Flowers from seed in Phoenix, Arizona

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It's near the end of March here in the Phoenix, Arizona, area and the season for flowering annuals will be ending soon. If you just moved here from back east, that may seem backwards to you. But that's because when the weather is getting nice for flowers back east in the summer, it's getting way too hot for anything here in the desert. So, the planting season for annuals here is in October. The flowers develop their root system over the winter and start to bloom in February and March. When the heat starts coming on strong in April, they die.

In order to start by seed, you will need to get your plants started indoors, in the summer. So, working your way backwards from your projected planting date of October 1, it's best to allow a couple of months of getting the seeds started and then potted on. So, plan on getting your indoor setup going by no later than August. July isn't too soon. But don't get anxious and start putting out the tiny plants in September - it's still too hot here!

My most successful flowers grown from seed are dwarf snapdragons (pictured). I did a lot of experimenting with flower seeds last year, and I wish that I had grown more of these. I will for this upcoming season! This is a small garden, like most home gardens are, and regular snapdragons tend to get a bit too tall for closeup viewing. These guys, Ferry-Morse Dwarf Magic Carpet, Mixed Colors are very cool. What's interesting is that the leaves are smaller, and the plant is shorter, but the flowers are full-sized. And they require no trimming or tending at all.

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