self-sow

American  

[self-soh] / sɛlfˈsoʊ /

Also self-seed

verb (used without object)

Botany.

self-sowed, self-sown, self-sowed, self-sowing

1. to sow or propagate itself naturally from seeds that have been dropped.

---

Etymology

Origin of self-sow

First recorded in 1835–40; self- ( def. ) + sow ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-sow self-sowed self-sowing self-sown

You can help your gardens along by selecting plants that re-seed themselves — flowers such as columbine, coreopsis, and lupine will self-sow and spread throughout your gardens each year.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2022

Otherwise, pebbles near the edges would naturally spread out, and the thinner layer of gravel would invite weeds to self-sow.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2022

That leaves plenty of seed that can self-sow, or be eaten by birds, and preserves an overwintering habitat in the leaf litter for arthropods.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2021

Even though the seed is minute, flowering tobacco is easy to grow, and plants often will self-sow in the garden.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2021

Many with us self-sow and live through the winter without any protection.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by A. W. Latham

We made up a bed of these self-sowed in fall of 1915.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by A. W. Latham

Perhaps it would be wiser to put some tall perennials or self-sowing annuals in the background, and among the shrubbery.

From The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. by Ellen Eddy Shaw

Why not have some hardy perennials and some self-sowing annuals?

From The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. by Ellen Eddy Shaw

A stand of medium red clover is sometimes secured by what may be termed self-sowing.

From Clovers and How to Grow Them by Thomas Shaw

A total of 1,245 self-sown Kentish milkwort plants have been recorded at Queendown Warren, near Sittingbourne in Kent – the largest population of the species in the UK.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

Doug must have been self-sown, and quite possibly growing for a couple of years or more.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2021

Likewise, self-sown tomato seedlings that pop up in the garden next spring could carry certain pathogens, including Septoria.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2021

He also wrote, “Many plants in this garden are self-sown and they often provide me with excellent ideas.”

From New York Times ● May 9, 2017

But I remember there were very good trees there—a plantation at the top end, just before you come to the big gravel-pits, and the rest self-sown.

From The History of Sir Richard Calmady A Romance by Lucas Malet