Variety

The Spice of Life - or so they say.

One of the reasons I enjoy raising plants from seed is that you often get to see different variations.  Most of the bulbs sold commercially are vigorous clones that increase quickly by bulb division.  This makes them cheap for us and profitable for the grower.  Seed raised bulbs usually take from 3 to 5 years from sowing to flowering but the pleasure when they do flower beats the 'quick fix' of buying bulbs.  Also, as here with a sowing of Crocus sieberi, there can be nice surprises in the variation that occurs.