Gardening season is just around the corner so I always use the last few days of winter for some garden planning. One of the best ways to plan is by using seed catalogues or seed company websites. There are many online and mail order seed and plant suppliers in both the United States and Canada so the number of catalogues and websites you can use for reference are unlimited.
You can also use the internet and check for links from your favourite gardening sites or look for the advertisements in other gardening magazines, so get those catalogues out and start dreaming about this upcoming growing season the great garden you will have.
Seed catalogues and websites are a useful tool for any seasoned gardener as you can use them for reference about plants. The best catalogues/sites give lengthy descriptions for each plant and its growing needs. Often the catalogues/sites feature the traditional seeds and plants along with new varieties, most often with photographs, so they are very useful for garden planning. Keep your catalogues all year round as a good reference source if you have any questions about a certain plant.
Ordering online from trusted plant company is a good way to add varieties that are not available locally to your vegetable or flower gardens. It is also a great way to add the latest perennials or other plants as they become available on the market. Often a plant grower will ‘debut’ a new variety with a selected mail order company the first year and then will distribute to nurseries for the next growing season. That is the reason why our local nurseries do not always have the new plant that you saw in a catalogue. This is a great way to get something unusual for your garden ahead of your friends. An added bonus is that you may be able to get seeds, which are very economical, and you can grow them yourself, or you may order a plant already established.
I will often order seeds of perennials that are not necessarily rated to grow in our zone. By ordering seeds, you are not spending a lot of money on a perennial that may not make the winter. Some perennials in the higher zones, like some of the varieties of bamboo, pampas grass, other perennial grasses and lavenders, make great annual plants in our zone. If you plant the seeds like annuals, you will get some great results for little investment and have fun in the process.
Ordering through online can be a great way to add some unique plants to your garden, try some new vegetables or herbs, or get some great gardening supplies or tools not available locally. As mentioned before, make sure you deal with a reputable company. You want a company you can contact easily and that will guarantee their products. Most companies will also provide you with gardening advice either over the telephone or with instruction sheets with their products. Make sure the company is going to ship your product at the appropriate time; seeds can be mailed any time but seed potatoes, bulbs and live plants must be shipped after the danger of freezing is over. Fall bulbs must be shipped in time for you to plant them. If you have any questions about shipping, as to what method and when, make sure you ask them before you place your order. By following these few tips, you will have great success with mail order companies.
Whether you use your seed catalogues strictly as reference material, the pictures for garden or landscape planning or as a great source to find unusual varieties of plants, you can spend hours looking at the many catalogues available today. So chase away the winter blues – think spring and curl up with a seed catalogue, you’ll be glad you did.
