Garden Catalogs (Feeding the Fantasy with Photos)
February 8th, 2010 | 
Author: Here come the garden catalogs. Beautiful photos of blueberries, apples, caladiums, roses, hosta, tomatoes and zinnias tempt us into buying more than we need. Ah, yes. We drool or at least I do. The thought of that still warm from the sun tomato busting with flavor makes me want to buy all those wonderful seeds. Except I know better.
I’m not a novice gardener, nor do I own a greenhouse. That doesn’t stop me from curling up in a chair with a few garden catalogs. Let’s take a good hard look at those catalogs. See that little color-coded map? Where do you live?
If it grows in Minnesota it’s probably not going to grow well in Arizona and vise versa. If you live in Zone 7 make certain that whatever you purchase is hardy for Zone 7. Most of the time you will see a range, Zones 6-8. These zones are based on cold temperatures. Some companies are adding a new map of sun zones that are based on high temperatures. That’s quite handy for growing vegetables and annuals. Did you know that certain flowers and vegetables quit flowering in high temperatures?
If you need help deciding which growing zone you are in you can check with the USDA if you are in the USA. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html It’s not interactive for Canada or Mexico, but the zones are present. The USDA map is much larger than the catalogs’, so it’s easier to see the zone for your area.
The biggest mistake people make is buying things that will outgrow their small area. That cute little tree will grow quite large. If they say plant it 25 feet from the house, they mean it! You don’t want it scraping your siding or its roots destroying your foundation.
Also those foundation plants such as American boxwood can reach heights of thirty feet or more. So why would anyone plant such a thing and then try to keep it three feet high? That’s like trying to bonsai a mighty oak tree, but people do it all the time. Some shrubs should never be pruned, yet people do it. Forsythia is a prime example. Left to grow naturally it will turn into a cascading yellow waterfall. The only maintenance it will require is a little thinning every three to five years.
Fruit trees are work! I don’t care how carefree the catalogs make them seem – they aren’t. If you love a particular fruit and it is hardy in your area. Then buy it and enjoy it. Where I live in Virginia, fig trees do very well. They aren’t really trees. They are shrubs. They are practically disease free here and they have lovely foliage. They also bear lots of fruit. How many figs were you planning to eat? Fig jam anyone? I’d love a good Fig Newton recipe but Nabisco isn’t giving it up, and in the long run buying a package of Fig Newton cookies when the craving strikes is much easier than coping with the fig tree. Fortunately the squirrels like figs.
Seeds are relatively cheap. Find the ones you can plant directly into the ground. Plant them at the proper time for your zone. You don’t want those tender shoots popping up through the ground only to be frozen by a late frost or being cooked to death from too much heat.
So what about all those great tomato seeds? The thought of little seedlings in the kitchen window getting a head start just might mean you’ll be eating garden fresh tomatoes in April or May. It can be done. It’s not difficult. Plant the seeds, maintain soil temperature and moisture, and provide enough light. My biggest problem is light and I don’t want to invest in a fancy light system. Well, that’s not exactly correct. My biggest problem was light. Now I have a bigger problem, a cat named Hook. It’s his job to destroy all my indoor plants. 
There are two types of tomato plants indeterminate and determinate. It’s important to know the difference. Indeterminate keep growing and growing and producing the entire time. Determinate grow, produce lots of fruit, and die. I hear people say they had these wonderful tomatoes and three weeks later the darn plants died. That’s what happens. The great thing about most determinate tomatoes is that they produce early. So plant both. Look for those letters such as VN after the name on the tomato plant. The more letters, the more resistant they are to various diseases and insects.
So what does this mean to the average novice gardener? Look at the catalogs. Choose seeds or plants wisely. Visit your local garden center. Chances are if they are selling it then it will probably do well in your area.
So what makes me drool? Daylilies. I’m a sucker for a daylily catalog and a sexy romantic novel.
Coming soon: Gardening in Tiny Spaces (doing it on the balcony), Sex in the Garden (the sexiest garden inhabitants), The Child’s Garden (teaching them about the birds and the bees), and Garden Tools (keeping them disease-free and well-lubricated).
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I come by loving flower gardens naturally. Both my grandmother and my mother had huge flower gardens and I would rather get out and dig in the dirt than most anything unless it is reading. And when we take vacations, we always visit any gardens that are open to the public. The gardens in Canada are absolutely breathtaking.
I love seeing those catalogs in the mail. It means Spring is just around the corner. lol. My fave ones are roses. I love roses. I also like daylilies. They are so pretty.
I love to look at flower catalogs and going to greenhouses and looking around. I don’t really have any where to plant flowers where I live but I still enjoy looking at them. My sister she puts out all kinds of flowers every year and they always do wonderful. I think she has more patience and time than I do.
I used to have both a flower garden and a vegetable garden. However, I now have arthritis and cannot garden anymore, so I just enjoy looking at other peoples gardens.
I am an avid gardener—both veggies and flowers.
My favorite flowers are tall bearded iris and daylilies.
I love growing plants from seeds! The seed companies are smart. They send you all these beautiful catalogs and you end up buying more than you can actually fit into your garden. Books and seeds are two things I buy even when I know I shouldn’t.
