Planting a seed and nurturing it into a beautiful flower is an experience that satisfies the primitive, soulful side of gardeners’ personalities. Plus, starting with seeds can save you a great deal of money. But the most compelling reason to grow at least some of your annuals from seeds is the opportunity to have unusual flowers that are impossible to find as bedding plants. The variety of choices in terms of color, size, and species is nothing short of mind-boggling when you start with seeds.

Flower seeds come in all shapes and sizes, from begonia seeds the size of salt grains to pea-sized nasturtium and sweet-pea seeds. Larger seeds tend to be easier to handle, and they also grow into comparatively large seedlings. But don’t be afraid to try growing small seeds. Just be forewarned that tiny seeds take longer to grow into big plants.

Smart Seed Shopping

In the spring, every garden center and home supply store installs big seed racks right on your way to the checkout line. The seeds are usually good quality. However, just to be sure, look beyond the picture on the front of the packet to find the following information (also shown in the image below):

To verify that you’re starting with fresh seeds, look for the words “packed for…” followed by the year of the next gardening season.

• Species and/or variety name
• Mature height
• Packing date (don’t buy seeds that are more than a year old)
• Special planting instructions

Some seed packets also include the expected germination rate, which is the percentage of seeds in the packet that you can realistically expect to sprout. The rate always should be above 65 percent. If no germination rate is given, you can usually assume that the seeds meet or exceed the germination standards for that species. All the reputable seed companies trash bad seeds rather than sell them. Because the seed business is tremendously competitive, seed quality tends to be very high.

Some retailers sell seeds left over from the previous year. Although many flower seeds do remain viable for several years when stored in a cool, dry place, a retailer who sells old seeds is obviously trying to cut corners.

Seeds By Mail

Mail-order seed companies are able to maintain huge selections, and they also tend to be meticulous about storage conditions. However, because mail-order companies display and guarantee their seeds in their catalogs, the actual packets often give little information beyond variety name and the approximate number of seeds inside. As soon as your mail-order seeds arrive, read over the packets and write the year on the packet (if it isn’t already stamped there), thus creating a reminder not to plant the seeds two years from now.