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After many years in the garden what still blows my mind is what one little seed can do.

Surviving all manner of obstacles (rains,winds,infections,insects etc) and totally self sustaining in many cases requiring little help from my end. It is very satisfying to watch over time.

Now if only the software I build ever achieves that fine level of engineering...

Regarding your hesitancy to plant perennials: I plant lots of them and keep the ones that make it. After 18 years my yard looks pretty great now. It's hard to predict what will take give all the microclimates but it's fun to experiment.

Programming has some parallels, since it's easy to try new things you can keep what works and get rid of what doesn't work. After 25 years of programming I'm pretty happy with my craftsmanship.

Hmmm... I love the idea of planting lots and seeing what makes it--there' just a money/time investment that makes me hesitate (again, "just do it", right?). And what if you plant an invasive perennial?

Another similarity is compounding returns, both in terms of skills and 'on the ground knowledge'--the garden you have this year is the sum total of your efforts for previous years as well as your knowledge (unless you move).

Yup, time is the bigger problem than money, though. You can get cuttings from your neighbors or go to plant sales of garden clubs. At least where I live that's possible.
Thanks for the suggestions. The older I get, the more time is my limiting factor, rather than money.