I assume that these will be for planting outside in the spring? It's not just the seeds that are important....there are hundreds of easy annuals! Doing the prep work and providing the right environment are more important than seed variety.

I'd recommend those which are predictably reliable in their speedy germination and growth. Zinnia, marigold, portulaca, sunflower, celosia, and cosmos are a few that come to mind right away. These are all sturdy, sun loving plants, capable of providing colorful flowers all season long.

Some weeding, watering, and fertilizing are part of the process!

As a child of 5 my first experience with seeds was the Nasturtium. I can still remember the amazement at what a seed can do. Al

Kudos to you for this awesome idea! Best of luck with your choices!

Impatiens balsamina are fun! The seed pods burst open (so that's why they're called touch-me-not, I think.) Reportedly one of nature's remedies for poison ivy, though I didn't learn that until well after I recognized PI well enough to avoid it, so can't offer a personal testimonial. For shade or morning-only sun.

4'o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) are fun growers, with backwards flowers that sleep all day, then wake up 'around 4'o'clock' (in some ideal location on some ideal day during the wildly varied summer/fall while they're in bloom.) The seeds of these are fun to collect also, big & dark, look like tiny grenades. For sun.

Basil is fun to grow, as well as yummy to add to meals. When the flowers come on, they will be visited by bees and butterflies.

Speaking of butterflies, if you can find some Asclepias (milkweed) seeds, the plants may be perennial but can serve in the annual sense if gardening in pots is necessary. Monarch butterfly caterpillars can only eat this one genus of plant. There are several species within the genus, all palatable, but few are hardy as far north as you are. So if you just don't want to start a perennial garden, obtaining seeds from a tropical type would ensure that they died over winter.

Speaking of gardening in pots, is that how your daughter will be doing things?

And speaking of edibles, so many herbs and veggies are commonly grown from seeds. Maybe a pack or 2 of something she enjoys? (Then help her find info for succeeding with it in your particular area, as most veggie plants are quite sensitive to timing/placement/fertility.) Kids love to learn (and should, IMO) about food plants!

Pretty blue morning glory or night-blooming-and-scented moonflower vines might be fun if there's somewhere for vines. She might enjoy making a trellis for them.

Whichever you choose, I might get 2 of each, to try at different times, doubling the chances of success, to have as back-up, and for a 2nd round for those that might peter out while there's still time for another crop. Zinnias have a reputation for having many growers who sow/scatter seeds more than once as a plan.

Viola/pansy/johnny-jump-up. These would be in the category of those that could be started first, as they are cold-weather plants often killed by the heat of summer.

Forgot my last thought - not all seeds should be buried. Quickly checking your selections for any that need light to germinate will make the difference with those. Not the kind of thing I can remember even for most I've done before, so sorry, I can't add that to my suggestions.

As an enthusiastic zinnia hobbyist, I add another vote for "zinnias for children". Many people think that zinnias are the perfect kid's plant, and I agree with that. The seeds are fairly large and easy for a kid to handle, they come up quickly, and have an almost endless variety of colors and forms that never grow boring. Not even for an older person like myself. And I enjoy crossing them to get new forms. A kid might like to do that, too.

ZM

thanks so much for the enthusiastic and helpful replies!

Self-seeding varieties would be great so that some come back next year (and maybe the next). She does have experience having her own "square foot bed" for the past couple years in which she grew herbs, vegetables and a few flowers. This spring she will have more room to experiment as there will be space all around a playhouse that she can plant.

Please advise on soil preparation for annuals--is it the same as for vegetables, basically?

We are familiar with morning glories, zinnias and nasturtiums as we typically grow those each summer.

What I would like to avoid is having to start any flower seeds indoors as we have so many vegie seedlings to care for during the spring I don't want to add more trays & work. So outside starting is best, thanks!!

i didnt read all the replies .... all look fine ...

but lets be very clear ... TIMING IS OF THE ESSENCE ...

i made the mistake of starting seed a month too early.. and had horrific results because i could not get them outside until they were way past their prime ...

so first.. ID when they can go outdoors .. and i can NOT help you there ... in yoru zone ...

and then plant the seed 4 to 6 weeks prior ...

so even if it is a xmas gift.. that doenst mean your best success will involve planting them in dec ... unless your zone is so different than mine ... at best i would not plant until march.. to get outdoors in late april ... and some.. i could not even take out until late may ....

and.. taking plants from indoor seedlings to outside.. involves HARDENING OFF .. which if you get that far.. we could address then ... you cant just take them out into blistering sunshine .... nor from a toasty house.. to potential frost/freeze ...

you would probably increase your success significantly if you were doing this under lights indoors... are you ??? ... or was that covered in the posts i didnt read.. lol ...

ken

Please, please check out the wintersowing forum. This is a great way to start seeds outdoors, but still get a jump on the season. Inexpensive and very reliable and good for all sorts of plants. And a great activity to prevent cabin fever in northern gardens over the winter. I've been wintersowing for something like ten years and look forward to it each winter. It would be the perfect way to let your daughter try as many different plants as she wants, without worrying about space for seedlings.

Could I suggest a native annual that can attract butterflies and other beneficial pollinators? Monarda citriodora is in the mint family, so is frost tolerant and germinates early and easily. It might reseed, though I typically collect seed and replant each year. Monarda punctata is also loved by pollinators, though has a more unusual appearance that may or may not be to your daughter's taste. Have her do a computer search and make a list of seeds she'd like. You may be able to get lots of seed from posters on this and other forums just for the cost of postage. I'd love to contribute to the gardening habit of a youngster. Good luck.

Martha

I've rarely 'done' seeds successfully (through to the end, though sprouting is usually not a problem, like Ken mentioned,) inside. Too much fuss over timing and hardening, messy too. The ones I mentioned, I've grown strictly outside, from seed to flower. Most of the classics are so for a reason, no special efforts are required beyond timing, knowing whether or not they should be buried or need light. Wherever veggies are happy, so should be annuals, on the right track there. Most annuals are far less picky than veggies, IME, a large reason for their ubiquitousness.

There's also a growing from seed forum that might have some relevant discussions, though this is a perfectly normal place to discuss doing so with annuals.

I would definitely go with sunflowers! Not only do they grow quickly, you can start them outdoors, which is actually recommended because of their long taproot and they grow quickly and don't take a whole lot of care. Kids LOVE the large size and if you get ones that produce seeds...all the better. If you get a black oil sunflower plant, you can extend her love of gardening to feeding the birds from her harvest in the winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunflower Seeds

thanks all

will definitely check out the wintersowing forum!

we also plant sunflowers every year--actually the past 3 years we've made a "sunflower house" with morning glories, runner beans and clover for a floor. Beautiful but each summer a big storm comes through and demolishes it. : ( The place where we build it is being given up to a deck this spring and I don't know that we'll try it again.

I would get a seed catalog and let her pick out what she would like to grow. At 12, she could research the flowers - germination, weather conditions, soil, diseases. I am a garden project 4-H leader and favorite flowers are zinnias, snapdragons, tall marigolds, hollyhocks, any edible flowers (chives, pansy, nasturtium,fennel, bread poppy for seeds). Love in a mist is easy and the pods are fun. If she is successful, she could try selling flowers to florists, wedding planners or at farmers markets. Some of my kids have done this. You have a wonderful daughter to ask for seeds for Christmas.