Four mosquito repellent plants to add to your patio

Mosquitoes may be the most despised pest of the summer, and if you don’t wish to slather yourself in bug spray every time you go to sit on your porch, there are plants that do great in containers that can act as a mosquito barrier where you tend to lounge about the most. Bonus points for them being low maintenance!

Lemongrass

A tried and true plant that works well as a backdrop for other flowers in a pot (think lemongrass in the back, trailing flowers in the front). It’s willowy, easy to maintain, and edible : harvest stalks at the base when they’re 12” tall and chop to use for marinades, sauces, or any other culinary needs.

Citronella Plant 

Commonly known as citronella or mosquito plant, it’s actually a citronella scented leaf geranium (which is really a pelargonium but labeled as a geranium… confusing I know). Whatever you call it, this plant is so strongly scented of citronella that just one tiny touch with leave a lingering scent on your hands and does the mosquito repellent job well.  In fact, the oil of this plant is what is used in citronella candles!

Citronella plant is easy to care for. It only needs to be watered every few days (it hates being overwatered), and it has a lovely light pink bloom that emerges throughout the season. It’s best to deadhead these blooms and also take off any leaves that may wither.

Please note that citronella plant is only a perennial in zones 9-10, so if you live in Virginia like I do, this plant will need to be brought indoors for the winter (or plan to treat it as an annual). 

Basil

A wonderful culinary herb that doubles as a mosquito (and fly!) repellent. Basil is fairly easy to grow: just give it lots of sun + good drainage, and take off any yellowing leaves throughout the season. All varieties will do the job, so have fun choosing those that you love the most! Personally the purple varieties are a favorite for adding some dark contrast to a mix pot of flowers or herbs.

Marigolds

Marigolds are one of the most helpful flowers you can grow, warding off not just mosquitoes but flys, tomato worms, and thrips (to name a few). There are many varieties to choose from, and I would recommend choosing a shorter variety is you’re wanting to grow them in pots. French marigolds are a personal favorite! 

Just as with the citronella plant, it’s best to deadhead marigolds throughout the season to encourage new growth and keep them healthy.

Hope this was helpful, and happy mosquito-free lounging to you this spring and summer.

My Garden Tool Must Haves

If you were to put me a beautiful and lush deserted island where I could garden but could only have five things with me to do so (except for the seeds), this would be on my list:

Drain Spade

Best described as a short, skinny shovel with a curved end, this tool is all I use to plant shrubs, dig up annoying large weeds, and turn over the dirt before planting new seedlings.  It may have originally been made to help with efficient trench digging, but I call it the perfect garden shovel.

The one I have is an old wooden handled gem I found at an estate sale and is living a strong second life with me, so don’t overlook buying these second hand! However, this is a new one that gets strong reviews: 

Ashman Drain Space

Hori Hori Knife

The best hand tool for digging small plant holes and tackling mini clumps of weeds. The one linked below is by far my favorite due to the fact that it’s taken abuse from me (being lost in the field, left out in the rain, not cleaned off for weeks etc.) and yet has managed to stay strong for the last 5 years:

Hokuru Hori Hori Knife

Skin Care Kit 

It may be breaking the rules to bring a 3 item kit, but I’d argue that gloves, lotion, and sunscreen work together as one amazing tool because they protect the human and the precious extremities that are at the heart of all gardening jobs!

So in this kit would be:

Nitrile Coated Gardening Gloves

Yes, gardening without gloves can be wonderful and I definitely recommend putting your hands directly in the dirt from time to time. However, the split fingers that tend to happen when I don’t wear gloves for a full day of gardening result in distracting pain that takes away from the joy of growing flowers. So, for much of the day I wear nitrile gloves because they’re breathable, washable, and comfortable, allowing you to maintain good dexterity while protecting your skin.

Truth be told, I’ve yet to find a pair I didn’t like, so no brand recommendations here. Nitrile coated gloves can be easily found in any nursery, home good store, or online!

Lotion

To slather on before you slip those gloves on and after when you slip them off!  One that has been my forever favorite for almost a decade due to its natural ingredients, amazing creaminess, and lovely scents is Old Whaling Company. It’s a small batch body care company based out of Charleston, South Carolina, and it was started by a mom with a mission to solve her son’s eczema. My own mom discovered OWC at the very beginning, and it’s been exciting to watch them grow and evolve without the products ever losing the integrity they began with. And no, I’m not being sponsored by them to say this! I just really really love their stuff and the heart behind their business.

