It's that time of year when the sparkle of the holidays is behind and the short, cold days of winter are ahead. Valentines' Day simply can't compare with the mid-winter holiday hoopla, so there's little to look forward to but the first blades of grass poking their tips through the snow and that subtle, but certain change in the air; the smell of soil, of melting snow, of life stirring under ground. And so, how will I while away these days full of soup, snow and blazing fires? With seed catalogs, of course! There are few things I savor as much as the colorful pages of a good seed catalog when snow is falling outside and a cup of hot tea is warming my hands.
I'm a planner; the copious lists, notes and catalog clippings will attest to this attribute. I always make lists of seeds well beyond our space and budget constraints. Those purple carrots and marbled beans are just too exciting not to entertain the idea of a garden chock full of them! Eventually I will narrow it down, but the list-making, the contemplating, the rearranging, the sketching and dreaming, it's all part of the process.
Although we've been saving more and more seeds each year and get the rest at the swap, we will place a few catalog orders and visit the local plant sale for some special plants and seeds. Mostly the catalogs serve as creative inspiration and a wintertime distraction. Here are a few of our favorites; happy dreaming!
