These days, many people look for quick gratification, even in gardening. Plants for sale have been getting larger the past few years to meet this demand. It is satisfying to sit on your deck surrounded by flowering plants well before their normal bloom season, especially because we have such a short summer.
However, there can be great satisfaction in watching plants grow from seed. Of course, not everyone has a suitable space for starting seeds indoors, which is necessary for many tender vegetables and flowers. Gardeners know that there are many vegetables and a few flowers that can be sown directly in the ground as soon as it can be worked. These plants grow for just one season.
Hardy perennials can be grown from seed, if you have the patience to wait two or three years for blooms. Most hardy perennials can be sown outdoors in the fall to emerge in spring. These plants actually need a long cold spell for the seeds to germinate. The same is true for many hardy trees and shrubs.
Why grow trees and shrubs from seed? Young trees grow fast, so it does not take long to have a young tree that can cast a bit of shade. The variety of trees and shrubs offered for sale is limited and many are not suitable for our climate. A quick check on the internet will give you Canadian sites where tree and shrub seeds can be ordered. That is great for experimenting with lesser-known or marginally hardy plants. It is a lot cheaper to experiment with seeds than with mature plants. Seeds can be collected in the wild, either locally or when visiting other parts of the country, and those seeds are free.
You may well have seedling trees in your yard, which you are regularly mowing down or pulling from your flower beds, especially maples, ash, birch and willow, which grow locally and produce masses of seeds. The trees and shrubs growing right at the edge of buildings downtown were not planted. They grew from seeds which found a spot of moisture and germinated and grew.
If you want to try growing trees from seed the easiest way is to select a part of the yard with a patch of good soil that will not be disturbed. Plant the seeds in fall. Generally larger seeds are planted deeper than smaller seeds. Water them in, and watch for growth in spring. Coniferous evergreens can be grown from the seeds that fall out of mature cones. Purchased seeds should come with instructions for starting the seeds. Some may not need the cold treatment, and may be started in warm soil. Why not give it a try?