Sunscreen

Also not being paid to say this but this one has proven to be the one sunscreen that actually prevents sunburn on my fair skin after spending at least 8 hours at day outside…Sun Bum. Hands down the best and yummiest scented sunscreen (and if you’re interested in hearing a fun founder’s story, check out their interview on the How I Built This podcast;)

Snips

Straight blade snips are perfect for harvesting flowers in the field and designing with them indoors. I’ve had several brands and have FELCO to be the sturdiest and longest lasting.

FELCO

Pruning Saw

The perfect tool for pruning shrubs and trees - and also the perfect tool to cut downed limbs to create waddle fences (or any other charming makeshift fence). Corona (the tool company, not the beer one;) makes a wonderful folding one.

Corona Folding Saw

Anything missing from the list you’d include? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Also, I’m excited to say that anyone who books a garden consult with me this year is getting their own mini care kit that includes some of my favs … I’ll give you a hint: the one I rambled on about the most will definitely be in there;)

You can book a consult here to receive flower growing guidance, a bit of cheerleading, and the above mentioned kit!

Lastly, be on the look out for a fun Mother’s Day gift offering that will also include a few of the above favorites. Signing up for the newsletter is the easiest way to go about being notified when those offerings become available!

The best dry-able flowers for Virginia gardens

Flowers to Grow for Colorful Dried Stems

My daughter had a teacher who loved to say that cut flowers were wasteful and sad since all they did was die. My gift to her at the end of the year? A big bouquet of colorful dried flowers in hopes of brightening her outlook on life and changing her mind.

It’s true, flowers die. But not all of them die the same, and by growing flowers that retain their color and form for many years to come if dried properly, you can be sure that your work in growing them will brighten your home for many seasons!

So, today I’m sharing my top four dry-able flowers to grow, with the good news that Virginia is a place they easily thrive because of their love for the heat.

Also, all of these are highly deer resistant once they’re in bloom. Just be sure to give them some form of protection (netting/organic deer deterrent/barking dogs) while they’re starting to grow since it’s the blooms the deer don’t like…the green foliage they go for.

Oh, and if all of that wasn’t enough, they are all cut and come again flowers. Meaning that the more you cut stems or deadhead, they more flowers they’ll produce!

Below is a quick rundown of these lovely flowers (and if you want to learn more, be sure to follow along on Instagram @liliharpflowers to see these flowers in action this season!)

Statice

Truth be told, statice isn’t my personal favorite in bouquets because its stems are incredibly straight and the tops are flat, making it tricky to arrange with if you prefer movement like I do. It’s also a bit prickly when harvesting.  BUT I grow it year after year because its colors are vibrant when dried and they make excellent pieces for winter wreaths! 

For my fellow Virginia growers: This is one plant you should start growing right now (March) indoors and can put outside in just a couple of weeks. Statice is very quick to germinate, and since it’s fairly hardy once it’s about 2-3 inches tall, you can plant it outdoors before the last frost with a frost cover on it. That will allow the roots to start getting strong so the plants can grow quickly once warm weather is here to stay! 

Strawflower

Strawflower is the most fascinating flower and an immediate conversation piece in the gardens on in bouquets. They have multiple layers of papery bracts that open during the day and close during the evenings. They also close when water hits them! There are multiple shades of this flower available and I’ve yet to find a color of them that I don’t like. 

Celosia

Celosia is one of the easiest flowers to grow in Virginia: scattering its microscopic black seeds along the surface of soil and keeping it moist is all you need to do to see them germinate quickly and grow into the most beautiful different plumes and spikes (depending on which variety you choose to grow).

Celosia is grown as an annual and technically doesn’t overwinter, but it reseeds readily. Which means that once the heat comes back, you’ll most likely find a random celosia plant pop up around where you grew it last year. OR, if you want it to come back without doing anything, you can let it go to seed and shake the stems around when you remove them in the winter. In my experience, you’re guaranteed another patch.

Gomphrena

Gomphrena reminds me of tiny cotton balls sitting atop wiry stems, and it produces so many stems per plant that it can be hard to keep up with the harvesting here at the farm! I’ll think I’ve cut every possibly stem during morning harvest, and yet by sunset, the whole row is in full bloom again.

