{"id":5165,"date":"2010-01-25T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2010-01-25T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nybg.org\/wordpress\/?p=5165"},"modified":"2011-04-11T11:53:49","modified_gmt":"2011-04-11T15:53:49","slug":"tip-of-the-week-use-caution-with-catalogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2010\/01\/tip-of-the-week\/tip-of-the-week-use-caution-with-catalogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Tip of the Week: Use Caution with Catalogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t Forget Foliage as well as Flowers in Garden Design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nSonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.<\/span><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"Annual<\/a>In last week\u2019s tip <\/a> I reviewed the basics of good garden design to remember while facing the onslaught of catalogs that tempt us to do more in our gardens. So what are some of the hazards in designing your garden from the glossy images you find in your winter catalogs? <\/p>\n

For one thing, sometimes the colors in the catalog can be misleading. Years ago I cut and pasted photos from a catalog to create a collage of perennials for a border based on a specific color scheme. It looked glorious on paper. When I arrived at the nursery, I realized that many of my combinations didn\u2019t work, because I had based my design just on the flowers shown in the photos, without consideration of the foliage. My pairing of perennials changed drastically, and I was forced to rethink my plan in terms of the entire plant.<\/p>\n

Catalogs often do a beautiful job of showing us photographs of the flowers, but they rarely give us adequate views of the foliage, which is just as important. A good design should still look good even when the flowers are gone. Break up color combinations with areas of neutral shades where your eye can rest. Focus not only on color but texture and form. <\/p>\n

The biggest problem with catalogs, though, is that they always offer too many good choices. I have to remind myself that selecting new plants for the garden is like packing a suitcase. You lay out your outfits on the bed and remind yourself you are traveling only for a week. A handful of outfits go back into the closet, and the bag is packed. <\/p>\n

The bag is too heavy so you unpack it and more outfits go back into the closet. Toward the end, you choose judiciously and with much regret. Finally, you are packed and ready to go. This is the inevitable process that besets winter catalog shoppers. <\/p>\n

During this time of year, ideas are born, designs are sketched, and a few decisions are made with some early orders. If you see a new introduction or a sought-after plant in a catalog, it may behoove you to order early as your selection may sell out quickly. <\/p>\n

For those of us who buy seeds from catalogs\u2014I am thinking in particular of my vegetable garden\u2014it may be wise to order early this year. With all the national attention on \u201cgrowing your own\u201d vegetables last year, seed orders doubled. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t Forget Foliage as well as Flowers in Garden Design Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. In last week\u2019s tip I reviewed the basics of good garden design to remember while facing the onslaught of catalogs that tempt us to do more in our gardens. So what are some of the hazards in designing… <\/p>\n

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