It's hard to know where to start when examining the current 2013 seed and plant catalogs. I have acquired quite a stack of them so far and I imagine there are on more on their way. They've changed quite a bit from the catalogs that my mother and grandmother pored over when I was young. For one thing, they're printed on a higher-quality paper, with more (and better) color photographs. There also seem to be more specialized catalogs now than I remember, although maybe specialty catalogs existed all along but my family just wasn't interested in them. Now there are catalogs that specialize in herbs, iris, daylilies, hostas, organic seeds, wildflowers, etc. Some cost a few dollars to receive, but most are free.
Many of the catalogs I've received this year are familiar ones that I've used before, but there are some new ones for me. One that is new to me is the
Richters Herb & Vegetable Catalogue. Seventy-seven pages of vegetables and herbs grown in greenhouses near Toronto, the catalog is fairly comprehensive. For example, they list forty-five varieties of basil, forty kinds of mint, and many harder-to-find herbs like mucuna (used as a nerve tonic in Ayurvedic medicine), partridgeberry ("Mitchella repens"), used by Native Americans in a tea to promote easier childbirth, and many herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine such as Ban Xia and Zhi Mu. The prices seem reasonable, even for the rarer plants. They also sell dried herbs and high-potency extracts. Of special interest to me is the Crocus sativus (the saffron crocus, of which the catalog says six plants will produce enough spice for one recipe), and Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuflorum) which is grown and worshipped all over India. Also of interest is a project called
SeedZoo; offering rare and endangered food plants from around the world on their website, these seeds are sold on a "first-come, first-served" basis. The SeedZoo seeds listed in the catalog are Avakli Bean, Haghartsin Squash, Carosello Mezzo Lungo di Polignano, and Yerevan Lima Bean. I've never heard of any of these, but I wouldn't mind experimenting with some unusual herbs.
Another catalog offering herbs is The Growers Exchange of Charles City, Virginia. A smaller, less-comprehensive catalog than Richters', they seem to focus on the most popular herbs, and sell only plants.
Burpee is an old favorite that still has a large share of today's seed market. Their 2013 catalog is a very attractive, 147-page, glossy mag full of gorgeous photos of mainly vegetables, but also some fruits and flowering plants. Burpee sells both seeds and plants, but not both of every plant. Their prices seem a little high to me, but they have a lot of exclusives that aren't available anywhere else. One exclusive plant of theirs that I really like is the 'Balboa Blue Rim' Lisianthus. You get twelve (two 6-packs) of these annuals for $29.95.
Another old familiar catalog is R.H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide in its 143rd year. The oversized catalog is mainly black-and-white illustrations instead of photos, but it has a charming old-fashined quality that I enjoy. It has mainly fruits and vegetables with several pages of flower seeds. They even offer seeds of the 'White Top' Pitcher Plant, which one doesn't normally see in a common seed catalog.
The Cook's Garden has a nice glossy catalog of "seeds and plants for gourmet gardeners." They have many varieties of organic heirloom vegetables plants, but they also list some of the favorite hybrid varieties. Swiss Chard, 'Red Magic' is one of their exclusive hybrids that has caught my eye with its bright stems and promise of being a "vigorous red chard" that "keeps on coming as fast as you can harvest it." They also have a section of edible flowers.
Another wonderful catalog for organic heirloom vegetables is the
Seed Savers Exchange, which lists only heirloom and open-pollinated varieties. More than just a seed catalog, the Seed Savers Exchange is on a mission to "conserve and promote America's culturally diverse but endangered food crop heritage for future generations by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants." This catalog is a fascinating collection of history and information as well. If you become a member, you save 10% on your orders.
A similar catalog is the
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange of Mineral, Virginia, which has a smaller catalog, but roughly the same mission. They also encourage "cooperative self-reliance in agriculture," something that many plant companies have tried to make difficult in order to sell more of their own products. Southern Exposure supports many seed exchange and preservation programs such as the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center in Kentucky and One Seed at a Time which is building a southeastern seedbank.