This is typically a low growing plant, so if you’re looking for an annual to serve as a border in your landscaping, this is a great one for that! In fact, on my trip to Colonial Williamsburg last fall, I discovered this was widely used within the Governor’s mansion landscaping.

I should also mention that is comes in more colors than white! Salmon is one of my personal favorites.

The best flowering vines for Virginia gardens

Vines are one of the easiest ways to add height and interest to your growing space, and here in Virginia, thankfully there are many easy-to-grow varieties to choose from.

Whether you train them to run up a wall or railing, have them cover a trellis or archway, or allow them to lazily flow out of a window box, I highly recommend trying your hand at growing at least one if you haven’t already!

Below are my favorite go-to varieties for making the garden AND arrangements beautiful (and please refer back to the posts regarding where to source annuals and perennials if you’re looking for reliable companies from which to source them).

Annual Vines

Firecracker Vine (Mina lobata) 

This gorgeous flowering vine is one that doesn’t have color until late summer, but the mini banana looking plumes that adorn its graceful green foliage starting in August is well worth the wait.  It’s easy to grow in full sun, has shown itself to be mainly deer resistant, and has flowering stems long enough to put into mini bud vases.

Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia)

It may be a slow grower, but once Thunbergia takes off, it will reward you with blooms from early summer to first frost.  These are offered in varieties of yellows and oranges, but my personal favorite is the less commonly seen white flower with black eye variety.  

Planting tip: Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last frost and transplant outdoors in late April to enjoy a longer bloom time.

Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)

One of the easiest flowering vines to grow, this dainty vine is a hummingbird’s dream. It featuring daily fern like foliage and small tubular flowers in either red or white.  

Moonflower

This one will blow you away with its giant white blooms that are at least the size of a human hand - sometimes even the size of your face! The magic of them is that blooms only open near sunset, so if you’re someone who isn’t home during the day, this is the vine that can be enjoyed in the evening as they glow beautifully in the moonlight (hence the name!).  

Mexican Sour Gherkin (Melothria scabra)

Though this isn’t a flowering vine, this vine from the cucumber family is sure to add interest to your garden as well as arrangements. Also known as mouse melon (thanks to the fact that the fruit literally looks like tiny watermelons on the outside) it continually produces all season long if you continue to pick the fruit or cut pieces of the vine to put into vases. I personally find the fruit a bit bitter to eat right off the vine, but there are great recipes out there for ways to pickle it or enjoy it in cocktails!

Hyacinth Bean (Dolichos lablab)

Ruby Moon and Silver Moon Hyacinth Bean vines are two of the most prolific bloomers you can grow. Yes, they will turn into beans (which are edible if cooked thoroughly and consumed in small amounts), but personally I grow these for the flowers. They produce long slender stems topped with multiple blooms that look lovely in bud vases and arrangements! Unfortunately, these are not very deer resistant, but they will bounce back if they happen to be attacked once or twice in early to mid season. I know that from experience;)

Perennial Vines

Clematis

Clematis is a quintessential cottage garden vine given that its broad leaves and striking flowers add instant charm to a space. They grow beautifully without much help from you aside from training it to climb where you’d like, and they come back fuller every year without being so aggressive that they take over a huge space.  It’s perfect for adorning mailboxes, light poles, and railings!

There are many colors and forms of this vine available, but when choosing which to grow, be sure to look at their bloom times.  Some Clematis bloom mid spring, others mid summer, and a few in late summer.  Getting a mix of all three will give you a constant full season blooming show!

Quick note: My personal favorite to plant for late summer is Clematis Virginiana, or Virgin’s Bower, as it is a beautiful white flower variety that is native to the eastern states. Please note that it has a non-native look alike, Clematis Paniculata, that can be aggressive and damaging to native plants - so please be sure to look carefully at the label when buying!

Passiflora (incarnata L.)

This exotic looking purple blooming vine is actually a native that you may have seen growing along the side of the road. The flowers are fragrant and bloom over several months, and this vine is quite the spreader (i.e. be sure you plant it where you want an abundance of vines for years to come!) It can handle trailing along the ground if you prefer to not trellis it, as pictured above.

