spring preparations for summer blooms

Just like a long awaited Spring after a cold Winter, planting flowers from seed is worth the wait, but that doesn't make it an easy wait.

My parents sent me a Spring care package, which included, among other things, an indoor seed starter kit.  Let's call it an apartment sized greenhouse.

About a week ago now, I planted seeds of Cosmos and Zinnias, two of my favorite summer blooms.  They both grow in a mixed variety of colors and continuously bloom all summer.  The Cosmos have delicate, lightweight, tissue-paper like petals in white, and shades of pink, magenta and red.  The Zinnias are a hardier flower, with layered petals that bloom in shades of yellow, red, orange, pink and white. 

I am shocked by how quickly the seeds germinated and little sprouts began to break through the soil.  The Cosmos, naturally a taller, more leggy plant, have almost doubled in size compared to the Zinnias, which are slowly growing each day.  With a little water, lots of filtered sunlight and a "germination sheet" which was provided with the kit (nothing more than a glorified sheet of plastic wrap, which surprisingly helped insulate the seeds), the baby sprouts are growing up right before my eyes. 

I am excited to see them grow even more, develop more leaves and eventually see buds that will turn into summer blooms.  I know the excitement of flowers won't come for quite some time, but the process of growing from seed is so rewarding.  It's one of Earth's many special gifts, worth the wait.  In a world where every second seems to matter and people want instant gratification, planting from seed is a way of slowing life down and taking pride in what you've sowed.