WHAT could be nicer right now than dreaming, planning and scheming for the coming year, evenings perusing the seed catalogues, noting and listing temptations and excitements which will adorn and enhance the garden over the summer or through the coming years.
Paradise, a little patch of escapism is within everyone's reach regardless of space or pocket, and while it may be no bigger than a window box it can cause endless satisfaction and pleasure .
People with space and money to go with it can be glib about growing plants from seed, such is their haste to have an instant garden. Those with patience and a little sense of adventure can have unceasing fun in trying all sorts of trees and shrubs from seed. Sometimes this will be the only available route to obtaining a rare or neglected plant. However, most of us think of seeds in relation to more immediate things - vegetables and flowers, be they annuals biennials or perennials.
There can be some mystique surrounding the whole business of sowing, selection of compost, germination, pricking out, damping off, not to mention temperature control and the availability of a greenhouse. If one is to be very professional about the business then all these things do matter, but the average gardener and the novice in particular must not be put off.
There are lots of plants that are difficult from seed and which require particular care. There are things which seem to take an eternity to germinate - some seeds will wait two years before deciding to show green while others like the highly desirable blue Himalayan poppy much prefer to have the seed sown fresh as soon after harvest as possible. On the other hand there is a vast selection of stuff which is easy and accommodating and which can be grown without greenhouse or excessive fuss. As in other areas of gardening, a measure of care, attention and above all common sense are the main requirements.
Instead of wondering, of being confused and misled, it is sensible to read and re-read the instructions on the seed packet. It is such a simple matter that some adventurers overlook it until too late. Here, special requirements such as the need for heat or suitability of sowing outdoors as well as the season will all be marked out. Having read the instructions we should all be able to gauge whether that particular seed packet is for us or whether we should restrict our attentions to something simpler.
Few things could be easier than annual poppies. The opium poppy Papavar somniferum is especially well known, and even though people occasionally tell me that it is illegal to grow it, the plants appear annually of their own volition. I mention them because poppies will often appear where they would like to be rather than where the gardener intended them.
This carefree and casual approach makes annuals such as these invaluable for bringing an insouciant charm to otherwise static corners. So, encouraged by the latest offerings in the Thompson and Morgan catalogue (Mr Middleton Garden Shop, South Anne Street, Dublin) I will acquaint myself with more poppies.
Who could fail to be tempted by the array of double poppies named "Angels choir" featured on the cover? These hardy annuals, a new introduction, "leave you spellbound and breathless with their irresistible charm. In soft colour from whites to apricots and oranges they are easy to grow in almost any site" - so runs the sales blurb, and the picture shows lots of pink shades. I am hooked and must try them.
Some seed distributors stock Unwins catalogues, others Suttons. All are full of tantalising possibilities. It is also worth knowing about Chiltern Seeds, Bortree Stile, Ulverton, Cumbria LA 12 7PB England. They distribute by post.