garden as seedlings. But, as with alliums, time is not on your side. “Peonies take at least three years and up to ten years from the seedling stage to come into flower, and even at that point, the blooms will be a surprise as they will not be identical to their parent plants,” says Bradley. “In addition to you having to be patient and wait for years for blooms, you also have to provide high maintenance to keep peony seedlings alive and healthy until they become established.”

Instead, Bradley thinks your best bet is to add bare-root tubers to your garden in early fall. “These should provide their first blooms in late spring or summer the following year,” she says. “The other option is to introduce peonies in spring as potted plants, with these peonies usually being two to three years old already and may reward you with blooms in their first year.”

07 of 07

Poppies

Oriental poppies are popular short-lived perennials with large, papery flowers that come in shades of red, orange, pink, and white. Like lupines, they develop a long taproot, which is why they don’t transplant well as seedlings. “Container-grown seedlings often struggle to establish once moved into garden beds,” says Omelchenko, who explains that any damage to the root system can lead to weak development, a lack of blooming, or even plant death. 

For the best results, Omelchenko suggests sowing seeds directly into prepared soil in early spring. “Alternatively, in regions with cold winters, sow them in fall to allow for natural cold stratification,” she says. “Poppy seeds require light to germinate, so avoid burying them; instead, gently press them onto the soil surface. This approach ensures the plants develop a robust root system, ultimately leading to more abundant and resilient blooms.”

Read the original article on Real Simple