Seed and plant choices?

After scouring through dozens of garden catalogs, dog-earing hundreds of pages, making copious notes and finally narrowing down my "wish list", I got to wondering - how does everyone choose the seeds or plants they buy or trade for?

Some plants I base on practical qualifications - taste, usefulness, fast-growing, disease-resistant, etc. I choose some plants because they are new introductions, and the photos and descriptions are too tempting. Conversely, I also choose some plants because they aren't a "mainstream" plant or variety; some need to be preserved; others are heirlooms that deserve to be grown even if they aren't endangered.

So how does everyone else choose their seeds and plants?

Baa's buying thought process

1) Do I like it even if it's a prima-donna plant?

2) Will it need to be grown in yet another container or can it go in the ground?

3) Will it be hardy or take up space in the greenouse over summer and/or winter?

4) Will it take more work than sticking it in the ground and forgetting it's there for 8 months of the year?

5) Does it like rain?

6) Can I eat it? (optional)

7) Is this going to develop into a collection that's a pain to keep up?

8) Has my wallet suddenly run away screaming at the price?

In many cases the decision is made for me for professional reasons. For instance, I have three projects in the works for Mother Earth News (potatoes, fall-alliums, and non-C. annuum peppers).

After that, it's a matter of how much growing space I have left, and what appeals either because I've grown it in the past, or because the descriptions makes it a must-try variety.

We'll be trying Cocozelle this year, for instance, because it falls into that latter category.

And sometimes the nature of the beast determines it. I collected a family heirloom sweet potato this past fall. If I don't plant it this year, I'll lose it.

FIRST TIME - new garden in Iowa-zone 5B. Took the Master Gardener Class- Found dave's plant data base -helped with the studies-found Garden Watchdog.Requested seed mags by mail.(often based on watchdog comments.) Read them front to back! JOINED DAVE'S!! YEAH! Had to ask "What is SASE?" -had never heard of that. Put in requests for SASE picking what might suit the new garden.

THEN tried to buy things NOT offered for SASE or trade on daves so there would be something to give back next fall:

Italian White Sunflower
Nicotiana domino - Salmon shades
Phlox- Creme Brulee
Osteospurmum Passion Mixed
Brachycome - Purple Splendour
Brachycome- "Bravo"
Sweet Peas: America (crimson strips on a soft white petal), Apricot Sprite, King size Navy, Alan Tichmarsh (flush with shell pink)
Cosmos: Seashell blend, Sensation, Candy Stripe, Pied Piper Red, Carmine.
Lantana Camara
White Marigold-French Vanilla
White Marigold-African Sweet Cream Hybrid
Campanula Poscharskyana "Blue Waterfall"
Nasturtiums: Alaska, Peach Melba, Apricot Trifle, Carribean Cocktail, Strawberries & Cream, Empress of India
Crystal White Zinnia "Mexican Zinnia"
Dianthus "Velvet & Lace"
Thunbergia (Salmon)
Morning Glory: Carmen, Grandpa Ott
Godetia "Satin Mix" (pink/lavender)
Ageratum-shell pink Hawaii Series
Dusty Miller pyrethrum silver lace
Dusty Miller cineraria silver dust
Diascia Twinspur "Pink Queen"
Rudbeckia "Wizard" (green! with a black cone)

AND (probably a stretch for me) Passaflora Incarnata $6 for just a few seeds - my splurge - will be sick if they don't grow!
Ended up receiving about 40 different kinds from Dave's and purchased 40 different kinds.

Finally built the PVC light stand. Already have had some things sprout into little seedlings and am greatly encouraged.

I find it such a wonder when sowing those little seeds you can hardly see - that they turn into plants. God's plan is such a wonder! I didn't know that gardening could be such a spiritual experience and I thank Him every day for this new, all consuming hobby! I am also overwhelmed by the generosity of those on Dave's who have helped me get this start.
arlene

1) Color -- Pink, purple, blues are always welcome, especially if they are bright and striking -- orange, yellow are allowed with some discretion and red hardly ever makes it into my garden and even then - only with a pink shade.

2) I like seeds that germinate fairly easy since I don't have too much in the way of fancy equipment.

3) Easy care (unless it is really worth fussing over)-- if it is to prone to pests and disease, I'll give it away to someone who wants to fuss with it - or just ditch it all together.

4) I also love beautiful(but not bizarre) -- rare flowers and wild flowers. I agree with Go-vols some rare flowers or wildflowers are worth growing to preserve.

5) I like high percentage of blooms to foliage and long blooming is a plus.

6) As I plan my garden interesting and lush foliage in a variety of diff. shades is becoming more and more important.

I hope to have some unique seeds to offer next year as well.

