25 Spanish Needles Flower Seeds | Pollinator-Friendly Edible Wildflower

Spanish Needles (Bidens pilosa) is a fast-growing annual wildflower known for its small, bright white flowers with yellow centers that bloom generously through the warm season. Also called beggarticks, this hardy plant is a favorite among bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, making it a valuable addition to pollinator gardens, wildflower meadows, and naturalized areas.

The young leaves and shoots are edible and can be used in salads or cooked as greens, adding a wild-foraged element to the garden. Spanish Needles thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, tolerating poor conditions and reseeding readily to return year after year.

Plant Features

• Produces abundant small white flowers with yellow centers
• Highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects
• Young leaves and shoots are edible when harvested fresh
• Self-seeds readily for continuous seasonal blooms
• Thrives in poor to average soil with minimal care

Growing Information

• Botanical Name: Bidens pilosa
• Plant Type: Annual wildflower
• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Well-drained, average to poor soil
• Water Requirements: Low to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
• Growth Habit: Upright, branching
• Bloom Season: Summer to fall
• Mature Height: 1 to 3 feet
• Spacing: 12 to 18 inches apart

Planting & Care

Sow Spanish Needles seeds directly outdoors after the last frost, pressing them lightly into the soil surface without covering deeply, as light aids germination. Keep the soil consistently moist until seedlings emerge, then thin to the recommended spacing. These plants are adaptable and require little maintenance once established.

Water during extended dry periods to encourage continued blooming. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong the bloom season, or allow some flowers to go to seed to encourage natural reseeding for the following year.

What's Included

25 Spanish Needles flower seeds.