Burpee Branches Out With Gardening Magazine

Burpee, a company familiar for its seed catalogs, is now publishing a new magazine: Burpee Home Gardener.

The premier issue is on newsstands this month and is bagged with free Burpee seeds.

Burpee Home Gardener targets hobbyists, specialty gardeners and garden club members who grow flowers, vegetables and herbs - from seed, of course. The winter edition sells for $2.95. (In Spokane, we found a copy at Auntie’s Bookstore.)

Planning ahead: Tulip - and daffodil - fans should book lodging now if they want to stay anywhere near the fields of blooming tulips in the Skagit Valley next spring. The annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will be April 12-14.

Be forewarned, however, the bulbs don’t always bloom right on schedule - a mild winter like last year and they are just as likely to burst into brilliant hues in March.

Regardless, some of the flowers will be blooming for the festival, and for gardeners, it’s a perfect opportunity to preview bulb varieties before buying.

Tulip and daffodil bulbs can be ordered from many farms in the Skagit Valley; our favorite is the RoozenGaarde because the bulbs are large and healthy, they are shipped in the fall in time to beat the early frosts we have on this side of the Cascades and their display garden is stunning. (For a catalog, write RoozenGaarde, 1587 Beaver Marsh Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273; or call (800) 732-3266.)

Tile styles: If laying tile is one of your winter projects, you might find “The Art of Ceramic Tile” useful. It’s an illustrated 23-page booklet that covers tile design, installation and maintenance. For a free copy, call (800) 210-8453, ext. 901.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GARDENING ON THE NET To find gifts for the gardeners in your life, stroll through the GardenNet site. There’s an online magazine called The Ardent Gardener, a plant-source database and direct links to other horticultural resources. The site: http://www.olympus.net/gardens/welcome.html.