By Joe W. White, Ph.D.
Extension Horticulturist, (ret.)
LSU AgCenter
December 2024
Garden catalogs have been with us for many years, but some of the first printed were crude.
However, they contained gardening information that was thought to be very helpful. In time,
the quality of this publication was greatly improved and today it’s printed on glossy paper with
the contents being that of fruits, vegetables and flowers which are portrayed in vivid colors.
Also, they are full of garden information supplied by reliable horticulturists, agricultural
professors and research scientists. If you are not familiar with garden seed and plant catalogs,
then you probably haven’t been gardening very long. Most gardeners who have from a few to
several year’ experience usually receive multiple catalogs from companies all over the country.
In order to make their catalogs show flawless fruits and vegetables, nearly perfect
specimens are used for making the photos which appear on various pages of the catalogs.
While some gardeners have almost perfect soils and a very favorable climate for growing the
various crops and are sometimes able to produce photogenic specimens, most gardeners don’t
quite achieve this level. However, those who use good cultural practices usually carry produce
out of their gardens of which they can be proud.
But let me caution you to be very careful when choosing cultivars and varieties as some
of these catalogs are distributed nation-wide and a vegetable or fruit that catches your eye may
not be suitable for our region of the country. Do check the information before placing an order.
Fortunately, dependable guide lines are available in from the LSU Extension Service in a variety
of publications many of which are free. Following these guidelines will help you make good
choices. You can get several of these at local offices and some can be down loaded on your
computer.
In addition to helping choose top-notch varieties, some catalogs mark outstanding
varieties with a red, blue and white shield which tags them as “All American” This designation
means that these particular plants have been grown successfully throughout our country.
Long established nurseries and garden centers are usually good sources of gardening
information and are well-versed on what varieties and cultivars of vegetables, fruits and flowers
perform well here. Knowing this, they usually try to stock good supplies of the annual favorites.
However, they also try to offer some of the newer varieties along with some of the LSU Super
Plants.
Here’s a possibility for Christmas. Order one or more garden catalogs to be shipped to a
would-be gardener whether they are a friend, neighbor or relative. Most are either free or cost
very little. While they may toss it, it’s colorful pages may create an interest and possibly could
get them “hooked” on gardening, especially if they have a little bit of unused space on their
grounds.