Sow the seeds of desire with garden catalogs

I'm late, way late, to the seed catalog party. But I've arrived.

I now understand why Zone 5 gardeners write so lovingly about their January catalogs. Why they thrill at finding one in the mailbox and curl up by the hearth to lust away the hours. Why they blow their garden budget ordering rainbow-colored beets they'll never eat.

I had no idea. Till our record early freeze.

I get stacks of seed catalogs at work around the first of the year. I've flipped through some, even ordered a time or two. But we never snuggled. Why waste time with pictures when you've got the real thing? It's like eating Boston cream yogurt when what you want is Boston cream pie.

One devastating December freeze and I'm walking in Zone 5 Crocs. Those catalogs are looking good enough to eat. I've been reading, lusting, making lists. All I need is a hearth. And more money.

The vegetables are not a problem. I do have a veggie bed. It's tiny. Pictures of Kaleidoscope Mix carrots might make me ogle, but I can resist.

The flowers? Problem.

I see seeds I've wanted for years. (Red cockscomb.) And cute little numbers sure to draw smiles. (Court Jester Marigolds.) And irresistible new mixes. (Must have the Raspberry Lemonade zinnias.)

Some of the catalogs include recipes and back stories. I can tell you all about Jere, Emilee and little Sasha Gettle, who like to dress in old-fashioned clothes at the 200-year-old seed company they recently bought in Connecticut.

Comstock, Ferre & Co. is their third store; they're also the proprietors of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., which has stores in Missouri and California. They sell only "pure, non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated and non-patented seeds."

Their catalogs, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Comstock Seeds, are gorgeous and entertaining. I found the adorable yellow and burgundy-striped Court Jester Marigolds and a few varieties of cockscomb, including Indiana Giant, in the Baker Creek book. You can get the catalogs for free this winter by calling (417) 924-8917, or visit www.rareseeds.com.

Burpee's also has my attention. I've bought Burpee seeds many times in stores, but I had no idea the choices I was missing out on. And they sell plants, too.

New this year is that candy bowl of Zinnia marylandica , Raspberry Lemonade. A potential favorite for Florida gardeners is the new Punch Bowl Hybrid, a lavender variety of Gaillardia. Its daisy-faced ancestor reseeds with abandon in my garden and toughs it out through freezes and drought. Call (800) 333-5808 to get a catalog or flip through the online version at www.burpee.com.

For you purists who know what you want and don't need pretty pictures to find it, the 100-year-old Ethnobotanical Catalog of Seeds is a dictionary-style compendium of a gazillion plants in a California seed bank run by J.L. Hudson. I particularly like the fine print on this one: "Uncopyright ... We believe the unrestricted exchange of seeds and knowledge are essential to a free society."

Catalogs are $1. Visit www.JLHudsonseeds.net or mail to J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, P.O. Box 337, La Honda, Calif., 94020. There is no telephone.

And finally, one of my favorites, Renee's Garden, www.reneesgarden.com. I haven't gotten their new catalog yet this year, but I'm a fan because I have good luck with their seeds. And while lusting is fun, when it comes down to it, I want plants. The real deal.

And Boston cream pie.