Tis the Season of Catalogs

Ah, February!  Two feet of snow on the ground, subzero temperatures, and lo, what appears in the mail?  Garden porn. 

Look what came in the mail!

We grow some of our vegetables from seed, but since I teach the occasional park district class, I've collected a few more catalogs along the way.  For me, the most exciting is wee one in front, and it has nothing to do with veggies. The Morton Arboretum's Plant Catalog.  One of the privileges of membership is the Arb's plant sale.  I think I've volunteered for it almost 12 years now.  The folks at the Arb do a really wonderful job of picking out hard to find plants and natives for us discerning collectors.  In addition to the pre-order catalog, there is a tent sale the weekend of Arbor Day.  You can find more information on their website. Usually around the first of April they will post the tent sale list for us plant geeks to salivate over.

Catalogs give me the chance to pour over the pretty pictures and daydream about pole beans, multi-hued heirloom tomatoes, antique herbs, unusual perennials, and trees I don't have room for.  Oh, the possibilities!  Fortunately, my husband ignores my zealous circling and orders what he wants with a couple of new things thrown in.  I have an iron will power on woody plants combined with a relatively small lot.  Still, it never hurts to dream.