Seed catalogs erase winter blues

By Kathy Hatfield
Gardening Columnist

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Now that we've had our fill of baking, shopping and holiday stress, it's time to focus on springtime activities. Yes, it's early, but what better time to peruse gardening catalogs and dream of warm summer days than in the midst of winter doldrums?

The following list is by no means exhaustive, but includes catalogs that I have found useful for product quality and good service.

Johnny's Selected Seeds

This company has long been one of my favorites, simply because it has a large variety of vegetables, flowers, cover crops and berries, and the service is excellent. Good plant descriptions include culture, days to maturity, possible pests, sowing time and a section on flowers that indicates their best use, for example fragrant or edible flowers, good cut flowers, best for drying, hanging baskets or containers.

Native American Seed Native Wildflowers and Grasses

800-728-4043
www.seedsource.com

Because this company is in Texas, some of the selections may not be hardy here, but could be grown as annuals. This catalog provides good color photos and descriptions, and indicates preferred soil type (unusual for a seed catalog), as well as sunlight and moisture requirements.

Pinetree Garden Seeds

This extensive newsprint catalog offers vegetable, grain, lawn and flower seeds. There are good descriptions of products and inexpensive seed, but little specific information on plant requirements. This is the catalog to request if you're also looking for aromatherapy oils or candle and soap-making supplies. Ordering is not the most user friendly, as there are three different order forms, depending on what you want to order.

Plants of the Southwest

This catalog includes seeds for wildflowers, vegetables, cover crops and ornamental and alternative lawn grasses. Water and light requirements and zone information are given with the plant descriptions, and good planting instructions are included in the catalog. The prices on seeds and shipping are reasonable.

Prairie Nursery Wildflowers and Native Grasses

Large glossy photos accompany useful detailed planting and maintenance information. A special "Wildflower and Grass Selection Guide" gives common and botanical names, height, color, bloom time and soil, water and light requirements. A real plus for those with clay soils is the section on clay-busters, tips on working with clay soils and plants that are well-adapted to growing in clay.

R. H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide

The subtitle and catalog cover reflect the old-fashioned nature of this catalog - "Good Seed Cheap" and "A business built on fairness, honesty and good service." The company offers some hard-to-find heirloom seeds. Added bonuses are the low shipping charges and free seeds with orders of $15 or more.

Select Seeds Antique Flowers

If you're looking for old-fashioned flower seeds, some of which are difficult to find, this is the catalog to get. Plant descriptions include information on light requirements, heat and drought tolerance, bird and butterfly attractants and some little-known interesting facts on the history of the plant or origin of its name. Charges for shipping and handling are reasonable.

Territorial Seed Company

This is a large catalog on high quality newsprint, with good descriptions of products and color photos of most items. There is also specific information on seed starting and good basic cultural information on flowers and vegetables. The planting chart for vegetables gives planting specifics, such as time to plant, spacing, days to maturity, yields and more. You'll learn a lot if you read this whole catalog; it's a good reference on gardening.

Thompson and Morgan Seed Catalog

The biggest problem with this catalog is that the color pictures make everything look tempting, so one could easily go broke ordering from this one. The company offers a vast selection of flowers, herbs, ornamental grasses and vegetables. Special sections highlight flowers suited to particular gardens, such as fragrant gardens, patio gardens and containers. Good descriptions of plants include growth requirements, hardiness zone, level of experience recommended for germination and maintenance and special notes, such as edible or fragrant flowers, poisonous plant parts or easy for children. The company includes a free booklet on germinating seeds with your order and often sends free seed packets.

If you've never tried growing plants from seeds, excellent information is available from the library, local nurseries, and online. If you're not the seed-starting type, next month's column will feature catalogs that specialize in mail-order plants.