Gardener to be

 

alyssum grown from seeds

Gardener I am not. But when I see the flowers bloom my neighbor’s garden, I can’t help but toy with the idea of wanting to be one. Fortunately for me and my bank account, I’ve chosen not to rush to the closest garden center to buy the first beautiful flowering plant but to do some leg work first.

I recently found out that I live in Zone 5-6 on the hardiness zone map and there are plenty of plants that thrive in this region. Instead of searching high and low for the best possible ones, I took the shortcut by visiting a few of my local nurseries to see what they carried. Because they cater to the local region, these plants are usually suitable to the area and this saved me time from doing the research. I found that it also made a difference to actually see and touch the plants as they can be totally different from pictures in catalogues.

 

northern sea oats grown from a gallon pot

 

So to begin, I bought a few varieties from each of the nurseries to test out in my garden. Some thrived but others just withered away and I was left still unsure as to what I should be growing. I wanted something that could be planted without any fuss, have gorgeous blooms and cost close to nothing. A challenge, you say? Well, I’m always up for a good one! So let the task begin…..