Much to my cat's dismay, ice had even settled on top of the dead grass in his pot.

After a couple of really pleasant days, the week ended with Saturday evening rain turning to late night snow. By the time I looked out on Sunday, random patches of ice remained on the wooden deck of my balcony. But am I down? Nope. This is typical of the gentle, back-and-forth teasing Chicago weather unleashes on its hopeful gardeners in spring. We enjoy the flirtation! And with flower seeds on the way (I ordered a total of 11 packets) I’m already blocking out the garden in my mind.

And speaking of seeds, if I haven’t made it clear, let me stress to those starting this gardening journey for the first time: I don’t recommend depending on seeds alone. Whether through fault or fate, some of the seeds I’ve planted in the past didn’t go on to become fabulous flowers. A few never sprouted and some became sprouts that later shriveled up and died. So, don’t set yourself up for disappointment, hedge your bets (yes, a gardening pun) and make sure you purchase some ready-to-go plants to mix in with the ones you start from seed. Consider your dabbling with various seeds a fun experiment with lots of learning to impart. Of course, in the seed department, there are a couple that haven’t let me down yet. One is Nasturtium. In fact, let me tell you a little story…

I first purchased a packet of Nasturtium seeds a few years back — if memory serves, from a rack at the grocery store. (I should preface the story by owning up to being a tinkerer… I sometimes add things to my boxes as afterthought, or just to see what happens.) So, with absolutely no expectations, I took these super-sized seeds and popped them directly into the soil of my already thriving boxes and forgot about them. I didn’t even notice when they sprouted. But when round-ish green leaves with white veins revealed themselves within a couple of weeks, followed later by yellow and orange flowers, the Nasturtium could no longer be ignored. It was a delightful surprise.

Not long after, I saw a garden photo in a magazine of a woman standing next to what looked like a five-foot wall of Nasturtium (those distinctive leaves are easy to spot) — that was my introduction to trailing Nasturtium. The next year, I bought that variety. Then I discovered it was edible. Soon, the flowers crept in among my summer salad greens…

Now, Nasturtium is a staple I start early from seed so that it’s available that much sooner. Funny thing about gardens, they just keep on growing.