Botanical Interests of Broomfield, Colorado has a small but interesting catalog of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. They also have micro-greens and sprouts. Their seeds are certified organic with many heirlooms among them.
Other sources of open-pollinated heirloom seeds are
Sow True Seed of Asheville, North Carolina and Bountiful Gardens of Willits, California.
High Mowing of Wolcott, Vermont has only 100% ceritified organic seeds, but they do offer hybrid seed as well as open-pollinated.
If you're looking for Asian vegetable seeds, a great source is
Kitazawa Seed Co. in Oakland, California. Their catalog is black-and-white with illustrations (no photos), but they do a good job of describing the vegetables for you. Since 1917, Kitazawa has been offering the traditional heirloom vegetables of Japan as well as other Asian vegetable varieties. They now have over 400 different seeds in their catalog, including the Vietnamese herb, Kihn Gioi, which can be used in chicken or fish dishes, or boiled to make tea. They also have a nice selection of recipes in the back of the catalog, giving those of us who are unfamiliar with Asian vegetables some idea as to what to do with them.
Despite the popularity of vegetables in this year's catalogs, there are still many devoted to flowers. Wildseed Farms in Fredricksburg, Texas, has a nice, if small, catalog of wildflowers, along with instructions and explanations of when and how to plant them.
Prairie Nursery of Westfield, Wisconsin, has specialized in native plants since 1972. One if the things that I really like about their catalog are the symbols that tell you if a plant attracts butterflies, birds, or hummingbirds, or if it is deer-resistant. You can also get bulk seed from them, which is great if you're planning a wildflower meadow or other large-scale project.
Jackson & Perkins is still one of the big names in roses and lists, for 2013, 75 new items and 8 exclusive rose introductions. Their catalog is somewhat small, but they have many more varieties on their website.
Shreiner's produces a 15-page Mini Edition of their Iris Lover's Catalog that you can get for free, or you can pay $5 to get the full-sized 72-page collector's edition. I'm already in love with half of the varieties in their mini edition, so I'm scared to order the full-sized catalog.
Dutch Gardens of Bloomington, Illinois, has a good selection of lilies, dahlias, and other bulbs and tubers, but they offer a lot of non-bulb plants as well.
For gardening supplies, there are the Gardener's Supply Company of Burlington, Vermont, and Lee Valley of Ogdensburg, New York. Of the two, I greatly prefer the
Lee Valley catalog. It's much more comprehensive and has a lot of hard-to-find things that appeal to me. One thing I ordered from Lee Valley is their new Solitary Pollen Bee Nest for $18.50. Solitary bees are important for pollination, but their numbers are declining due to a dearth of suitable nesting locations. The Bee Nest is designed to provide ideal housing for them, with 20 nesting tubes of various sizes and volcanic stone insulation. I haven't mounted mine yet, but have it on the gardening to-do list. The Lee Valley catalog has pretty much everything a gardener could need, including some nifty things for the kitchen like Danish dough whisks and a European tomato press.
Of all the catalogs I've received so far, I have four favorites: Bluestone Perennials, White Flower Farm, Plant Delights Nursery, and
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. My number one favorite would have to be Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds of Mansfield, Missouri; its 2013 Pure Seed Book is the most beautiful catalog I've seen with 210 large, glossy pages of lovely photos and very helpful descriptions. I have already received my seed order from them: Chia 'Crown Jewels,' Mugwort, Rue, Wormwood, and three different Papaver somniferums ('Black Swan,' 'Flemish Antique,' and 'Hungarian Blue Breadseed'). They sent me a free pack of 'Lemon Queen' Sunflowers with my order. The runner-up would be Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. at Juniper Level Botanic Gardens south of Raleigh, North Carolina. Their goal is to "change the way America gardens by offering the best, the newest, and the strangest fun, garden-worthy perennials to gardeners around the world." Their catalog is very interesting to read, with lots of information about the plants they grow.
I'll be excited if more catalogs show up in the mail, but I think I have enough to peruse for this spring. I'm aiming for a mixture of new, interesting plants to try and favorite "old reliables."
Wishing you happiness in spades,
M.R.S.