I would love a flower garden. For some reason I don’t have much luck with flowers. They either don’t come up at all or die young. My vegetables and herbs are fine though. Hopefully this year will be the year for flowers. Daylilies are pretty. We used to have tiger lilies in our garden(they died).
if you are looking for more information on USDA plant hardiness zones, there is a detailed and interactive USDA plant hardiness zone map at http://www.plantmaps.com/usda_hardiness_zone_map.php which allow you to locate your USDA zone based on zipcode or city.
I plant my garden every yr. Since i was a kid my family lived off a garden. My stepfather was a farmer so he was used to working the ground. So I learned a lot from him. When I moved away from home i had to have fresh vegs so I started my own gardens everywhere we lived. I started with 5gal buckets and now I have about 1 acre of ground that I use for my garden. I plant everything you can think of. (tomatoes,corn,pumpkins,cucumbers,pickles,onions,raddishes, peppers,hot peppers, brussels, cabbage, lots and lots of flowers, sunflowers,melons,etc) If it will grow here I will try it. I love getting in that dirt. And I love picking my harvest. I also enjoy knowing I grew it in my yard and I love to share with everyone.
I even have my garden planned out for this year. I know everything I going to try this time.
I’m one of those people who spend hours looking at these lovely catalogues filled with beautiful things…. I don’t dare actually touch a plant though, it seems like the kiss of death to them… so I watch other people grow beautiful things!!
God Bless those with the ability to make beautiful life grow…
I thought by now that our weather would allow me to start gardening, but it rained again and the ground continues to be satuated. My yard has now dried out all winter.
I love all types of lillies. I’m more of a plant person than a flower person, though. I have about 19 plants in my condo!
It’s so nice to hear there are so many gardeners here. We’re just romantics.
Oh, GladysMP, if I get another drop of rain I’ll…!
My yard is like a big sponge, and it squishes when I walk on it. And I’m on high ground! I was hoping to do a few things out there to prepare for spring and there’s no way – not with everything being this wet. Actually I’m surprised that several old trees in my neighborhood have not fallen in the wind. Just like an over-watered pot the roots rot. It doesn’t take much for trees to tumble.
Estella, have you seen the Schreiner’s catalog. That catalog is drool material even for the non-gardener.
http://www.schreinersgardens.com/
Iris love being wet in the winter, and hot and dry in the summer. I’ve had the silly things bloom in the winter. Guess I need to find those pictures. LOL
Heidi, you are so lucky. It’s been years since I’ve had a BIG garden. Even then I never managed to grow everything I wanted and often bought produce from nearby farms or pick-your-own farms.
Tracey D, I only have about eight indoor plants at the moment. My darling cat is doing his best to keep the plant population to a minimum.
Sabrina, many years ago there was an older gentleman who loved to grow things from seeds. He had a tiny greenhouse and like many older folks he discovered that he couldn’t do the gardening that he once did, but he still liked to watch things grow. So a few of us traded with him. We’d buy the seeds, etc. and give them to him. He raised them and gave us each our share. The rest of the plants he could sell for a little spending money. We always shared our harvest with him. Some of those seeds packets that are ordered online or from catalogs are way too many for the average family garden. By sharing we each got a nice variety of tomato plants, etc.
Sabrina, et al, remind me this summer and I’ll save some tiger lily buds for you. Gardeners always share!
Wilma Frana, I’m so sorry that you’ve had to give up on gardening. I’m going to blog a little about container gardening which is often a nice alternative.
Amy S, I love roses, too. I actually found an old one on city property and contacted the city with the hopes that they will preserve it. I adore the old heirlooms because they are so resistant to many problems and because most of them are stronger scented. I want my rose to smell like a rose!
Sherry S., I love going to gardens and seeing what is growing. Virginia has Historic Garden Week in April and although it is a wee bit early for most gardens around here, it’s still fun to visit.
Its so hard to think about gardening when its so cold outside. But you are so right. In a month it will be the right time to prepare for a summer crop of wonderful vegetables and beautiful flowers.
Well, here goes Ladies………….
The night before the big drawing…
I really need some good news this weekend. This week has been the week from HELL. First all this snow which I can handle but losing family isn’t so easy to do.
Well, I wish everyone GOOD LUCK!!! My prayers are with all of us….
HeidiS
I am too impatient to stick my seeds in the ground and wait…I like to see the new growth as it sprouts but then I am in trouble when it is time to transplant!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I’m in a newer house built into the middle of a huge red clay deposit… NOTHING wants to grow here. They scraped away all the high-quality farm soil and put back 3-4 inches of crap stuff loaded with trash that they call topsoil. We have to dig 3-4 feet deep/wide holes for every tree and bush, and up to 2-feed deep/wide for bulbs and flowers. We’re basically putting soil into our yard a couple cubic feet at a time. It really STINKS!
Well… there is one good side, Delaware sits at sea level, so many people with basements experience water issues. Since we’re built into this huge clay deposit, we don’t have a single water issue. In fact, in the five years that we’ve been in our house the sump pump has not run on its own a single time… the sump well is bone dry and we have to pour gallons of water into it every year just to test the pump and make sure it’s still working.
Neighbors down the street have water all the time (guess it’s a limited size pocket and we’re lucky to be completely encompassed in it).
Well i know its only the end of Feb. but I started my seedlings this week. Hopefully they will grow so I don’t have to buy as many plants this year. Plus then that means I can buy more flowers instead. I would like to get some new rose bushes this year for my rose garden. I have about 10 rose bushes that I baby and they just keep growing and growing. I would like to get 4 more plants this year. We will see.
Heidi