2009 Seed Catalog Highlights: Johnny's Selected Seeds

My mailbox has been bursting at the seams for the last couple of weeks, as this year's round of seed and plant catalogs arrive to tempt, tease, and (sometimes) taunt me. So I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the highlights of each catalog. We'll look at what's new in a few of my favorite catalogs over the next few days. After all, for many of us, the photos in a seed catalog are as close as we're getting to gardening for several weeks yet.

I am a big fan of the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog. This year's catalog did not disappoint me, boasting over 200 new products and 300 organic products.

Edibles

It seems that Johnny's biggest roll-out this year is its 'Honey Bear' acorn squash, which is a 2009 All American Selections winner. 'Honey Bear' produces four-inch fruits that weigh in at around one pound. It is reported to be "deliciously starchy and sweet," and I have to admit to being very tempted to order some seed and give it a try.

For the berry lovers out there, Johnny's is now selling 'Anne' raspberries, which are yellow and bear fruit in late summer and early fall. They are hardy in zones four through eight.

I have a fascination with specialty pumpkins (really--who can resist all of those fabulous colors and shapes?) and Johnny's has several varieties that have set my heart all a-flutter. The first is 'Tondo,' an old Italian variety that I can easily see decorating my dining room table around Thanksgiving time. The fruits of 'Tondo' weigh in at around five pounds, and mature fruits have deep orange skin with dark green stripes between the ribs. They've also introduced 'Moonshine,' which is a simply beautiful smooth, round, white pumpkin. I can easily imagine my kids having fun carving one of these. And then there's 'Bliss,' which I simply must have. 'Bliss' is a new Asian hybrid that has mottled dark green, orange, and light green skin that very closely resembles the toads we find on our nature walks around here. This would be another fun Halloween pumpkin. I wouldn't try using it in a pie recipe, though. Johnny's reports that it is not a sweet pumpkin. They recommend it for savory dishes such as curries. I'm thinking it might be tasty roasted with other fall vegetables as well.

Ornamentals

I'm a sucker for ornamental grasses, so I was excited to see Johnny's introducing a new annual grass called 'Frosted Explosion.' It just has this fun, airy look to it that would be perfect in both flower arrangements as well as in a flower border. It grows anywhere from 24 to 32 inches tall, so I'm thinking this would look pretty fantastic in the right container, as well.

Sunflowers are another weakness of mine, and Johnny's has released a very pretty one this year. 'Buttercream' has 3 to 4 inch pale yellow flowers with brown centers, and produces side shoots, which provides several weeks of blooms. It is a pollenless variety that grows approximately 48 to 58 inches tall. I definitely want to try this one.

Of course, the Tool section of the catalog is always fun as well, and they've added several food preparation gadgets this year as well. All in all, the 2009 Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog is worth a look. You can order yours by visiting their web site.