Time to Order Seeds!
It's time for the seed catalogs to start arriving! I look forward to opening my mailbox in January, which makes me different than about 99% of the population, I know. I look forward to the glossy pictures and gardening dreams that arrive with my seed catalogs. (My credit card bills are ever-present. They aren't any worse when the holidays are over. I keep paying, they keep sending me bills!) But, financial realities aside, if I could grow whatever I wanted this summer (and I can, with I Must Garden's repellents--nobody but me will eat the plants), here are some of my favorite new varieties from the breeders.
Seeds of Change
Seeds of Change grows, harvests and sells organic and heirloom flower, vegetable and fruit seeds. So, some of these plants are not "new" in terms of a new hybrid (they don't do hybrids), but are new cultivars of existing species or new to the commercial market.
Crimson Violet Strawflower: I remember cutting and drying strawflowers with my grandma when I was little. This one is a beautiful deep burgundy and will look beautiful in the garden, and can be harvested, dried and made into bouquets or potpourri.
Staro Chives: Chives are pretty easy to grow. Stems on this variety are a little larger and thicker than regular chive varieties. It can be used almost in place of green onions. That saves $$ in cooking, and I'm all about that!
Bandit Leek: I love leeks, and the idea of growing a plant named "bandit." The website description promises thick stems with no bulbing upon harvest.
T&M has been in the garden seed business since 1855. I have ordered from them for many years and trust their seed sources. Of course, you can always end up with a bad seed (literally), but I have had good luck with their new releases in the past.
Agastache aurantiaca Fragrant Mixed: Agastache is one of my favorite plants. It grows from frost to frost and blooms continuously without much care. Fragrance would be a bonus!
Cosmos bipinnatus Double Click Rose Bonbon: Cosmos are super because they can be sown with abandon, and sprout prolifically. This one looks more like a dahlia, but less expensive!
Nasturtium cobra: This one has dark burgundy, almost black flowers that do well as trailers in pots.
Johnny's is an employee-owned company that started as a one-man operation. Johnny's is well known for its quirky catalog, now available online. Their farm in Maine produces every seed they sell.
Tanacetum cinerariifolium: This is the plant in the chrysanthemum family from which natural insecticide compounds are extracted. I NEED this in my garden. In the summer, we are overwhelmingly overrun with mosquitos.
Red-Gem Marigold: I love Lemon Gem and Orange Gem, so why not Red? These don't look like your typical pom-pom types of marigolds, but more like delicate daisies. They are also edible! (I can serve them on salads with my aphids!)
Of course, there are hundreds of different plants I would like to grow. These are just a few that caught my eye as the latest new offerings from the catalogues.