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Kathy’s Garden Writing |
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CRAZY ABOUT CATALOGUES The gardening catalogues are pouring in since I joined The Garden Writers’ Association. Perhaps suppliers think I actually have some influence, or more likely that I’m a certified gardening nut. Well, they’ve got me there! Catalogues are the sirens of the gardening world, luring the novice and professional alike with their vibrant photos and vivid prose. They also prove educational; and based on this rationalization, I spend hours intoxicated by the possibilities they promise. As usual, I’ll come down off my high, and sanely place most of my orders with one supplier, Pinetree Garden Seeds (1-207-926-3400, www.superseeds.com). Pinetree specializes in seeds for the home grower, offering small seed packets to those of us who do not plan to feed the multitudes. They also offer a nice selection of plants, books, and gardening supplies. Their prices seem reasonable, and choices are plentiful. Their new selections always intrigue me. One of the joys of gardening is experimentation, even with a few disasters. Who could forget the fiery hot paprikas from last season? Then there are the wonderful surprises, like the fennel that finally headed up for a delicious fall salad. This year Pinetree is featuring mushroom kits and plugs from Funghi Perfecti, a Washington State grower. I think I’ll start my fun(gi) adventure with a Cinnamon Cap (hypholoma sublateritium) patch. These mushrooms are advertised to have a “nutty” flavor, and to naturalize easily, thus saving me the trouble (and risk) of mushroom foraging in the wild. Sometimes a plant name appeals to my inner child, like a new seed item called ‘Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate’ (Polygonum orientale). This annual self-sowing native of the Eastern United States is of course not a new plant at all, as it was popular in cottage gardens dating back to Jefferson’s Monticello. But what a dramatic addition it will make growing along the split-rail fence behind my pond, rocketing to eight feet with “drooping strings of pink blooms.” In keeping with the question of my gardening sanity, there’s ‘Split Personality’, a 7-foot morning glory vine (Ipomeus), with magenta-pink flowers. The name comes from the split star-shaped petals, a new variant in morning glories. I can always use attractive flowering vines to hide the chain-link fence that protects my vegetables from four-legged marauders. And this year, Pinetree is finally offering onion plants. Seeds take a long time to start, and onion sets lack interesting choices. There are five delicious-sounding onions in a palette of white, yellow, and red. The grower requires a two-bunch minimum order, so I think I’ll try ‘Walla-Walla’, a great salad onion, and the versatile ‘Red Mars’, for cooking and storage. Another long-awaited option is an organic seed potato. Potatoes are notoriously drenched with chemicals, and this can’t be good for their offspring. Carola is Pinetree’s only organic choice so far, but this happens to be my favorite all-around potato anyway, with its buttery flesh, disease resistance, and storage possibilities. There are so many other catalogues to tell you about, but I’ll keep my mania in check and place my order before the pick of the crop is sold out. Now I just have to hope that my mail delivery person doesn’t have her own crazed reaction to all my catalogues, and “go postal.” Kathleen Arcuri Published January 13, 2008 – The Danville Daily Item |