I remember when seed catalogs would arrive in the mail after the new year. The holidays were over, the neighborhood was usually buried in snow and cold and there was time to dream about the fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers that I could grow in next year’s garden.
Every year the seed catalogs come earlier and earlier. This year I found many of them in my mailbox before Thanksgiving. I’d barely had any time to evaluate the plants that grew in my flowerbeds this past summer much less think about next year.
I’ve flipped through a few of the catalogs, but so far I haven’t seen anything exciting. I wonder if annual flowers are becoming less popular in America. It sure seems like there are fewer and fewer cultivars to choose from each year and usually only a handful of new offerings.
Hopefully this “seed drought” is just a trend, and the market for new annuals will eventually take off again. I love my old, reliable standbys, but it’s always fun to spice up my flowerbeds with something different.