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| I have been growing dwarf French marigolds for years. I started with one pack of seeds. Each fall I save the seeds in airtight containers and plant them in the spring. I put them in pots, so they have limited space. My neighbor plants hers in the ground, and they bush out and get taller than mine. However, it has come to my attention that there are more than just a few varieties of marigolds. Besides French, there is the Mexican marigold (yellow and simple), the African marigold, and many, many others. There are some in our city par park that I can't find on the Internet. they seem to be put in the ground as potted plants, not seeded. They are beautiful deep orange, some even appearing to be little flowers inside the bloom. So next year I plan to branch out with marigolds. (I also save the seeds from my coneflower blooms.) One year I tried geraniums. I bought the plants in a little tray from Lowe's. Most of them made it up to winter. I kept them under a plant light in the garage and wrapped the pots with towels for warmth. The following winter there weren't so many. I put them by a good window in a storage room. They made it through the winter with personal care, but faded away in the sun and downpours on my deck. Of that batch, several years later, I have one still growing, one only recently withered away. Plants don't last forever. I've learned that sage plants, in pots or the garden bed, only last 4 years, then die. I have some about six years old still making a wonderful fragrance. I love to pick the leaves just to small my hands afterwards. I could use them for cooking, but don't require them. I have a beautiful thyme plant out front, but I don't have much need for the leaves. Once I had a thing for begonias. They were cheap, so I bought several. I thought most of them died in the garage that winter, but apparently, the remains were dormant. I put the planter outside. Something knocked it down, maybe a deer looking for my hostas in the flower bed. Later on, there were little white begonias growing in the cracks of my patio slates. I dug them up and potted them, so that year I had a lot of beautiful white begonias. Last year I wasn't feeling well and did not do much to preserve my plants. This year, I had no begonias in pots, but I discovered one growing between the slates. I dug it up and hope it will survive transplanting. It was very small. So seed, and roots under ground, like tubers, will surprise you. Sure exotic flowers may be breathtaking. You may feel great pride in raising healthy orchids or other worthy plants. But these simple flowers can bring such pleasure. |
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