Sowing the seeds of love

In every 'plant-shopping' trip that Mom and Dad usually make, there is always a few change left from the budget I allocate, a change so small that it's not even enough to buy a single decent plant. One time, Mom decided to use the change left, bought several packets of seeds and tried her luck in growing them.

Mom was so proud to report her success and sent me pictures of the plants she grew from the seeds she bought. Below are the plants she was so proud of.

Butterfly Pea	Buttongold
Dianthus	French Marigold
Sungold sunflower	Zinnia

Another plant Mom grew from seeds (but has no picture) is the Celosia.

I'm glad that Mom has found a way to stretch the budget and use every bit of change wisely. In her own little way she is helping to increase plant diversity in our garden.

There are advantages to growing your own plants from seeds. First it's a lot cheaper than buying an established plant. And there is this "feel good" reward of seeing the plant develop from seed to maturity.

The disadvantage is that it requires patience before the seedling reaches the height where you want the plant to be. There is also a high mortality rate. Out of several seedlings, only a few might survive.

But that's the beauty of gardening, it's just like gambling without the remorse one feels from losing.