Growing plants from seed obviously takes more time and more effort than buying mature plants from the nursery, but it is infinitely more rewarding and a great deal cheaper. Especially with flowering plants which tend to be more expensive than foliage plants the difference is astonishing. It is not unusual for a package of seeds of a particular plant to sell for a tenth or a twentieth of the cost of a single mature plant—and the seeds will yield many plants and not just one. Of course the time involved is a factor. Plants vary in the speed with which they grow and if you are going to start plants from seed you must plan ahead so that you will have the blooms or the showy leaves in full flower at the time you want them.
Starting your own plants from seeds is not a difficult process; you can lay out a good sized home garden in a single afternoon’s work; but it is one that requires a certain amount of care and planning. Although virtually all plants in a natural state propagate by seed germination, there are many which refuse to respond in a home garden and are propagated by cuttings, which we will discuss later. In the plant listing at the back of the book we have indicated the best method for propagation. You can consult this list before making plans. Here then are a few pointers on seed propagation.