How to shop garden catalogs
By Mary Boldan, Mary Moisand and Donna Siemro Master Gardeners
Q. I am interested in ordering seeds from a garden catalog. However, with so many catalogs, how do I know which catalogs are reputable?
A. In the midst of winter’s chill, gardeners can become tempted by glossary images of lush gardens in seed catalogs, and begin ordering from the first catalog they receive. First, check return policies, guarantees, shipping charges and substitution policies. Reputable seed companies are not afraid to guarantee their product and will offer reimbursement or a replacement if the seeds do not perform as expected.
“While catalogs are wonderful to look at and learn from, they do have one drawback and that is they need to cater to gardeners all over the U.S. and sometimes the world,” said Greg Stack, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “Because of this, some of the varieties mentioned may or may not be suitable for growing in your area.”
Next, check with your local Extension office, which will usually have information about varieties that do best in a particular region. Illinois information is also available online at urbanext.illinois.edu/hort.
“At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to try something that you may not have heard about,” said Stack. “This is what makes gardening fun and at the same time you might learn about some really great variety that will do well in your area. Make sure to check return policies, guarantees, shipping policies, substitutions etc. The better business bureau in the company’s home city might be able to offer insight into how this company deals with customers concerns.”
“There are also many specially catalogs,” continued Stack. “These companies offer an extensive listing of such things as heirlooms, tomatoes, peppers, wildflowers, prairie plants bulbs etc. These companies specialize in certain types of plants or seeds and are able to find and inventory a very nice selection of material. Their catalogs make exceptionally good reading and are often a nice reference to have on the shelf.”
The following two Web sites are excellent resources help you select the proper catalogs:
ŸCyndi’s Catalog of Garden Catalogs (www.gardenlist.com) provides over 2000 mail-order gardening catalogs in the US and Canada, plus links to mail-order companies outside North America, as well as other gardening-related sites. This Web site provides a company’s ratings for quality, service, price and range of varieties.
ŸThe Garden Watchdog (davesgarden.com/products/gwd/) provides thousands of mail order gardening companies. The Web site also lets gardeners share their opinions on which companies really deliver on quality, price and service.
Ÿ Provided by Mary Boldan, Mary Moisand and Donna Siemro, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. Send questions to Ask a Master Gardener, c/o Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 W. Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016, (847) 298-3502 or via e-mail to cookcountymg.com@gmail.com.