Winter Reading: Seed Catalogues

I was listening to a podcast of Margaret Roach (awaytogarden.com) yesterday and she was talking about reading her seed catalogues in January and  making her seed orders for the spring. It got me thinking that I never receive seed catalogues anymore. I used to get tons of them, from Burpee, Park Seed, Harris Seeds,  Wayside Gardens, and White Flower Farm, but I guess when I stopped ordering seeds many years ago they stopped sending them. I still plant some things from seed--zinnias, cosmos, larkspur, alyssum--but I usually just pick up packets of seeds at the nursery.

But as I was listening to Margaret talk, I remembered how much I enjoyed getting those catalogues and all the information they contained and getting some ideas for planting. You can learn a lot about a plant from the descriptions written in the catalogue. I also like seeing the new varieties of some of the flowers I plant, especially my fav, zinnias. So... I got online and ordered copies of catalogues from several nurseries, including Burpee, White Flower Farm,  the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (highly recommended by MR), and Nichols Garden Nursery. Several of the catalogues are online only now.



Other catalogues that she mentioned are Fedco Seeds, Kartuz Greenhouses,  Renee's Garden,  and Logees. She also mentioned a website that sounded interesting for anyone growing begonias, Brad's Begonia World, and I will definitely be checking that one out.

So I am looking forward to reading my seed catalogues again and dreaming about my summer garden, hopefully in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and snow out the window.