Major Wheeler Coral Honeysuckle

This is a native honeysuckle that will grow abundantly yet not cause the harm that some non native honeysuckles can do. The tubular flowers typically bloom from April to June, and the foliage is wonderful to weave into arrangements all season long.

Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)

This vine is absolutely stunning and hummingbirds go mad for it! However, I have read that it can be a bit like English Ivy in that it has the potential to be intensely aggressive and has potential to cause structural damage if not maintained properly. Here’s a wonderful article outlining all you need to know about it before deciding if it’s right for you (or plant in a large pot if you want to avoid any potential harm!).

Southern Living’s Tips for growing Trumpet Vine

As always, happy growing! And please let me know if you have any questions.

For Virginia flower growers: Sourcing Perennials

I recently shared my favorite seed companies for sourcing annual seeds, so today I wanted to focus on those I’d highly recommend for sourcing perennials, both nationally and locally in central Virginia.

Just as with the seed companies, these companies are ranked as favorites because they provide excellent products and wonderful customer service as well.  They have always been quick to answer questions, quick to ship, and quick to fix any errors that may occur during shipping (which, please note, can easily happen with shipping live plants and they’re prepared to help - at least in my experience when I just send a kind email requesting assistance).

So first up, those you can access from your computer:

Geraniaceace

(photo copyright Geraniaceae)

I’m going to be honest: I have no idea how to pronounce the name of the company, but I do believe the start of it is pronounced like “geranium” since it’s the family of plants they specialize in. 

Though you may be thinking it’s strange of me to suggest that you buy geraniums, I promise you there’s a whole world outside of the garish red ones normally found in every garden center - and the scented varieties are wonderful to weave into arrangements. 

However, finding the unique varieties I’d been seeing British growers/designers speak of was proving difficult on our side of the world until I found this site. The owner is incredibly quick to communicate and exhibited great patience with me as I proved to be ignorant about the difference between geraniums and pelargoniums. Here’s a snippet of her message back to me so as to help you before you order: 

“Gardeners frequently call pelargoniums ‘geraniums’ but they are a totally different group in the geranium family. It's pelargoniums that have the greater diversity of leaf shapes. If you look, for example, under Scented Leaf Pelargoniums, you will see what I mean. Hardy geraniums, although they have some variation on how fat or skinny the lobes are, are much more uniform in shape, although the size varies. I have a number of customers who use pelargonium leaves in arrangements.

I’m going to do a whole blog post dedicated to scented Pelargoniums later this year, but until then, have fun perusing the site and thinking about having potted plants that smell like candy apples if you wish.

Bluestone Perennials

This has been one of my tried and true favorite online nurseries for the past few years as they offer small starts of flowering perennials that are often difficult to source locally, including heirloom chrysanthemums. The plants have always been healthy and grown quickly…so don’t be alarmed at the small size of the plants they will ship you. They may not look like much when they arrive, but plant them with care and attention (i.e. water them and water them some more as they become established), and you’ll soon be rewarded with a gorgeous plant that you can enjoy for years to come.

Longfield Gardens

This company offers beautiful bulbs and perennial roots in many favorite varieties. This time of year they offer wonderful summer blooms such as Dahlias, Acidanthera, Lilies and Gladiolus (and often offer free shipping for purchases over $50). Just a quick note of caution to my VA growing friends: They also offer anemones and ranunculus this time of year and label them as “spring planted, summer blooming” but please note that it is not advised to plant those in the spring within the central Virginia climate. They’re best considered fall planted, spring blooming for our area!

Brent and Becky’s

A company based out of Virginia that ships nationwide, Brent and Becky’s is a wonderful place to source perennials that are guaranteed to grow well in our area. They offer varieties that are often hard to find as well.  Favorites I’ve purchased from them include Japanese anemone (not to be confused with the anemones I referenced above…Japanese anemone can be planted now, will bloom in late summer, and come back in great quantity every year), Ostrich Fern, Veronica, and Phlox.  They’re also open to the public for shopping, and though I haven’t personally been, friends who’ve visited had only wonderful things to say about the experience!

