It’s Winter – Get Growing Anyway

By Meyla Bianco Johnston, Double Decker Farm

This year’s pendulum swing from blizzard to Pineapple express and back again has been a typical North Idaho pattern. We have endured it first with shovels and then with knee-high rubber boots. The good news is, the end of winter is near and the seed starting, gardening season is coming.

Even if you had to dig them out of the mailbox under a three-foot berm of snow, you were probably glad to see the 2011 seed catalogs in your mailbox. With verdant photos of landscapes bathed in light and flowers, they’re a welcome break and even a ray of hope.

Local nurseries have already begun receiving stock of plants and seeds. Don’t forget to check there first for the bulk of your gardening supplies. Until then, it never hurts to dream. Here is a quick look at a few of the best catalogs and online sources for plants and seeds.

One Green World
Molalla, Oregon
1-877-353-4028
www.onegreenworld.com
This is the tree catalog I drool all over. They carry old-timey fruit trees and the best of the latest types. Their nut tree collection is especially exciting, with many hardy varieties we can grow here. Examples include red-fleshed apples, a fruit called the medlar that tastes like spiced applesauce when ripe and even vines that produce fruit.

Logee’s Tropical Plants
Danielson, Connecticut
1-888-330-8038
www.logees.com

For sheer eye-candy, this catalog can’t be beat. They carry a huge variety of truly unusual and eye-catching plants for your home or greenhouse. The exotic, fragrant and colorful rules here, seen in plants like orchids, jasmine and many beautiful examples you have probably never even heard of.

Musser Forests
Indiana, Pennsylvania
1-800-643-8319
www.musserforests.com

These guys carry a wide variety of landscape trees, with less emphasis on fruit and more on conifers. Beautiful shade trees are also present as well as quite a few tried-and-true perennials. You ca also order trees in bulk here for fundraisers and such.

University of Idaho Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
Moscow, Idaho
1-208-885-3888
www.seedlings.uidaho.com

This site is especially great because they carry Idaho native species. The University also gets an A+ on affordability. Divided into two major groups, hardwoods and conifers, each description tells you which animals appreciate the plant you’re looking at. The University of Idaho seedling site is also quite conscious that many people are purchasing trees as windbreaks in rural areas and play special attention to that.

Totally Tomatoes
Randolph, Wisconsin
1-888-477-7333
www.totallytomato.com

Tomato addicts, you know who you are. Get a fix with this treasure trove of delicious tomatoes. Standout names and varieties include Mortgage Lifter, Hillbilly, Purple Russian, Crème Sausage, Aunt Ruby’s German Green and so many more.
Organized like a true tomato grower would prefer, you can check out the short season group, vintage varieties, huge ones, tiny ones and sausage-shaped ones. Here is a great place to find a rainbow of tomatoes. Seriously, they carry pink, white, black, green, yellow and orange.

Pinetree Garden Seeds
New Gloucester, Maine
1-207-926-3400
www.superseeds.com

For vegetable seeds for your garden, this company can’t be beat. They carry time-tested varieties as well as unusual ones. Also, their prices are really good---many packets are only 97 cents! They also carry a great selection of cottage garden flowers. The selection of perennial herbs is especially interesting, arrive healthy and thrive. Bonus: soap making supplies section.

Seed Savers Exchange
Decorah, Iowa
1-563-382-5990
www.seedsavers.org

Specializing in heirloom seeds, this is the catalog I rely on for the bulk of my vegetable garden. Not just a catalog, this group has a higher goal: since 1975, they have been working to preserve America’s vegetable heritage, one seed at a time. With a gorgeous catalog and beautiful photos, this one is the best if you ask me. The varieties are peerless and the seeds germinate beautifully, resulting in great harvests.

Seeds of Change
Spicer, Minnesota
1-888-762-7333
www.seedsofchange.com

Since 1989, Seeds of Change has been providing heritage seeds to gardeners interested in preserving varieties and creating beautiful gardens. With new varieties offered every year, Seeds of Change gives credit where credit is due, paying homage to growers and plant breeders in truly interesting vignettes. Look to this company for wonderful, hard to find varieties and lots of tips you’ll find useful.

van Bourgondien
Virginia Beach, Virginia
1-800-622-9959
www.dutchbulbs.com

Primarily a bulb company, van Bourgondien also stocks great perennials. Depending on what time of year it is, your catalog will emphasize bulbs or perennials. They also carry a good bunch of shade-loving perennials that come in handy. My favorite section is the tree peonies—simply unbelievable and straight from Japan. This company also frequently includes a catalog that gives you quite a good deal; say $25 free if you spend $50.

Swan Island Dahlias
Canby, OR
1-800-410-6540
www.dahlias.com

This is truly gardener erotica if such a thing exists. Since there are so few plants that reward you as much as dahlias do, the prices for each bulb seem justified to me. Each page uncovers a more magnificent example of nature’s power. This is the catalog where you can get a variety called Bodacious, a variety that grows 5 feet tall and blooms bright red with yellow petal backs. Amazing.