The cold wet days of winter have me stuck in the house dreaming of Spring. Each day my mailbox holds at least one new seed catalogue reminding me that those warm sunny days are not far away. There are so many different companies out there wanting me to purchase from them and I have to look at each tempting book. As I look through the pages and see the beautiful pictures of flowers, some common others exotic, my mind pictures the colorful, butterfly filled beds I plan to grow. The pages of vegetables call out to me to try this new improved variety, or that tried and true old standby. So many choices! It can be mind blowing! I am going to share with you some of the things I have learned and some of my favorite seed companies to order from.
My Favorite Flower Catalogues
Yes, I do look through most all of the catalogues that enter my mailbox, but there is no way I could order something from each one. Flower gardening is my favorite and the varied types of flowers call for a couple of different catalogues. Brecks has been my go to for Bulbs and perennials. I have had good success with their plants and they stand behind their products. Plant Delights has a large selection of native and some unusual plants in their catalogue, and I must say that catalogue is very entertaining to read. The descriptions have some added humor along with the basic growing information.
Vegetable Catalogues of Choice
The vegetable garden catalogues seem to get thicker each year as new varieties are added. Some claim to be the biggest or best tasting ever, others are less attractive to the harmful insects, each has their own special reason I should grow them. There are Heirloom varieties, hybrids, open pollinated, dwarf, Giant and the list goes on. I have found that Johnnys has a very informative catalogue. They have an abundance of information for the Farmers Market growers, but much of that knowledge is very helpful in the home garden too. They list best ground temperatures for different varieties to sprout, summer and fall temperatures the plants are best suited to as well as different characteristics of the plants and their fruit. A couple of Heirloom Companies that I have found to be good are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. These companies are from climates very much like mine so the varieties are more likely to flourish. I prefer to plant the heirloom varieties because I think they usually have better flavor and they are open pollinated so I can save the seeds if I wish to.
Keep On Dreaming
When paging through the beautiful plant offerings, I often have to make myself pass by some very attractive flower or vegetable variety because in the description it details the climate the plant will grow in. It is very tempting to purchase something that is listed for cooler or dryer climate than we have, or maybe it needs sandy or light soil. The pictures look so perfect, but I have learned that most often that information is very true. It is a waste of time and money to try to grow a plant that is completely out of its happy place.
I hope you enjoy dreaming of spring and warmer weather to come. If you have not seen some of the catalogues I have mentioned click on the names and you will be linked to their website. I would love to see your comments in the section below about your favorite seed company.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
