Zinnias, tithonia, marigolds, Allysum, annual rudbeckia (black-Eyed Susans), verbena boniarensis--off the top of my head.

Martha

if you might be interested.. and have some gallon milk jugs around.. consider the winter sowing forum ... it might open a whole new world to you ...

also consider rose campion.. lynchis i think ... larkspur.. and the poppy i keep asking to ID .... and forget to link to ... maybe one of my friends will recall them.. lol .. some womans name ... nvm.. see link below ... these 3 take care of reseeding themselves ...

ken

flip to the images side

https://www.google.com/search?q=Shirley+Poppies&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Laurens Grape poppies?

Shirley Poppies - named for the place they were raised, rather than the raiser.

Was thinking Zinnias, rudbeckia, verbena, cosmos, and possibly aster. Not really a fan of the shirley poppies if they are anything like their perennial sisters, too much of a weedy look for my taste. Some more annual flowers suggestions that meet the criteria would be good. Don't need any perennials, I have more then enough.

Nasturtiums are pretty fool proof and the seeds are the size of a pea almost.

Four o'clocks, Blanketflower, Bachelor Buttons

If you want a tall back of the back of the border plant with impact castor bean seeds can be direct sowed. These are annuals I have direct sowed and had good results, many are also self seeders: phlox drummondi, portulaca, snapdragons, mimulus, torenia, dahlia, bellis, annual agastaches, feverfew, dianthus sweet william (bi-annual), datura, nasturtiums, thunbergia, sweet pea, nigella, annual coreopsis, cleome, nicotiana, larkspar.

I second Ken's suggestion to check out the winter sowing forum frequently asked questions.

Hi Fastlnk,

" I will be sowing the seeds for the bed each year in the spring, directly in ground, and also saving the seeds in the fall... "

When you are saving your zinnia seeds, you will have the opportunity to save seeds from just your favorite specimens. That can result in some improvement in your zinnias in the following year. So, during the blooming season, mark your favorite zinnias in some way. You could just tie a short length of string or yarn on your favorites. I am a zinnia hobbyist, and I save green seeds. A zinnia embryo matures in about three weeks after it is pollinated, which gives you the opportunity to pluck zinnia seeds while the bloom still has its color.

The green seed technique is also good because it prevents pre-germination in the zinnia head during a prolonged rainy spell, and it helps prevent seed-eating birds (like finches) from eating your zinnia seeds. I find the green seed technique a big help in my hobby of breeding zinnias.

ZM

Some good suggestions here. Hey mnwsgal, that's a good list, lots of which I grew before. Do you have any favorites which would help me narrow it down a bit?

Right now, I'm really aiming for earliest to bloom from seed, plus long lasting is always good

Poor mans Orchid, Clarkia, Tobacco, Sedums, Sweet pea is just such a pleasure to pick and keep in the house for weeks and weeks, Compact lobelia (for landscape) give a nice round mound of sappire blue that pops with white allysum and light yellows. Short cosmos have been great performers for my yard. Hope we get to see your creation.

What is missing from this thread is any indication of where the OP is gardening or their climate. Although they mentioned heat there is no other information (that I have noticed). Without this knowledge recommendations can only be tentative. Quite a lot of the suggestions so far would not germinate in situ in cooler climates, some are biennials, some are perennials and some would have had to be started several months ago to work from seed. If we could get some climate info people could give better targeted suggestions.

Well, that is very true!