Nearly as excited as a child is to open Christmas presents, I eagerly await the receipt of seed catalogs at the end of December and the beginning of January. Gurney is usually the first received, most often a day before or after Christmas, followed by Henry Field (although why they have separate catalogs eludes me, when owned by the same company, Scarlet Tanager, LLC. – but more on that in a future column).
If you feel as I do, you have had enough winter already! Nothing excites gardeners and anticipates spring like a browse through the seed catalog. Some may think it too early to start planning the 2011 northern garden, but seriously, the days are wasting away!
Activities to begin the gardening season include making a garden plan and laying out the plot; perusing the seed catalog and picking the new varieties; making important decisions about fertilizing or going organic, ground covers and raised beds; and ordering your tried-and-true standards. If you want to get a little dirt under the nails, it’s not too early to take slips from your geraniums or other plants you are wintering over.
I hate to say this, but I love the new Burpee varieties each year. This year it’s “Kings of Color” tomato collection, “Zahara Raspberry Lemonade Mix” zinnia and “Coconut Ice Hybrid” sunflower, to name a few colorful options for your vegetable and flower gardens. The new varieties have a nice price tag, too. I once ordered a new Lisianthus seed packet to find only a 20 percent germination rate. The same happened when the new “Wave” variety of petunias came on the market. In checking the customer remarks on the Burpee website, I see similar comments. Those results are sad, considering the price you pay for the new hybrid seeds. Although growing conditions and sanitary methods affect seed germination and it’s hard to point fingers, those factors can also be an easy out for a seed company. However, most companies have a product refund guarantee within a year of purchase if you are not satisfied – so all you lose is time and trouble.
Kristin Grilli from Burpee Public Relations explains, “The new varieties are the newest, and that is why they are most expensive.” With the “Frilly Hybrid” sunflower and other new varieties, the uniqueness factor plays into the cost. “These varieties are exclusive to Burpee, and the only place you can get them is in the catalog or on the website. They are not available at Walmart, Target, Lowes or other big-box stores.” Additionally, you are not able to find these as potted plants in nurseries, she says.
Gurney, via Scarlet Tanager, LLC, is offering a new “Shades of Blue” ornamental corn, “Zebra Cherry” bite-sized tomato, “Black Velvet” indeterminate 5–6-inch tomato, “Lipstick” pepper, “Primo Jalapeno Hybrid” pepper and many more. My 89-year-old mom wants to know if the new “Black Spanish Round” radish turns one’s tummy, or tongue, black.
Organics, heirlooms and seed diversity are the current rage in gardening. One could spend an hour or two just researching the tomato varieties in this catalog! Improved disease-resistant hybrids include “Zebra Cherry VFF bite-sized tomato” and “Black Velvet VFF,” both with great color variations.
Oh, there is no better way to while away the cold winter blizzards than perusing the seed catalogs, and if you don’t have print copies, there are now many online options. Gurney and Burpee are my favorites. Which are yours?
Ley Bouchard is a photojournalist who has enjoyed gardening for decades. Please refer questions or comments to: leybou@gmail.com.