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*THIS ARTICLE IS RATED "G" (for gardening)*
Every gardening groupie I know loves to look at garden catalogs. It seems to be a vice with some of us. There are men who wait for the Victoria's Secret catalog with the same sense of lust with which I await the newest edition of Woodlanders' I keep the catalogs I like forever, with post-it tags on the pages of the plants I want the most. I usually run out of post-it tags around the middle of March. The first year I received a catalog from White Flower Farm, I was almost overcome with enthusiasm. Every picture conjured up dreams in my little head about what my garden would look like, if only I could get my eager hands on those plants. Right? I was, in a sense, a catalog virgin. It was not the fault of the printer, or the nursery. I blame myself, for I was heady with desire and woefully low on knowledge. I also made the critical mistake of putting my trust in the USDA hardiness zone map. The plants I ordered were said to be hardy well throughout my zone. When they arrived, in good condition, I took textbook care of them, but they died out. I was crushed. What on earth had I done to those poor baby plants? Truthfully, I did nothing wrong, but I didn't know THEN what I know NOW about working with plants, and the vagaries of their tolerances. White Flower Farm is a wonderful place, but it's in Connecticut. I don't live there, I live in Georgia. I get catalogs I enjoy from Wisconsin and Oregon growers, but I don't live there, either. NOW, the first thing I look at in any catalog is the location of the grower. THEN, I look at the pictures. I can't afford to flirt with exotic specimens which will only break my heart, should I put them in my garden. I make enough mistakes with some of the stand-by stuff. (I have been known to kill acuba, no small feat in Atlanta.) The second thing I do is check out local growers for the plant of my dreams. There are specialty nurseries and growers all over the area, who may have just what I want. Call your local Extension Service, if you don't know where to find these sources, or ask around. Shoppers with dirt under their fingernails, who hang around garden centers, may be helpful. Almost anyone fitting this description will "talk yard" with you.
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The copyright of the article Catalog Virgin in Gardening in Southern U.S. is owned by . Permission to republish Catalog Virgin in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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