Select Seed Catalog

Well, I've done it again. I always swear I won't make too many impulse buys, since I have to purchase lots of seeds each year to start seedlings for our little nursery. I allow myself a few new things as a treat, but usually try to stick with the old tried and trues in larger quantities.

So, when the new Select Seed catalog came in the mail, I was not going to look at it... no sireeee! Well, I decided, I can always look, but not buy... yes sireeeeee! Oh, wait a minute... they have the climging petunias, I was looking for... and Chedglow variegated somniferum poppies... and Royale Chocolate painted tongue... and white borage, and white nicandra, and Milkmaid nasturtium... well, you get the idea. Within 20 minutes, I have placed an order online and am $45.60 lighter in the pockets.

I know, I know. I should have had a cup of coffee and calmed down before I began clicking, but their catalog is beautiful, and I really did want what I ordered... and yes, I know many of the plants labeled 'RARE!' aren't all that rare, but it was a wonderful interlude in my day, and I've had good experience with this company... can't wait for the mail! Check it out: http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/177/

LOL, you are my kind of girl! I can never resist their catalog, nice people, great seeds and some of them really are hard to find. I haven't gotten my catalog yet, hmmm, maybe I should just check out the website. Hmmm, maybe I should just wait and save my pennies!

Thanks, I was looking for a new supplier. What's their minimum wholesale order? Their website doesn't support aol browser.

Steph

Steph, I don't think Select sells wholesale. They specialize in heirloom annuals. Crazy that they don't support AOL. If you are looking for deals on larger quantity seed, try Stokes.

Fedco is another good place to buy seed in larger quantities. I see you can download their catalog now of the website http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds.htm

Weez, I've been eye balling the Select Seeds catalog too. I'm trying very hard to be good!

Yes, it's hard being good, isn't it, Poppysue! I've been eyeballing the Chedglow poppies on the web for some time, but hadn't found them readily available. I read that the variegation isn't always apparent on all plants, so it is best to buy enough seeds so that you can cull them. That should have rung some alarm bells in my head, but I'm hooked, I guess. Have you tried that one?

I got the Select Seed catalog and was in the process of just thinking and scheming but if you two are about to order I better get a move on so I can get what I want. LOL They have a few things I have just gotta try, you know.

aMy Select Seed catalog is the only one so far that has lots of Sticky tabs in it. Haven't got all my Christmas decorations put away yet, let alone made out or sent seed orders. Better get busy. Donna

You two better hurry or it will all be gone! LOL! Seriously, I sent in a T&M order on the 27th of December, and already some of their special offer free seeds (with three other packets purchased) were gone. When do some of these folks order... November? Ah, well, they sent something else, so I shouldn't complain.

I got their catalog but ordered online...I should have read the fine print first. My order cost $16.95 and the shipping was $7.50! I think that's a bit steep for a handful of seeds. Ah well, there's supposed to be a packet of "free" seeds with every order. I feel like I've *paid* for them, if you know what I mean!

Eileen

Yes, Eileen. I noticed the same thing when I added the order to my seedlist. How in the world can they justify that cost when the seeds I mail out, cost no more than a dollar to send, add the envelope, and it is another dollar at most... that leaves about $5.50 for handling. I'll handle their seeds all day for $5.50 a mailer! LOL!

Well, Weezingreens, I got my order in tonight. I really like their catalog. I am hoping to try some fun new things. I bought nasturium,hop, anagallis seeds and some fun plants too. When we were in California this fall my hubby saw the tibouchina for the first time, he is such a purple person, he said you gotta order three of those. So hopefully since my order is in fairly early I will get everything. In times past I have missed out on a few things.

Yes, I try to get all my orders in by early January, but I still miss out sometimes.. somebody beats me to the punch! Which nasturtiums did you get, Lenjo?

We've ordered from Select Seeds because of the things you don't see anywhere else. Only probelm with using them for something to sell is that most of their varieties are not in the catalog where we buy our plant stake labels.
Bernie

Don't get me started on plant stake labels! Labeling is one of the most time consuming jobs I have with our little nursery business. I've never purchased the commercial variety, but I suppose I should look into it. I spend many hours hand labeling each cell pack or 4 inch pot, then relabeling when the tags begin to fade. I cut up milk cartons, window blinds, bleach bottles, and any other promising piece of plastic.

