Seeds can be sown directly on the permanent site by broadcasting or scattering them over a prepared patch of soil, where informal groups of flowering plants such as annuals are grown in a border, or where seeds of biennials or perennials are sown in frames. This method is particularly easy and, provided the seeds are sown thinly and the plants are later thinned out and kept weeded, gives good results.
The young seedlings are undisturbed, receive no check in transplanting and often grow faster. Sweet peas, lupins, zinnias, phlox, Linaria, clarkia, larkspurs, nasturtiums, and portulaca, are especially suitable for this method.