Growing Plants from Seed
Choosing Plants to Grow
There are all kinds of ways to obtain plants for your garden, including buying mature plants from a garden centre or nursery, buying plug plants or growing from seed.
Growing from seed is undoubtedly the least expensive (apart that is from obtaining free plants from friends or neighbours). However, it also requires most time and care for good results.
It’s always tempting to peruse racks of seed packets and select whatever catches your eye. There is nothing inherently wrong with this but you are likely to get more satisfying results if you give a little thought beforehand.
Use your gardening books and seed catalogues to help you decide what you want to grow, based on size, flowering season, ideal location – all related to the available space in your garden.
Buying Quality Seed
If you buy your seed from an established garden centre or nursery, you should be buying a quality product, although it is always worth checking the reputation of your garden centre with a few neighbours and friends. There are also some well established mail order suppliers who may prove to be a little cheaper. As a general rule, if a seed supplier has been in business for a good number of years, you can be confident they are selling good quality seed or they would have gone bust long ago.
For some of the more exotic plants, mail order may be your only viable option since it is better to buy from a specialist supplier, who is passionate about the plants and seeds they sell. You are likely to find them particularly helpful if you have any questions about sowing your seed, planting out and then looking after your plants. After all, not only do they have a vested commercial interest in your success, along with all their other customers, but they also have the personal passion that simply wants to see their plants thriving wherever they are sold.
As always, when in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask the advice of local people who already grow your chosen plants in their gardens or allotments.
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