|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Home&Garden feature article winter 07
When winter settles in, gardeners get antsy. But thumbing through gardening catalogs with “spring dreams” in mind definitely helps dent the winter doldrums. Here are our garden columnist’s favorite mail-order catalogs. by Lauren Springer Ogden After nearly two decades of living in Colorado, I still haven’t reconciled myself to its inordinately long winters. Sure, these are often filled with brilliant blue skies and sparkling white snows, but when it comes to gardening, five months of downtime is maddening. Of course, this works right into the hands of mail-order nurseries, who count on frustrated, housebound people to spend more than they should to compensate for not being able to garden. I’ve done my share of this, for better and for worse. The following list represents a smattering of the finest mail-order catalogs I’ve had the privilege to patronize. All have enriched my gardens over the years, but not my bank account.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
forestfarm This is pretty much the only mail-order nursery I regularly buy live plants from, since we have good local sources for ornamentals. Their catalog features an unbelievable selection at great prices, including the best unusual woody plants you’ll never find here, and loads of tiny perennials. I’ve dropped thousands of dollars with them over the past decade and a half. Their plants may be small, but they’re ready to roar in the garden. I’ve always had great luck with their stuff. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Prairie Nursery This catalog offers native perennials, grasses and sedges—from short-, mid- and tall-grass prairies—in small sizes at excellent prices. I’ve established meadows and other naturalistic gardens with lots of their plants, which are always of great quality. This is an excellent source when you need dozens of species, and dozens of each, to plug into a big space. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
The Cook's Garden This catalog offers gourmet varieties of vegetable and herb seeds, with a special emphasis on European vegetable selections, where taste is revered over appearance. I grew up with that kind of food, so I happily buy seeds of chard, kohlrabi, kale, basil, spinach, lettuce and other vegetables from these folks, as they offer superior, delicious strains, often for short seasons like ours, as the company is New England–based. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Pinetree Garden Seeds This catalog offers seeds of vegetables, herbs and annuals in a no-hype, inexpensive presentation—and you can purchase small quantities. Their products are always great quality and I like their attitude: no glitz; let’s just grow the plants and enjoy them. They’ve been a mainstay for me for years. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Rocky Mountain Rare Plants This Colorado-based company offers seeds of mainly rock- garden-type plants, both natives and exotics. Their huge selection is always of excellent quality, and I’ve had great success with their offerings for several years now. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Odyssey Bulbs This catalog offers very unusual bulbs and is the best source if you don’t want to go overseas for the weird stuff. It’s not cheap, but the prices are fair for what you get, and what you get is always of very good quality. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Brent and Becky's Bulbs I buy all bulbs through mail order, rather than from a local nursery or garden center. I get better selection and prices, and the bulbs are healthier, as they’re more carefully stored. These folks have a super selection, excellent quality and good prices, and they’re a family business with a lot of heart and fine, old-fashioned customer service. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Alplains This Colorado-based company offers super-quality seeds of unusual adapted plants for this region, both natives and exotics. During the past 10 years, I’ve grown hundreds of species from Alplains, many of which have become stars in the garden. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lauren Springer Ogden is the author of three garden books and designs gardens nationwide with her husband, Scott Ogden. The couple is currently authoring another book on garden design to be published by Timber Press. For information on their design services, visit www.plantdrivendesign.com. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
