Seeds for next year?

Hi on my xmas list i have asked some seeds for next year! However im not sure what i want with the wide selection there is and how it would be in my garden! Can any experts on here give me some advice and names for some? I want a mixed border all colours my soil is clay and pretty boggy and waterlogged when its been raining for a while.
Thankyou:thumb:

 

Hi Natty. There are just so many different things. You can grow most things from seed - that's natures way. Many plants come true from seed, that is the offspring are the same as the parent. But there are some, such as perennial Asters, that don't come true - consequently you are unlikely to see seed for them on sale. There are also some hybrid plants (cross between species) that are sterile and don't produce seed. So at some point you may want to buy some plants. But seeds is a very good starting point.

I am also on clay and grow a lot from seed. Some of my favorite perennials are :-
early flowerers
Aquilegia and Dicentra spectabilis. They don't flower for that long but they flower early and are traditional cottage garden plants. There are loads of different cultivars (ie bred by nurserymen) of Aquilegia, but they are so promoscuous that they breed freely with each other and you could end up with anything!
early and late flowerer
Centranthus ruber - This is a native wild flower, but I love it. It flowers for a very long time, then in July you cut it back and within 3 or 4 weeks it will start flowering all over again. It will grow in a very dry part of the garden, but also seems to be happy in the wet.
later flowerers
Helenium 'Moorheim Beauty'. Normally plants with cultivar names such as 'Moorheim Beauty' are not offered as seed because they don't come true. But I believe this one is sold as seed. There are planty of sources to say that this is one of the best Helenium. Long flowering.
Echinacea Big red daisy. Long flowering. There are planty of named cultivars - but frankly they all look the same.
Eupatorium purpurea This is tall up to 5 feet or more - but it doesn't come out forewards much. Again very long flowering. The height adds an extra dimension that I find very effective.
Nepeta fassenii Catmint - blue. Again very long flowering. Tends to flop, but to my mind essential in any garden.
Lobelia 'Queen Victoria' Again this is a named variety that is available as seed. Also long flowering with purple foliage. Its a marginal aquatic and handles wet easily.
Campanula perscifolia will add more blue and is one of the longest flowering Campanulas - but its not that long flowering.
Campanula poscharskyana is very good for edging. It makes small mounds and it flowers for a long time in early summer and then repeats in autumn.
Astilbe likes it damp. Looks good in flower, and the seed heads also look good and will last into and through the winter.
Polemonium caerula is a woodland plant and also like it damp

The thing to do is to Google these and any other suggestions, to see what they look like.

 

Although there are many good plants, another one struck me when I pulled up some by mistake yesterday - and that is Verbena bonariensis. Its a must have. Verbena is slightly more difficult to germinate in spring, and would benefit from winter sowing http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/winter-sowing-t24929.html as it needs a cold period before it will germinate. However, once established, it will self seed freely.

By the way, I don't ever sow the whole packet of seeds at one time. There are usually plenty so you can sow part, and keep some back for a second go if they don't do well.