Grow a plant to a height of 4 metres from a seed the size of a pea. Imitate astronauts by cultivating and eating plants that grow at lightning speed. Giving birth to rare and captivating plants from distant lands…
Here are some suggestions for extraordinary plants to grow at home, to add a touch of exoticism to your decor or some spice to your life.
One thing is certain, the seed starting adventure has never been so exciting!
Rare tropical plants available on Etsy
Do you dream of getting the latest popular variety of monstera but its price absolutely does not suit your budget? Never mind. If you want to dive into the adventure, know that it is possible to obtain seeds at incredible prices.
Well, obviously, there is no guarantee that the experiment will bear fruit, but it is worth a try. On Etsy, they offer 10 White Tiger monstera seeds for $12.61. If your seeds become an exceptional plant, your efforts will be greatly rewarded!
Also find seeds of original cacti, echeverias in exceptional colours, loofah, eucalyptus, blue lotus, Tibetan or Hawaiian flowers, tomatoes the size of melons and melons the size of candy...
Also find plants native to your region that are impossible to find at the garden centre.
Carnivorous plants: to feed a new passion
With seeds, the choice goes well beyond the famous Venus flytrap offered a few months a year at the local garden centre.
Carnivorous plants are sown in the same way as with vegetables or annuals. Afterwards, all you need to do is provide your plant with the right conditions for it to flourish. Just like you would with any tropical plant.
Our Organic Seed Starting Mix contains everything your little carnivore needs to thrive. Once big, it will bite into a few fungus flies, to the delight of your houseplants!
For more information, read our article: Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: The Complete Guide
Sunflowers: larger than life
Watching your sunflower grow is both spectacular and rewarding. Once in the garden, the young plants turn toward the sun or bow their heads in the rain, saluting the moods of Mother Nature.
Sunflowers definitely bring life to the garden. They attract pollinators and birds love them.
Sowing them in mid-April indoors, they often flower from July to October. The flowers are yellow, orange, red or copper, but you can find rare varieties, completely black or lime green in colour.
The giant varieties are undoubtedly the most astonishing, reaching a height of 4 metres when mature. The height record was set at 9.17 metres, practically the height of a 3-storey building. We challenge you to beat that!
Learn here how to make a sunflower house for children
Mimosa pudica: the ticklish plant
This is a fun plant to observe: it folds its leaves when touched.
Originally from South America, mimosa pudica is grown indoors in northern regions. This plant enjoys sunny windows and likes to be left alone from time to time.
Microgreens: interstellar food
Did you know that microgreens are an integral part of the diet of astronauts on space missions?
The astronauts grow them in a special module called Veggie. This 40-cm2 greenhouse can produce 26 harvests of microgreens per year. This is more or less equivalent to 17 120-g packets found in the supermarket.
The reasons why microgreens are a good choice for astronauts and for us:
- they are grown in a small space
- they grow quickly (7 to 14 days)
- they are very nutritious
- they are delicious
Unlike many seeds, they do not require a lamp or heat mat. They are content with the edge of the window. They can be added to any dish and their varied flavours open the door to a whole world!
To find out how to grow them, read our article: Microgreens: Easy to grow at home
Lithops: collecting living rocks
Want a project that is out of the ordinary? Grow lithops!
These “living stones” are in fact fascinating and absolutely unique succulent plants.
Native to the deserts of southern Africa, their appearance allows them to blend into their environment in order to escape their predators. Their unusual appearance gives rise to astonishing configurations. Their flower, often larger than the plant, is also impressive!
You can buy lithops seeds online (e.g. on Amazon) and grow them in an organic seed starting soil. They come in a wide choice of colours and seed packets often offer them all in a bundle.
Growing peanuts in northern regions
Because they enjoy long, hot summers, peanut cultivation is generally restricted to the states south of Carolina. The Valencia variety, however, adapts perfectly well to the shorter summers of the northern regions.
The foliage of the plant resembles that of clover. Its sweet fruits grow in duo or trio in a nourishing soil. We suggest starting seeds indoors in biodegradable peat pots to make planting in the garden easier.
Button mushrooms to grow at home
Fresh mushrooms grown at home? It’s within everyone’s reach thanks to the growing kits offered at low prices at Semence Canada.
Nothing could be easier to plant. The mushrooms emerge in 7 to 10 days and grow quickly. They are harvested when they have reached 5 to 6 cm in diameter.
Absolutely worth trying!
Morning glory: a guaranteed success
This large, lively and decorative climbing plant has abundant heart-shaped leaves. Its numerous trumpet-shaped flowers have the particularity of opening in the morning and closing around noon.
Extremely fast growing, the morning glory can reach 3 to 6 metres in a few weeks. It easily wraps around a trellis, a fence, a tree or an arbor and is perfect for hiding an unwanted view. It can also be grown in a pot on the balcony.
Indoor sowing can begin as early as March. You can also sow outdoors from mid-May, but flowering will take place much later. That would be a shame since it’s an annual!
TIP: Leave the seeds to soak in lukewarm water for 1 hour before sowing.
Plants that grow fast!
If you have great patience, you can get bonsai seeds.
For those who want faster results, here are some suggestions.
Radish
18-day radishes can be harvested just over 3 weeks after being planted. It is the fastest growing vegetable. The Helios and Saxa varieties are eaten one month after planting their seeds.
Catnip
This will please your kitty! Blades of grass appear quickly. Your cat will have plenty of time to enjoy it even if the plant does not last very long. To make the pleasure last, plant it in a small pot every two weeks, in winter and summer.
Catnip seeds are available in many pet stores.
Indian marigold
It's the worry-free plant that you can give to kindergarten children to sow. It grows so quickly that you can wait until May 1st to sow it and still have flowers all summer.
Some addresses to discover:
- Semence Canada (“Mushroom” category)
- www.serrepaolo.ca/boutique/ (carnivorous plants)
- www.rarexoticseeds.com (bonsais, pampas grass, palm trees, etc.)
- www.urbangardenseed.com
- Etsy
- Amazon
- www.jardindejulie.com
- www.floramama.ca
- ancestralseeds.com
