Growing Seasons From Seeds To Shovels, There’s A Catalog For Every Gardener’s Needs.

Little yellow buttercups and blooming forsythia may be the first signs of spring, but the gardening season begins long before those early season blooms appear. It opens with the arrival of the first gardening catalog. From that point on, it’s a rush to the mailbox with hopes of finding more treasures awaiting.

There is a catalog for nearly every conceivable gardening need. Some catalogs specialize in plants, some in seeds and some in both. Some specialize in only one type of plant. Others handle rare plants, heirloom seeds or seeds and plants for the organic gardener. Some offer seeds from other countries - China, Malaysia, Mexico, Italy, France, England, even Siberia. Some seeds originate here in the U.S. - New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Montana and Washington.

There are even catalogs for things other than plants and seeds. Some offer tools, furniture and garden ornaments.

If you want it, and it’s gardenrelated, there’s a catalog somewhere that will offer it.

For decades, gardeners have perused garden catalogs taking notes on plants that may add beauty and a little character to their gardens. For some of us, cataloging has become a rite of winter. We review coffeestained notes from past years to see which seeds or plants did well, and which did not. We cross-reference prices, we check for maturity dates and planting zones, all the while, taking note of new additions to the plant world.

When ordering seeds, we need to consider the following: Can I provide the needed germinating conditions - sterile soil and containers, bottom heat for warming germinating seeds, sufficient light and requirements on my time? Is our growing season long enough for the plants to mature? Warm-season crops like tomatoes and winter squash may be lucky to have a 90-day growing season here. If the seed package says the crop will mature in 90 days, tack on 10 extra - five for our cool June days and five for our cool fall nights. It’s always fun to try one or two new varieties along with old favorites and to compare the plant growth.

How many of each variety can we use? Annuals are easy because we can always make room for as many as we grow. Perennials are another story, though. Often, they are bestordered as plants or purchased locally.

One other factor in ordering seeds: Do we want treated or untreated seed? Treated seed has been dusted with a fungicide such as captan or thiram to protect it from rotting. Extra-sweet corn and sugar snap peas can benefit from this treatment because of our climate where soils can be very cold and wet in the early spring. The intention is also to protect the seedlings from root rots, blights and damping-off (a disease that blackens and rots the base of the plants, resulting in the plant toppling over and dying).

Read your seed descriptions carefully. They will indicate which seeds are treated or untreated. If you order treated seed, always handle it with rubber gloves.

Ordering plants from catalog nurseries is a little different from ordering seed. We can sometimes be very disappointed in what we receive. We expect plants that we can identify as plants - with a root system, branches and leaves. Instead, we might receive a 10-by-6-inch box filled with a stack of bare twigs and the instructions “plant when you can work the soil.” Great, but which end is up?

It is also important to know where the plant was grown. Will it be hardy for our area? Plants started in the South may not be able to acclimate to our climate even though catalogs say they are hardy for our zone. Unless the plant is rare or unusual, I prefer buying from local nurseries.

A special note: The quarantine to keep the Japanese beetle out of Washington is still in effect. Some catalogs have complied with Washington inspection guidelines, but others have not. The plants that cannot be shipped to this state are easily identified. States that will not accept the plants will be listed after the catalog description of the plant. This will be a disappointment in some cases, but we do not want the Japanese beetle in our state. It is a ferocious eater with no discriminating taste.

So what are some great gardening catalogs? It’s difficult to eliminate any, but here is a sampling:

General - flower, vegetable, and herb seed, along with a good selection of garden supplies: Bountiful Gardens, Burpee and Co., The Cook’s Garden, Ed Hume Seed, Garden City Seed out of Montana, Local Favorites Garden Seeds Spokane, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Nichols Garden Nursery and Stokes.

Single vegetable specialists: Howard Dill Enterprises (largest pumpkin seeds), Ronniger’s Seed Potatoes (largest selection of seed potatoes).

Heirloom and unusual vegetables: Heirloom Garden Seeds, Seeds of Change.

Foreign vegetable specialists: Nichols Garden Nursery, Shepherd’s Garden Seeds.

Fruits and nuts: Bear Creek Nursery in Northport Wash., Stark Bro’s Nurseries, Lawyer Nursery.

Perennials: Bluestone Perennials, Northwoods Nursery, White Flower Farm, High Country Garden.

Bulbs: Breck’s, Dutch Gardens, McClure & Zimmerman.

Daylilies: Daylily Discounters, Lily Pad.

Dwarf conifers: Greer Gardens, Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery.

Old roses: Blossoms and Bloomers, Spokane.

This hasn’t touched the surface of mail-order catalogs. If you would like a complete list of all catalogs, you can write for “Andersen’s Source List of Plants and Seeds” at Andersen Horticultural Library, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chanhassen, MN 55317-0039. The cost is $34.95.

Or, if you would like a list of the catalogs mentioned in this article, along with their addresses, plus a number of others, please write to me, Phyllis Stephens, c/o The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615. Please send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope.