Why mail order annuals? I get surprised looks when asked – usually during Garden Walk – about interesting plants I have that came in that way.
But for years, though I’ve never attempted seeds (and don’t plan to), I’ve always been open to looking online for plants that might not be available locally.
It’s my late winter security blanket. Sure, there will be plenty of nursery and garden center offerings in May when it’s time to set up the container array, but I also have my shipments. And my preorder from the local botanical gardens benefit sale.
There are highly gratifying pros and deeply disappointing cons that accompany this strategy.
First the bad news:
- No matter how many sweet pea seedings I order, they will never ever ever do anything. I have to Just. Stop.
- Some heirloom cottage garden flowers look way, way better on paper than they perform in the garden. I guess the pictures just show the tops of about 100 of them in a tight group. In a container though, they’re weedy (not in a good way) and in need of continual deadheading. I’m looking at you, Didiscus caeruleus (blue lace flower) and Orlaya ‘White Lace.’ Calling all you meadow growers for these.
- Beware of colors like Creme Brulee. Stick to the dessert on this one. Light brown phlox is just not attractive.
But the good news:
- I can have cosmos without using seeds – which never work well in my overcrowded beds.
- I can also have all the heliotrope, not just the one kind they sell in nurseries. Same with tall nicotiana.
- It’s a zinnia wonderland out there.
- I can have petunias with scent. Scent is still a thing in mail order land.
- I can start a local trend. Strobilanthes (Persian Shield) was nowhere to be found when i first ordered it 22 years ago. A season or two after that first time I had it for Garden Walk, it was for sale everywhere. I guess local vendors got tired of people asking for it.
On a cold day in February, it is satisfying to browse through the email confirmations, which are full of pictures of what I fondly imagine my container garden will look like in June.
It won’t, but the winter dreams make up for a (somewhat) diminished summer reality.
A few sources: Select Seeds (not just seeds, many plants and my main source), Annie’s Annuals, White Flower Farms (have not ordered in a while)
What are your sources?
Added. (Don’t like to seem promotional)
Take heart, Ms. L.!! ‘Tis not the fault of us, underlings”, as Cassius suggested to Brutus. The fault of Sweet Peas is in neither our stars, nor ourselves. The dam’ things are just impossible to grow from seed inside or out; or from nursery plants.
You are correct in not growing them anymore. Yes, they’re pretty. But, also, impossible.
(Same as trying to grow heaths and heathers in the warm, humid, summers of the Mid-Atlantic.)
Yep. Mine grew beautifully, with a great scent. Then just as quickly they died out. I’ll never plant them again.
It’s always the ‘thrill of the purchase’ that gives us the most joy, even if it is ephemeral.
I share your annual plant mail order preference. So far I’ve tried Burpee and Proven Winner. Other suggestions?
They have been added to the post.
I have ordered annuals from Annie’s Annuals in California for years. Their shipping charges can be high, but it is superb. I’ve never lost a plant from shipping. Lust, lust, lust all winter long….
The fun part is that now that I’ve moved from MN to FL, a lot of the annuals I learned about and tried from Annie’s I can now grow year-round here.
http://www.anniesannuals.com
i have found over the years that reading the descriptions of required conditiions (soil, light, water) in numerous catalogs is a must for the same plant: why do some say a plant will thrive in New England and another says no its Zone 7 or higher? Also beware of prairie plants, those they tout as bee gardens…prairie soil is a specific microclimate and without it the plants will not thrive even if they manage to grow. Yes those photos are not only of ideal conditions, they are the equivalent of the old movie studio portrait–not exactly fake but definitely enhanced. I have had horrible results with bare rooted plants but decent results with potted ones by mail order.
Amen to sweet pea seedlings. I also need to just stop. 🙂
So nice to see this post! I’ve bought unusual annuals from Select Seeds. They have a great variety of scented geraniums (as does Colonial Creek Farm in Georgia) and heliotrope. Last year I bought their Rainmaster white petunia–scented!–which bloomed prolifically all summer long in my hot, sunny 7B garden. I can’t say that about any modern petunia. I’ve already dog-eared lots of pages in the 2023 Select Seeds catalog–ready to try some new scented geraniums! Select Seeds does an excellent job of packing their plants.