HPS seed lists are, I trust, dropping through members’ letter boxes right now, along with those from seed companies, all encouraging us to grow something from seed.

There can’t be a gardener alive who doesn’t get a thrill from seeing those first shoots appear through the soil, so I urge you to study the list and get your order in early. For just £5 towards administration costs, you can choose 20 packets. I know they don’t always germinate and sometimes aren’t what they purport to be, and that can be disappointing, but when some fabulous plants that you’ve grown come into flower, perhaps that won’t seem so important.

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During last summer, on various garden visits, I noticed plants that I used to grow but, for some reason or other, don’t now and others that I would like to try.

Francoa is a plant which I’d forgotten all about but I see there are several in the HPS list so they have been added to my order. It is a native of Chile and forms clumps of deeply lobed, evergreen leaves, from which rise spikes of delicate flowers, in shades of pink, 60 to 90 cm high. There seems some doubt as to whether this genus has 5 species or 1 very variable one. Add to this the variability that comes with collecting seed from a garden and I might be in for a few surprises.

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I had been put off growing dieramas because they were said to be difficult to grow - dry in the winter and not to dry out in the summer. With these difficulties in mind I didn’t want to waste money buying plants but decided to have a go with some HPS seed. I grew three healthy plants from seed ex Dierama pulcherrimum ‘Blackbird’ and planted them out where they could get their roots under some paving so they wouldn’t dry out in summer. Imagine my delight when they flowered - in various shades of deep purple. This summer I saw a dierama a mere 30cm high with exquisite pink flowers and others of more normal stature in shades of pink and white.

I have grown more from seed, bought seedlings on eBay and been given a tray of plants by a fellow member. They take a few years to flower but perhaps by summer 2011 or 2012 I will have angels fishing all over my garden.

Have I persuaded you to fill in that seed list yet? Go on - you won’t regret it!

And any seedlings you don’t want can be swapped at the Seedling Swap in April.