My passion for gardening began on a cold, dark February night 23 years ago when I idly picked up a Burpee catalog at a neighbor’s house. Like most cases of love at first sight, my attraction was largely based on visual stimuli and I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Such is the power of garden catalogs to dazzle and seduce in late winter.
Still, catalogs are an invaluable source, especially for seeds, with a wider selection and often higher quality. For plants, a local nursery is the first choice. But catalogs are a valuable source of information and hard-to-find species.
Seeds
– The Cook’s Garden, P.O. Box 535, Londonderry, VT 05148; 800-457-9703; www.cooksgarden.com. Vegetable seeds.
– Fragrant Garden Nursery, P.O. Box 627, Canby, OR 97013; www.fragrantgarden.com; e-mail to pat@fragrantgarden.com. Heirloom varieties of sweet peas.
– Johnny’s Selected Seeds, RR1, Box 2580, Foss Hill Rd., Albion, ME 04910; 207-437-4301; www.johnnyseeds.com .
– Geo W. Park Seed Co., 1 Parkton Ave., Greenwood, S.C. 29647-0001; 800-845-3369; www.parkseed.com . Flower and vegetable seeds and transplants.
– Grandma’s Garden (Underwood Gardens Ltd.), 1414 Zimmerman Rd., Woodstock, IL 60068; fax 888-382-7041 ; www.grandmasgarden.com; catalog $3. Unusual and heirloom flower and vegetable seeds.
– Pinetree Garden Seeds, P.O. Box 300, 616 A Lewiston Rd., New Gloucester, ME 04260; 207-926-3400; www.superseeds.com. Vegetable and flower seeds, many sold in small quanities for smaller gardens.
– The Seed & Book Catalogue of the New England Wild Flower Society, Seeds, New England Wild Flower Society, Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, MA 01701; www.newfs.org; catalog $2.75; requests must be received by mail by March 1. More than 200 varieties of seeds and spores for sale, including natives for woodlands, wetlands and meadow gardens.
– Seed Savers Exchange, 3076 N. Winn Rd., Decorah, IA 52101; 319-382-5990; www.seedsavers.org. Heirloom vegetable and flower seeds.
– W. Atlee Burpee Co., 300 Park Ave., Warminster, PA 18974; 800-888-1447; www.burpee.com. Flower and vegetable seeds and transplants.
Plants
– Arrowhead Alpines, P.O. Box 857, 1310 N. Gregory Rd., Fowlerville, MI 48836; 517-223-8750; www.arrowheadal-pines.com. Two catalogs, $2 each, one for perennial and alpine plants, the other for seeds.
– Antique Rose Emporium, 9300 Lueckemeyer Rd., Brenham, TX 778-6453; 800-441-0002; www.antiqueroseemporium.com. Antique roses.
– David Austin Roses Limited, 15393 Highway 64 West, Tyler, TX 75704; 800-328-8893; www.davidaustinroses.com. Roses.
– Etera Products for Gardeners, 14113 River Bend Rd., Mt. Vernon, WA 98273; 800-75ETERA (800-753-8372); www.etera.com. Perennials in biodegradable pots.
– Forestfarm, 990 Tetherow Rd., Williams, OR 97544-9599; 541-846-7269; www.forestfarm.com; catalog $5. Woody plants, perennials, ferns, bamboos and grasses.
– Prairie Nursery, P.O. Box 306, Westfield, WI 53964; 608-296-3679; www.prairienursery.com. Prairie plants, seeds, and grasses for meadow gardens.
– Shady Oaks Nursery, 1601 5th St. SE, P.O. Box 708, Watseka, MN 56093-0708; 800-504-8006; www.shadyoaks.com. Hostas and other shade plants.
– White Flower Farm, P.O. Box 50, Litchfield, CT 06759-0050; 800-503-9624; www.whiteflowerfarm.com. Perennials and bulbs.
Yet more
For more catalogs, check out “Gardening by Mail” by Barbara J. Barton (Houghton Mifflin, $24).
The nonprofit Mailorder Gardening Association (Dept. CS-15, P.O. Box 2129 Columbia, MD 21045; www.mailordergardening.com) lists members’ catalogs in its “Garden Catalog Guide,” $2.
