The holiday decorations have been put away and it is on to the next big phase, well, of course, the garden. The minute the first garden catalog is received in the mail, its time to start planning and creating redesign for the garden again. In the past, afforded time has been given to every one of them that somehow made their way onto my mailing list. I select one after another in pursuit of having and creating yet again a best garden transition. That is, until the year I came across one with deals too hard to pass up and sadly, ended up with a plethora of unhealthy plants.

There are those that have the most beautiful and captivating pictorials and are reputable plant providers but the less reputable ones seem to have the better, economical prices with their many cultivars at dirt-cheap prices. They tend to give more competition to the larger, more expensive providers.

Soon after the plants arrive, the unexpected occurs. They have either died or almost dead. Some improperly packaged and the ones that are alive are needy in reclaiming their vigor. This is when to question the authenticity of the provider. Since most of us are avid gardeners, it is necessary to mention this topic and somehow shed light, give insight and perhaps two cents worth of knowledge of what to expect with mail order, plant catalogs.

Catalogs bombard our mail boxes at the beginning of each year provide we have given the necessary information to be instantly put on a mailing list. Some others can be found online where purchases are made from online catalogs. The more reputable providers are usually very informative with ideas, knowledge, and present many plant varieties that your local nursery would not have and that in itself make them popular. To have choice of many diverse cultivars are the epitome of gardening. Therefore, yes, garden catalogs are helpful in many ways that your nursery is not.

However, some of them provide the most wanted selections at cheaper prices. It appears you can get a better deal with the less reputable providers. All kinds of trees, plants, and bulbs can be purchased at a bargain a bag. With this comes a small, tell-all planting guide with information concerning how to care for what was ordered. So then, if all this is provided what can be so bad about these type of garden catalogs? Simply put, their goods, products and service are not reputable. The temptation to buy so many available plants is quite alluring with the hard to beat deals. Reputation is apparently not a concern instead, selling many plants to newcomers every year for prices hard to beat. Over 100 plants purchased for under $50, is quite a captivating headline that proves later to be deceptive.

When looking for reputable catalogs look for plant botanical or scientific names. This exhibits the knowledge and horticultural experience of the provider. Meaning, its reputation is a definite good one. Instead of seeing bridal wreath spirea, look for Spiraea plenaflora 'Plena' for bridal wreath spirea termed as such in this plant description. In other words the more information concerning a plant the better. Beware of airbrushed, perfected photos (this does not mean it will look like that once grown in your garden). Watch out for plants that look oh, so beautiful but you are quite unfamiliar with; do a quick search and get some quick information for that particular desired plant.

Be on the look out for plants that will take over your garden, if you have not the time to keep them in moderation. Watch for terms like spreader, naturalize, and multiples. Last, look for specific terminology guidelines such as “drought-tolerant once established" instead of just “drought tolerant.” Every plant needs to be watered regularly at least the first year of life. In addition, there is a big difference in a partial shade plant and one demanding sun. Petunias may survive in part sun but will they prosper? No, they will only thrive in full sun. An informative plant catalog should be most important before economical captivation. Shipping, handling, warranties, guarantees, discounts, and especially customer service are several other aspects considered vital. There are several things to lookout for while eyeing garden candy in the plant store. As a kid is in a candy store, later he finds out that not all-sweet candy is good candy. Happy Shopping.