Now I REALLY know spring is coming.

I did my first planting today!

Dad has been planting things for weeks now; the marigolds are budding, and our tomato plants, under grow-lights in the basement, are nearing a foot in height. But I have remained an observer and water-er and light-turner-on-er until today. Today I planted something myself!

I planted 144 cells; 36 sweet basil, 36 balsam flowers, 36 moss roses, and 36 African daisies. All of these flowers are new to me. I've grown sweet basil before, but never successfully from seed. I always "cheated" by getting transplants from the store when my starting-from-seed attempts flopped. (Of course, using seeds that were several years old just might have had something to do with my lack of success...) And all the flowers are ones that I've never grown before. I'm planning to grown bachelor's buttons (I've tried that one before, with Dollar Store seeds that didn't do very well) and....oh boy, what's that other one?....well, anyway, another flower. Oh yes - mixed wild flowers for cutting. And Zinnias. I still have to buy those seeds, but after last year's success with them, I know I want to grow them again! (6' high instead of the package's predicted 3'-4'!) But those three kinds of flowers grown better if they're sown directly in the ground outside after all danger of frost is past, so I'm waiting on those.

My heart is jumping up and down as I picture what our home will look like with all our bare flower beds overflowing with color this spring. I'm usually more of a vegetable grower than a flower planter, but Dad bought the seeds for me this year, and since there wasn't any vegetable planting to do today, and I was in the mood to plant, ...wala! Planted flower seeds!

We have flower beds on every side of our house, but there's never been a year (in my memory) when they have all been filled. Buying that many transplants from a nursery would have cost half a fortune, and none of us ever took the time to plant that many flowers from seeds. If it wasn't for the scattering of perennials in our beds, we might never have any blooms around our house!

And yet we all love it when the beds are full and looking pretty. So maybe this year will be beautiful! With 108 transplants, plus more seeds for direct sowing, we ought to have plenty of flowers! And if we have too many, Dad plans to sell the extras in his gardening business. So either way we can't lose. :)

The seeds will sprout at different times, but by the end of two and a half weeks or so, they all ought to be up. I can't wait!

What about you? Are you getting ready for spring? Started any seeds yet? Or are you still pouring over seeds catalogs in your area of the country? Trying something new this year, or sticking with old favorites? First-time gardener or long-time lover? I'd love to hear about what your gardening plans are!