Absurdly I enjoy those "Where did I come from?" discussions with my kids. Watching them squirm and giggle, their faces blushing crimson as they take in the enormity of the question they just asked. And I always enjoy giving more information than is needed - just to heighten the squirming, giggling and embarrassed blushes.

Sure, they'll need counseling so if you have any recommendations....for counselors, that is.

While the 'birds and the bees' chat is fun and interesting I think, after all these years, that I finally have a handle on it. However, I've always wondered where new plants come from.

I'm not talking about new colours or dwarfing varieties but actual new plants that we've never seen before. It seems that the plant kingdom continues expanding if our gardening catalogues are anything to go by.

Fortunately, Graham Rice from the <a href="http://transatlanticplantsman.typepad.com/transatlantic_plantsman/" target="new" rel="noopener">Transatlantic Plantsman</a> has produced a two-part series on where they come from as he looks at the discovery of Gaillardia aristata 'Amber Wheels' in <a href="http://transatlanticplantsman.typepad.com/transatlantic_plantsman/2007/06/new-plants-wher.html" target="new" rel="noopener">Part One</a> and the tetraploid mutation of Campanula ‘Royal Wave’ in <a href="http://transatlanticplantsman.typepad.com/transatlantic_plantsman/2007/06/new-plants-wh-1.html" target="new" rel="noopener">Part Two</a>.

I wonder if there are any undiscovered plants around my 'neck of the woods'?

BTW - don't ask me what a tetraploid mutation is? That goes beyond the bounds of this blog and my experience.