Flowers 101

How hard would it be to grow flowers from seeds? Typically I would purchase my flowers from a local nursery or home improvement store like Home Depot and pay a premium price but there has to be a better alternative, right?

Since I am a new homeowner, I especially wanted to enhance our landscaping this spring with some colorful flowers. I've often walked past the rows of seed packets at local stores and didn't think it was actually possible or worth while to grow my own. This year I've decided to challenge myself and grow flowers from teeny tiny seeds. I think Martha Stewart would especially be proud! I mean really all the seeds need is a little dirt, sun, water, and TLC!

Starting today I planted three different types of flowers: Cosmos, Zinnias, and Poppies. The brand I decided to go with is Burpee since it had the overwhelming choice of seeds at Home Depot.

Cosmos - Attract butterflies and will be a bright mix of orange, red, and yellow. According to the package they are "easy to grow" and are great for cutting and borders. Let's hope they are "easy to grow" because they will be beautiful once they bloom. The seedlings should appear in 7-10 days.

Zinnias - Growing vigorously up to 3' tall, these will be a mix of purple and chartreuse. Apparently there is no indication on the package that these will be "easy to grow", so here is hoping. These will be perfect for beds, borders, and arrangements. The seedlings should appear in 7-10 days.

Poppies - Best known from the movie Wizard of Oz these will be a vivid red and black blotches in the center. These will be perfect in beds. The seedlings should appear in 10-20 days.

Photos courtesy of Burpee