During the summer, I throw all the discarded tags in a five gallon bucket, and in the winter I bleach them out to re-use. This winter I bleached, dried, and stored two five gallon buckets of cut plant tags. I'd really love to find some way to create my own plant tags or labels on the computer that would not wash out in the rain or fade in the sun. I need flat sheets of plastic, waterproof ink, etc. to do that. Ah, well, maybe someday.

Wanda, you really must be one 'hyper' lady if a cup of coffee CALMS you down.... LOL!

;~D

LimeyLisa Kay

My copy came today, and call me old fashioned, but I liked it better when it was the lovely drawings rather than photos. Although, the change in format has in no way tempered my desire to send them buckets of money for the seeds that I want! I'm going to wait just a bit - I know you all will have the free seeds scarfed up! - and see if I can get it down just a bit - didn't even dare add it up.

Let me see, several peony flowered poppies, I had very few poppies last year - how odd it seemed. I'll have to look through again - it is all a lovely blur!

I'm going to play Scrooge after I saw this years cataloge from Select Seeds!

Yes, they have a wonderful selection of seeds and/or plants....PRICEY, but a very nice collection. Why they are starting to carry more Brugmansia in their "heirloom" cataloge is beyond me! Are they trying to be more competitive with other nurseries, growers, and cataloges?

Yes, I had selected several annuals from their cataloge and then I flipped to the section that stated their shipping and handling charges. I sat there with my mouth open and gasped! I couldn't believe that they were charging so much for seeds/plants. Yes, S&H costs have gone up, but what hasn't these days?!!!

Yes, they package their merchandise carefully & it arrives in good to excellent condition, but isn't that factored into the S&H charges? I was so taken a-back by the S&H prices that I said to myself, "forget it"! You can find these items cheaper somewhere else!

Yes, I made note of the annuals I wished to purchase & then went on a hunt to find them...., it takes time to hunt around for less expensive prices, but it can be done!

Yes, I like the "new & improved" look of their cataloge, but don't kid yourselves....those photos, colored ink & higher grade paper are all factored into their costs.

Since I have found several of the items that interested me in other cataloges, Select Seeds cataloge is now in the recycle pile.

I am like everybody else I had all kinds of things marked in Select Seeds. But I can't justify the shipping heck I could buy a plant for what the shipping was going to cost for just seeds. I have found all but one of the seeds eleswhere and that one I think a DG member might have or at least she has grown it so a good chance. Need to email her.Ended up saving money with more seeds per package to boot.

Oh, praises to you that have the good sense to shop around! I agree entirely. Had I stopped to consider the shipping costs or the fact that I was being exploited in some way, the coffers of Select Seed would have been $45 lighter. I guess the point is that I have to hand it to the crew at Select Seeds. I was sucked in, and I am happy to get the seeds. Sometimes, after a hard day of combat seed shopping, I am a bit easy.

While you are recycling their catalog, take the pictures of the plants and laminate them to an index card with the plant descriptions, growing, ect. Will last forever.

If you use the luggage/ID tags that clip on you can actually attach them to the flat that is growing.

Step

Good ideas, Breezy. Each catalog offers information that can be valuable at a future date. However, keep in mind that these catalogs are not always correct, nor do they spend much time being correct. I always research before I decide how to germinate or grow the plants after they pop up.

I must have a different catalog. I don't see a big shipping charge. $3.50 for any seed order is what mine says. Some companies have that for a minimum & add to that for larger orders. Lots of money to ship plants, but that is because of the weight.
Bernie

Well, order complete - only $25.60 with the shipping and handling - Spanish Lavender, a couple of popppies (obviously the really rare ones spelled with 3 p s in the middle!), Salvia patens, Verbena rigida, must be more but darned if I can remember. Just thinking about it helps with the cold - no, VERY cold - weather. Now all I need is money in the check book!

CountryGardens, Select does ship sheeds for $3.50 standard mail. Priority is $7.50. For some reason, most seed companies insist on sending priority to Alaska. This seems very odd to me, since we can't plant the seeds as early as most places, but it is policy. http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/0013.1.481755774921460920/company/a.template.htm

Weezie, the nasturtium I ordered was the red one, Empress of India. Isn't there a variegated foliage one? That sounds interesting too.

Yes, Lenjo, Empress of India is a beauty! The leaves are a deep green, edged in a subtle red, and the stems are blushed red, as well. The blooms are a deep orange. It's one of my favorites.

As for variegated foliage, the most common is 'Alaska'. The leaves have a lovely marbling of creamy white. The flowers are mixed colors, and the habit is more compact, less trailing. I think there is another variegated variety called 'Out of Africa'.

