S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G

About a week or so ago, just before the Christmas rush, I received a catalog in the mail from Floral and Hardy Gardens, a place I think of as "the daylily farm" -- even though they also sell plenty of hosta and heuchera, along with a selection of other perennials, most notably my new favourite Postman's Pride sedum.

The catalog is printed on light purple paper (a good choice, I think) and the listings are in 5-point type (not the best choice, I might add -- though my eyes are still young enough, for now, to deal with it, I am thinking that a great big magnifying glass might be a good investment for the future).

I am happy to read above the Hosta listings that Betty and Marv and their staff have been "exceptionally vigilant about the Hosta Virus X problem" and that they even requested four inspections of the nursery over the summer and came up 'clean' every time.

Most hostas are in the $6-20 range, with a few $30 ones, and a very few more expensive than that, like Iris Frazier, described as a "lovely plant" costing $45, First Mate ($50), Sharp Dressed Man ($55), and a rare streaked version of Ginsu Knife -- called, appropriately enough, Streaked Ginsu Knife -- for $120.

But hostas are not really my thing, not in a big way anyway. I have a few, but my garden is not shady enough to appreciate too many of them.

No, it's the pages of daylily listings that beckon me, especially the word "NEW" that appears tantalizingly often.


Betty's Garden in Summer


Photo belongs to kbgardenblog.blogspot.com and may not be used without permission.


HOWEVER...

Those of you who have ever shopped for a brand new house or apartment will know what I mean when I say that it's not always a good idea to shop on paper. Square footage listed is always approximate, drawings are marked as "not to scale", and besides, there is no way you can judge the amount and quality of light in a home based on a 2D drawing.

So anyway, shopping for daylilies from a printed list, however descriptive it may be, is not usually the way I like to do it. Then again, the daylily blooming season is so short-lived, and January days are so grey and dull, that I will probably be spending a little time at the computer looking up images for listed daylilies to see if they catch my eye.

Betty warned me last August that if I don't want to be disappointed, I should get my order in as soon as possible, as most of her customers do their shopping between Christmas and New Year.

Well, I guess I should get started...