This message was edited Monday, Jan 6th 1:01 PM

First and foremost, will it grow outdoors in my very challenging woodland? If it will grow, will it be slug food, and thus a major eye-sore. Or will it be lost to bunnies eating it all year?

Will it be interesting to look at most of the growing season? Will it be too greedy and send out feeder roots all through its neighbors' territory?

How much money am I willing to spend for this particular plant, and can I obtain it a different way (seed, trade, a different company, wait a year or two for the price to come down for new comers).

I am fortunate in that there are a few trial gardens in the area: new annuals and perennials are trialed for a year or more before becoming AARS and thus are viewable before the gorgeous pictures are tempting. Plants that are AARS may do well everywhere BUT here. Same with roses: there is an ARS trial garden here that grows and evaluates roses for a few years before they are released to the public. There are even a Daffodil and Hosta trial garden (in public parks in this area) :)

These trial gardens exist all over the country; it would be very worthwhile to see if any exist in your area; go look at the stuff for a year or two before you splurge on a new introduction.

Being an old fashioned kind of girl, I tend to go with older varieties, some less than popular, but tried and true. I'm also up for the occasional challenge, and if it turns out to be worth my while, I'll go with it over and over again. I like lots of bloom, interesting berries or hips (got a pair of them myself!) and wonderful winter branches, canes, etc. as we have a lot of winter.

Tropicals, as a rule, do not find much room here - even in the house they sometimes die. Right now, I'm stripping the leaves off the lonely poinsettia to use for dried flower pictures. It will get some care, but not much more than cut back and water now and then. I'm not into struggling with plants that turn their roots up when the temp goes down to 60 F.

My list for this year includes some TRUE blues, Felicia, didiscus, Salvia patens (gorgeous color, but an annual here), a white viola (Cornet) to go with all the goodies I got from Baa, and some tiny creepers and American cranberry bushes to creep along a path edge.

I guess what this all comes down to is hardiness, longevity and multiple season appeal. And, of course, the occasional impulse purchase for no reason whatsoever.

If I like it and don't have it, I will try it. If I am pleased I keep it, if not, out it goes and I replace it with something else. Lately, I've been coveting natives, so I will be trying a few of those in the upcoming season and some of the new introductions. I saw Perilla Magilla last summer at the Ball Seed Garden in Chicago, it knocked my socks off. It's number one on my list.

When I first started gardening, it had to be something that would grow in severe heat and sun and drought. Then, when we came up with the watering system and I started figuring out what I could push as far as zones it was if I liked it and could afford it, I got it. I really like the cottage garden look. I, too, prefer lots and lots of color. Bright colors. But basically, it's if I like it. I also love anything with fragrance but that isn't always so easy for me.

Fun to read all the different criteria for picking plants --here is sunny, temperate Northern CA (zone 9), we had to think first about what they call "the bones" of our urban garden. Needed to pick sturdy, drought-tolerant, evergreen perennial and shrub varieties that would give eye appeal year-round in a 'cottage garden' look without requiring so much water. We're very drought-conscious here; about half the people in the neighborhood don't have traditional lawns any more.

Lots are small by East Coast standards, big shrubs/trees aren't needed, I use many dwarf and compact varieties. I look for what grows well in our wet winter/dry summer weather, has foliage interest (shape, size, color) along with its flowers, and lastly, what we can afford! But one nice thing about a modest lot, you can afford to splurge on filling it up the way you can't if you own 5 acres.

We don't know how long we will be here (one of those uncertain family situations); it could be five months or five years. So when we put the new garden in (about 2000 sq.ft. with another 1000 sq.ft. left) I bought container plants so that everything filled in within a few months and the garden looks "fully grown". It isn't really, but enough plants have reached or were put in at the '5-gallon' size to look well-established.

Expensive, yes; but worth it. A real-estate agent estimated we added an enormous value to the house, far in excess of what we spent. I really should stop buying new plants for already-planted areas, but of course I keep finding yet another plant that would be 'just perfect' for a certain spot where something else is already planted, so I have to move the original plant first, and then I can shoehorn in my new find! (great, twice the amount of work for one new plant...oh, well)

I love the plant catalogs, but have decided since they seldom offer larger plants, I restrict myself now to a few unusual perennials and bulbs when I do the mail-order thing. They're very helpful for the "wish list" stuff, but so much of it just won't do well here, or is of limited seasonal interest so isn't useful. We've got great local nurseries, several of the chains have remarkable garden depts., and there's many wonderful local plant societies that hold regular sales. I'm finding that as the garden gets more established and only needs a spot here and there replanted, I use the local stores more and more. Particularly when I'm fitting a new plant into a bed with some aggressive/well-established plants already in it, being able to put in a 1-gallon or 5-gallon plant means it can better hold up to the surrounding competition.