Thursday, January 08, 2009

garden catalogs

gardening catalogs
stacked gardening catologs numex jim circled lavender pink catolog rose
bee home bird house

I wasn't going to look at all these catalogs. (Nine so far this year.)

Its quicker to do plant orders on-line. But the colors are so nice this year. And the plants look so pretty. So I've been circling items. Wildly. Don't know if I'll be able to find all my circles and narrow down a sensible list to buy. But its fun to rummage through seed catalogs.

I suppose what caught my eye first was the seedless tomato on the Burpee catalog. I had to do a double take and read about it. But, its not for me. It looks like its missing something.

One of my circles is Numex Big Jim chile. I have been looking for a source for this one, recommended to me last year. Seeds of Change has it. And I just love the photo of the lavender sampler at High Country Gardens. Beautiful, but pricey. White Flower Farm has a pink David Austin rose I think I'll order, called Strawberry Hill. I was interested to see the Mason bee home offered by High Country Gardens. I always wondered where wild bees live in a residential area (I wonder if I can improvise to make one of these?). Finally, the copper roofed bird house (WFF) is just spectacular.

I'm always impressed by the number and variety of tomatoes offered by Sand Hill Preservation center. 567 this year, by my count (up from 517 last year). Included is Opalka, a fat paste variety I'm looking forward to trying.

13 comments:

My Veggie Garden said...

I just love catalogs, so much potential, good luck and happy ordering. I think it's a special ritual.

Frank said...

I am hesitating whether to buy out of catalogs or do the online thingy. I would enjoy growing a couple of heritage vegetables, which are generally easier to find online, but here they are a bit difficult about getting in seeds from abroad.

I might try small quantities here and there, if they get confiscated it won't be too much of a loss.

Fiona said...

Love David Austin roses. Love. Them. For one thing, the scent is lovely. Imagine that wafting at you from the garden as you work. Bliss!

Anonymous said...

Oh, my! I never even knew there are so many tomato varieties out there (eep!) I wonder if all of them really sell that well, or if it is mainly the staple ones for 95% of the population and the rest getting only a couple orders each year?

Jessica said...

Wow, so many catalogues! I've only received three so far. I'm surprised that the Burpee catalog is out- I've missed that somehow. I usually complete my ordering online but it's so nice to be able to pick your seed varieties away from the computer screen. Besides, the pictures are so much nicer in print. I've been working through the Johnny's catalogue... and have circled way too many!
And I agree with you, something missing in that seedless tomato. I saw it on their website and decided that it was not for me.

GL with the Lavender! It is one of my favorites to grow and it brings so many bees to your garden.

Flax Hill Gardener said...

I got an e-mail from Burpee about the new seedless tomato and it weirded me out. It looks like an alien creation. I'll stick with my heirlooms.

kathy said...

I accidentally deleted someones comment! I'm so sorry. If you check back you can re-post it. I must be up too late tonight....

kathy said...

Me too on that Burpee seedless. But I did end up circling several other Burpee items. Costa Rican Sweet red pepper pg 10, Fireball marigold pg 9, White Wedding zinnia pg 16, and Big Mama lima beans pg 15. We'll see what actually gets ordered. I figure I'll have fun circling for a few more weeks and order in late Jan/early Feb.

Jessica said...

Kathy,
That might have been me... I deleted my own post out of sheer exhaustion! lol! I had to rewrite it. :)

I was thinking about trying "Zucchini: Burpee hybrid". Have you ever tried this? I've never ordered from Burpee before nor have I grown Zucchini so I'm completely in the dark. :)

Anonymous said...

High Country Gardens here- Thanks for the compliment on our Lavender Sampler. Our premium potted deep rooted lavender plants are competitively priced with other quality vendors. But if you'd rather start with fewer plants, you can always order the lavender varieties you love individually. Remember, you need to attract and feed bees with flowers. Lavender is unsurpassed in bringing bees to your garden. Bees are essential to insure ample vegetable harvests. Plus edging your garden with Lavender plants will naturally repel deer and rabbits away from your vegetables.

kathy said...

Ava - I just LOVE your lavender collection. I keep admiring it. I bet they smell heavenly....

All your collections of water wise garden plants look beautiful.

(High country garden catalog)

Anonymous said...

I have many garden catalogs, and also have circled many items. I'm focusing on planting different items this year, things out of the ordinary. I found a fabulous website for heirloom tomatoes worth checking out. tomatofest.com. It has about 600 varieties, plus tips on planting and maintaining tomatoes. All are organic. You can email any questions and you'll receive a timely answer too. I can't wait to start planting. It's nice to know that alot of people mull over catalogs too! Happy ordering!

kathy said...

I'm still circling, too .... I'm looking forward to a few minutes tonight with a beverage in a cumfy chair and my highlighter pen. Ahhh.

I'm circling the things that catch my eye. Unusual, special. Then I'll do the rest online based on my list of what I really need to fill out the garden.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look at tomatofest.com