The regular reader -- and by that I mean the person who has been following these columns since they started in 1976 -- knows that I am conflicted by seed catalogs. First, we have almost all we need here without resorting to mail orders. Second, while these are the harbingers of spring in the Lower 48, here, their appearance is the marker of the middle of the winter.
So, to me, more and more garden catalogs and webalogs have become teasers to help get us through the second half of winter. And talk about a lot of teasing. By someone's count, there are over 4,500 garden catalogs from which to buy seeds. It seems to me that this is an extraordinary number. It just goes to show that not all places have great local resources for seeds and plants.
This huge number of catalogs presents a gigantic, almost unavoidable entry into the Great Hall of Temptation. Still, it is fun and important to check out garden catalogs every year. And, yes, to even buy something every now and then, especially if you know you won't be able to find it locally.
Simply put, the education value of garden catalogs well outweighs the temptation danger, as great as that is this time of year. And, hey, who says there is anything wrong with temptation?
The list of must-have catalogs -- or, probably better put these days, must-view catalogs -- changes. It used to be populated by Park Seed Company, Burpee, Thompson and Morgan and Johnny's Selected Seeds. Somewhere along the line, I removed Burpee and Park and added Nichols Garden Nursery and Territorial Seeds because they were much more sensitive to Alaska gardening needs and I knew the owners, so I could give them grief if they messed up Alaska orders.
There are other catalogs I would add to that list today. The trouble is there are far too many of them. How to choose what to look at and what to suggest to readers? It is difficult and for this reason, I will list a few contenders, but I hope to hear from you with yours.
Let's start with Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. These folks have a catalog that should be in every doctor's office in America, and belongs on the must-view list. It is beautiful ("porn for gardeners") and interesting to read. When they started producing their catalogs, Baker Creek raised the bar on photography and other catalogs are trying to catch up.
Logee's Tropical Plants is a true look-at catalog full of houseplants you will lust for. Too bad it is winter and shipping might be iffy. Tropical plants soothe the soul of the Alaska gardener or infuriate her because she can't get her hands on them. Either way, it is fun to dream of what will be possible when things warm up a bit more here in the longer run or what you might want shipped up when the weather gets warmer this spring.
With my usual emphasis on catalogs that sell plants rated for northern climes, you might find it strange to find Plants Delights Nursery Inc.'s catalog on my list. I love this one for lots of reasons ranging from the owner and its witty covers and dialog to the sheer audacity displayed in growing and selling some really unusual plants. There are plenty of things here that will do very well in our gardens (not to mention nurseries)
Raintree Nursery has a catalog that used to be on the fringe. It sold stuff we simply couldn't grow here. No longer. With a combination of warmer weather, a longer growing season and their breeding and buying selections, there are lots of fruits, berries and unusual things to eat in this catalog that will do fine in Southcentral Alaska. Well worth a look every year as they add all sorts of stuff.
Last, but not least, (and actually not even last because there are so many more must look at catalogs) is Brent and Becky's Bulbs Catalog. These folks sell about every kind of bulb and tuber there is and they add more every year. It is a thrill to wander through the "pages." This is what it must be like to live in Holland or with Brent and Becky, who are great gardeners.
Do send in your must-haves. More next week.
Jeffs Alaska Garden Calendar
Happy new year: Resolve to keep it organic this year and forevermore.
Alaska Botanical Garden: Now is the time to join so you can have a whole year of membership. alaskabg.org.