Another interesting type is 'Mahogany'. The leaves of this one are a celery green and the blooms a reddish umber. Email me if you'd like to try the ones you don't have. I can spare a few so you can give them a try.

I believe the one I ordered is 'Milkmaid'. I've been eyeing it for quite awhile. The flowers are a creamy white. Love those nasties!

I noticed the bulb section wasn't in either the SS catalog or online. I wonder why????

Weezie, you know me just send what you want or have extra of. I will love it. I noticed you mentioned salpiglossis, painted tongue, in your order. Did you notice the deep purple one called Kew something? Have you raised these from seed before? They really are a beauty of an annual. They have a sticky feel to them like a petunia leading me to think they must be related.

Berrygirl: I'm so clueless I didn't even know they sold bulbs! It's pretty iffy to order bulbs when you live in Alaska, so I didn't even notice they're not being offered.

Lenjo: I'll send you a few of each of my nasturtiums to try when my Stokes order comes in. They have a good deal on several types of nasties, so I buy the larger packages.

I love those salpiglossis! They remind me of old Persian carpets, with the combination of rich old colors and bright ones. The Royale Chocolate are so dark they are almost an umber. It's actually hard to see them in a bed unless you mix them with lighter flowers that bloom in profusion, or up against a white fence or building. I don't know why I keep buying them, but I do!

Last year I bought Kew Blue, but I don't know if I planted any! I plant so many things and sell so many things, that I sometimes forget to save some back for myself! The mixes are sure beautiful. Here's a basket with salpiglossis and Celebrity yellow petunias.

I have had the bronze, mahogany saliplossis before. They really are pretty. I haven't placed my Stokes order yet. Last year I think I spent $70 at least. I sell a few plants too. I tried some different zinnias from Stokes like the Persian carpet. I just loved it. I always plant lots of zinnias out next to the dahlia field. I also tried a little plant called xeranthemum. It germinated really well planted in situ. I want to do another patch of it.

I've always loved zinnias, Lenjo. When I was a child in Indiana, my father grew lots of zinnias in his garden. I loved the hollow stems, the cat tongue texture of the leaves, the Mexican fan colors of the flowers. One of my favorites was the striped one.. peppermint stick.. something like that.. and the little Liliputs. They don't grow well here... too cold. I had some of the Liliputs in my greenhouse last summer. It was nostalgic.

My daughter in Kentucky grows zinnias because that was what she grew in my garden when she was little. They do really well in her hot summers. I'm more of a subtle shades person myself, not neccesarily pastels, just subtle!

Is the Mahogany nasturtium really dark red, or does it lean toward the orange? I love nasturtiums, but I'm loking for one that is really in the red zone rather than the orange. Empress of India always disappoints me.

The other things that I did order were Columbine "Ruby Port" and Petunia "Rainmaster."

Kathleen, are you getting any kind of warmth yet back there? The news reports sound so cooooolddd. If we had that here, my goodness, no berry crop. My mother always had a couple of beds of this old petunia that would reseed itself every year, they were in the fuschia color tones predominantly. One summer while she was sick they didn't return so I planted it full of zinnias for her. Then the next summer she was in remission and her petunias came back.

I'm wearing gloves in the house - my hands have been blue all week. Yesterday the sun came out a little at lunch time and it went up to 5, but then by 4 pm it was back down to 2. Today, it's up to 10. We are expecting a heat wave on Sunday with highs in the mid 20s(!!) and the possibility of freezing rain to go on top of the three feet of snow that we've collected. At least everything is under a good protective layer of snow.

Gosh, that is just awful, I certainly feel for you. Today is so pretty here, almost sunny, with 50 plus.

Lenjo, lovely story about your mother's petunias! Kathleen, I've grown both the Rainmaster petunias and the Ruby Port columbine. The rainmaster is quite resistant to our inclement weather, and the Ruby Port is a deep, deep wine read. The leaves tint a bit red in the cooler weather. Very nice.

I think all nasturtium tend to be on the orangey side, but mahogany is a deep color. I find them particularly attractive against the limey green foliage.

That's good to hear about the petunia. I have cuttings from P. integrifolia and P.i. alba under the lights. I got these two last year from White Flower Farm and was very pleased, but they didn't seed, so I had to take cuttings, which seem to root on the way into the potting soil. It sounds like the "Rainmaster" will be an easier seeder. I think the "Ruby Port" columbine will fit in well with my 'antique' columbines - just oldies that have been here forever self-seeding.