Local Nurseries for shopping in person

Milmont Greenhouses

Milmont is a nursery located about 30 minutes outside of Charlottesville. It’s a beautiful drive and you’re rewarded with not only a beautiful view PLUS a goat feeding and petting area when you arrive - a wonderful way to make this part of a family day trip;) Of course the best part of Milmont though is its wonderful offerings for all budgets. Many perennials - including personal favorites geum, lavendar, rudbeckia, and foxglove - are offered in small four packs, something you almost never see in big box stores, and their selection of herbs and shrubs (including roses) is amazing. The people there are always kind and helpful as well!

Fifth Season Gardening

Located right in downtown Charlottesville, Fifth Season is another wonderful place to find small starts of perennials and herbs, as well as cover crops in small sizes (perfect for small gardens!). Other favorite offering include seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, compost and soil amendments from small and/or local businesses, bundles of bamboo stakes, and other fun gardening tools that you didn’t know you needed until you saw them there. Their website is also connected to their store, so you can make sure they have what you need before you go if you don’t have time to shop!

Blue Ridge Farmers Co-Op

Also located in downtown Charlottesville, this is my go to place for all things seed starting supplies (their prices on trays, cells, and stakes are the cheapest you’ll find anywhere!) and cover crop in bulk. They also have a wonderful selection of perennial plants and shrubs…and don’t forget to check out the discount corner: it’s always full of plants that are easily saved with a tiny bit of TLC.

Where to find incredible flower seeds

My favorite online shops for seeds (and a few small plants)

Let me just cut to the chase: 

As someone who has a really hard time picking favorites of anything in the plant world for fear of ostracizing something I don’t quite know exists, please know that there are many, many wonderful seed companies out there. And, as often is the case, some of the very best ones are tiny and maybe haven’t run across my radar just yet. 

However, the feeling of overwhelm that I felt when becoming serious about growing flowers is still very fresh. The options for where to source are vast, and often I’ve found that it’s the quieter companies (i.e. those not always ranking #1 in your search) that are the best.

So, if you’re looking for where to begin the hunt for seeds, this list is here to help.

Included in it are companies and flower farms that ship and check off the following boxes:

They offer healthy seeds with a high germination rate and no GMOs.

They provide excellent value for the investment.

Shopping with them is easy.

Their communication + customer service is top notch. 

Some may have a couple of quirks I’ll point out, but I promise any one on this list will get you going in the right direction on your growing journey!

Johnny's Selected Seeds

Located on a research farm in Maine, this company is serious about providing you with the very best seeds and bulbs.  They explain their offerings in extreme detail online or via print catalogue, and their seed packets offer the same explicit instructions. I’ve also appreciated their recent addition of imbedded videos into their shop, especially the ones they’ve trialed for overwintering in warmer zones like ours.  Johnny’s also offers wonderful tools and supplies, including frost cloth and raised beds.  The only thing you may find to be not-so-great is that their shipping costs are high. However, shipping is free for orders over $200, and they send coupons for free shipping on $50 from time to time if you sign up for their email list.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Known as the largest heirloom seed company in North America, this company offers unique varieties with the mission of saving them for generations to come. Their packaging makes me smile when the seeds arrive in the mail, and every order ships for free within the US! Sunflower Astra Rose Cream is an offering you can only find here that I’d highly recommend.

Select Seeds

Another company offering unique heirloom varieties that are hard to find anywhere else. I love that they say they specialize in “old fashioned” flowers, and it’s fun to read the history in many of their seed’s descriptions.  They also offer plants, including vines such as Purple Bell Vine that can often be difficult to germinate (after 2 years of failing, I’ve already got a couple of those plants on the way to enjoy this upcoming season). They sometimes take a few weeks to ship, but they always let you know ahead of time if that’s going to be the case.

Everwilde Farms

This is my go to seed company for ordering flowers in bulk to create my own flower mixes to cover large areas of ground. Their prices are low, but their quality isn’t, and I really appreciate how easy they make it to locate native flowers and grasses.  They are also the only company that I’m aware of that ship their seeds in what they call “gold vault” mylar packets. Those packets are water proof, which is wonderful for storing seeds if you don’t use them all at once. My favorite purchases from them have been Monarda, Milkweed, Phacelia, the single Poppy mix, and Money Plant (Lunaria).  

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

A company based out of Virginia that focuses on offering seeds that thrive in the Southeast, so shopping with them gives you the confidence that what you’re purchasing will most likely grow well. Their catalog is slightly limited when it comes to flower offerings (i.e. you’re not going to find the most recent variety of flowers or newest shades here), but I personally find that it can be refreshing to have a shorter menu to sort through. It’s also charming that they ship seeds wrapped in pages of their timelessly classic printed seed catalog, and the packets are little works of art unto themselves.

