This is Raspberry Ripple Dianthus and I grew this from seed. Of all the perennials I tried to grow from seed, this might be my most successful plant. I mean, it’s flowering, isn’t it?

I guess I’m doing something right in regards of growing flowers, which has been a work in progress for the last 2 or 3 years. I’m trying to bring more flowers and pollinators to the garden without needing to spend a ton of money on transplants. Of course, I don’t think my mom likes or cares about these pretty flowers. In fact, she still blames every sneeze and every one of her allergy days on the garden.

“Why are you growing so many things?” She would often complains, “We’re just 2 people, we don’t need this much food.” This proves that she has no idea what’s growing in the garden. She hardly steps foot in the garden except when she wants to lecture me in her shouting voice so that the entire neighborhood can hear but not understand since she would do this in Chinese.

I try to ignore her negative comments, humiliating as it often is, and try to focus on the beauty on the garden, which is not 100% food. My purpose for growing flowers is often to use as ground cover as I live in a very dry place where rain rarely last for more than 15 minutes at a time during the summer months and that’s if we’re lucky to get them on a monthly basis. I once heard someone say the soil will stay moist longer if there’s a plant in place and with mulch on top. So that’s why I’m trying to grow more flowers.

When I was shopping for seeds, what attracted me to this flower was the pattern and it turned out, every plant is different! Isn’t this just the coolest flower?

The Flower Hour