The garden is covered in snow, but the big avalanche actually occurred in the house. We love garden catalogs. Almost every trip slogging down to the mailbox through the snow brings new arrivals. This is not a bad thing. It gives Ed a chance to contemplate the spring garden and look for new and exciting plants he might want to include this year. It's such an enjoyable pastime leafing through page after page of gorgeous plants . It's fun to start an order and stick it in the pages.The competition for actual orders is fierce. Who will have the most exciting, irresistible plants at the best price? Past performance in plant quality, packaging, and service must also be considered. There is the also the allure of the new never before seen catalog bringing the adventure and excitement of the unknown.
It was not the 2011 catalogs that was the scene of the big avalanche, although their numbers are prodigious. It was the catalogs from winters past that had reached the tipping point. The stack in the photograph is but small representative sample. It was decided that we will cut out the photo and description of the plants we have purchased, pasting them onto the original invoice or paper and then encasing them in a 3 hole punched plastic sleeve. So far it's been fun, like a scrap booking project. Ed joined in making a page of his day lily collection. I find the idea of moving these old catalogs to the recycling exciting. The news is not necessarily good for some of the companies we have dealt with in the past. Invoices with a list of plants that were ordered, many of which are no longer with us, send up a red flag. Because of that some 2011 catalogs under consideration will be recycled now. There's no need to repeat past mistakes no matter how gorgeous the plants might seem. Gotta go! Richters' 2010 is waiting!
