Favorite seed & bulb sources

You may be old enough to remember the Toys R Us and JC Penny holiday catalogs. I loooooved when they arrived. And then in my 20s I was agog for the drop of the Vogue September issue. Now, it’s seed catalogs. All of them.

Each winter I find myself elated by the arrival of yet another glorious glossy in my mailbox. Pictures of 1,000-pound state fair gourds from Baker Creek, beautiful artistic illustrations from Botanical Interests and comparative tomato charts from Johnny’s. I love opening each and every one as I plan (and overbuy) for next year’s garden.

If you begin to dive into these company catalogs and websites, I think you’ll fall in love with flowers, too. So here are a few of favorite sources for specialty flower seeds, bulbs and pumpkins. My hope is that sharing this resource will introduce you to some wonderful companies that you may not have heard of and help you plan your own garden.

Johnny’s Select Seeds. By far our No. 1 source for seeds. Johnny’s earns our top spot for its seed quality, pricing, and expansive educational library. You can even search by interest: for example, edible flowers, flowers that are good for growing in containers, or those that attract butterflies.

Floret. If you’re not yet familiar with Erin Benzakein, allow me to introduce you to the Joanna Gains of the cut flower world (complete with her own mini-series on the Magnolia Network.) Floret is a Washington-based seed breeding company that specializes in rare and specialty flowers for the home gardener. Her prices are higher than Johnny’s, but you’ll fall head over heels for her seeds, books and charm. Truth be told, she’s the person who got us into this mess.

Harris Seeds. If you have space and want to get a little rowdy with pumpkins, Harris has a dizzying selection of those heirloom pumpkins and gourds we’ve all come to love on a Pottery Barn-inspired autumnal porch. We’re talking the blues, greens, grays and reds that will have the other PTA moms in fits. Check out Blue Doll, Grizzly Bear and Tandy for starters. Swoon.

Triple Wren is my farm crush. Steve and Sarah Pabody grow 20 acres of dahlias, help dahlia hybridizers bring their creations to market, sell dahlia tubers online, and offer summer farm you-pick events and workshops that are worth flight to Seattle (and then a drive north.)

Sunflower Selections. Don’t let the old school website fool you. Sunflower Selections is based here in Woodland, California, and is actually the supplier to Johnny’s. So why not keep your dollars here at home and support the man who has bred these sunflower seeds specifically to thrive in our hot, Nor Cal summers! Did you know that dwarf varieties of sunflowers exist? Or dark red ones like Rouge Royale?

Brent and Becky’s lilies, tuberose, daffodils, iris and dozens of other bulb varieties are a must for spring and summer gardens. This family-owned business is also a great option for perennials and plugs.