3 Porch Farm

A micro flower farm located in Comer, Georgia, owned and operated by a husband and wife team that are wonderful about taking you along on the ins and outs of operating a flower farm. They offer seeds they harvest and package themselves, and my absolute favorites are forget-me-not Ms. Marilyn (bred by them!), and formosa lily seeds.  They also offer dahlias tubers (available now!) and heirloom mum cuttings (later in the spring).

I hope this helps you get a strong start on your seed sourcing for the growing season ahead, and check back next week for a post on where to source amazing perennial plants- including web shops and local central Virginia nurseries.

Hardy Annuals

It’s that wonderful time of the year where garden centers are stocked with fresh packets of seeds and bulbs, and the hope of spring in all its blooming goodness feels palpable.

It’s also that time of year where dreams of growing flowers heighten, garden plans are made, shopping trips occur, and all that excitement often can make us blind to the fact that just because all the seeds are offered in the store at the same time doesn’t mean they’re all going to grow and thrive by being planted at the suggested “after the last frost” date that’s most commonly put on packets.

Especially here in Virginia, where mild spring temps are short lived and heat and humidity often overtake us by late May.

Which is why it’s important to know that there is a lovely group of flowers called HARDY ANNUALS. 

Hardy = strong, and that’s what these flowers are….but only when it comes to enduring cold temps and a slight frost from time to time. 

Enduring heat and humidity? Forget about it.

Give hardy annuals just a few days of temps above 75 degrees and they will quickly start to wither and die. Like humans, all flowers have their strengths and weaknesses, and Virginia summers will always give a spotlight to those of hardy annuals. Believe me, I’ve tried to fight this fact, but heat will always overpower this group.

So does that mean you can’t grow them this year?

Not at all!

It just means that in order to give them a chance to really flourish and grow to their greatest potential, the ideal time to plant them is now (February -early March) or in the fall (preferred for the longest stems and healthiest plants but not required) in Zones 6-8.

So, now that you have the good news of knowing that you DON’T have to wait until April to plant everything, below is a summary of my five favorite hardy annuals that do well by being directly sown outdoors now here in Virginia! Unless the ground is frozen, it’s okay to place these seeds in the cold, wet earth. Remember, this is their time to actually live up to their “hardy” label! 

But one more thing before I share: taking the extra step of covering your seed patch with a piece of frost cloth from now until mid March will help aid seed germination and increase their chance of survival if a week of heavy freeze does land upon us. Also, make sure the seeds stay hydrated! Thankfully nature usually takes care of that in the winter, but take a peek every few days to be sure.

Alrighty, here we go, my five favorite hardy annuals that you can plant in late winter to enjoy an early spring harvest:

Bupleurum

Yellow and lime green florets sit upon wiry stems: perfect as a greenery piece for early spring arrangements.

Agrostemma

(also know as Corn Cockle)

Offered in shades of purple or white, these large flowers sit atop thin stems that blow elegantly in the wind : often the first hummingbirds of the season can be seen dipping their beaks into these tubular blooms.

Bachelor Button

Offered in a multitude of different shades, these pin cushion like blooms sit atop straight stems. Wonderful as a cut flower, dried flower, and also can be used as edible floral confetti.

Larkspur

Graceful, tall stems are adorned with many lovely rosettes. Offered in a range of colors, also wonderful for drying. Warning: larkspur is poisonous and seeds nor plants should ever be consumed.

Poppies

There are many varieties of poppies, but I’ve had the best luck with the variety Papaver Rhoeas (aka common poppies) when planting them in late winter - specifically the packets offered from Everwilde Farms called Single Poppy Seed Mix.

*One more thing to note: if you’d like to plant a mixed flower patch comprised of this list, simply mix up the first 4 flower varieties, sprinkle that mixture onto a bare/prepared patch of ground, and cover over with soil.  Then, sprinkle the poppy seeds as evenly as possible across the top of your growing patch. Do not cover those with soil but press them in lightly with your hand or foot. Cover with frost cloth, water over top so as to not displace the seeds, and keep on eye on it to maintain the moisture!