The Plant & Seed Purchasing Strategy

In our last episode, we took an overall look at the garden and identified some general areas for improvement. Now, in the midst of Seed Catalog Season, we get down to the nitty gritty: the Plant Plan. At the risk of your thinking I am totally out of my tree, I have decided to confide in you my Seed & Plant Purchase list. I will also share with you my Plant & Seed Purchasing Strategy for how I successfully cut my wish list down from over 100 selections to a mere 35 or so. (Yes, available cash played a part in that decision).

Believe me, I know how it is. Many a stormy, wintry night has resulted in impulse remorse the following morning: that “uh oh” hangover from a gleeful night of impassioned purchasing. Purchasing seeds is such an act of vision and hope, but not one always grounded in reality. So – initial disclaimer: whether my methods help you or not – Buyer Beware; I am not responsible for your “Buy Now” buttons.

We know what they all say. Take an inventory of your seeds. Map out your garden and think about what you have room for. Keep in mind your other commitments that might interfere with gardening tasks and harvesting. Don’t set yourself up for overwhelm and failure. Yada yada.

For those of us who live and breathe in our gardens, those admonitions are blithely ignored (emphasis on “blithely”). We know we must plant almost everything with the description, “striking variety.” That is a given. “Rare,” “unusual,” “abundant,” “vigorous,” and “mouth-watering” also work well for me.

But of course, there IS such a thing as self-restraint, which is why we have a Plant & Seed Purchasing Strategy.

Some people grow mostly food. They have a big open square of ground with everything laid out neatly in beds and rows, and they have loads of vegetables available every day of the week. That is way too much work for me. I would rather create even more work for myself by creating a jungle in an old hay field. But that is for another story…

The Plant & Seed Purchasing Strategy

Step 1. Start with Answering the Question: What Do You Like to Grow?

In general – I like to grow what I can’t easily find on the streets.

I like to grow

• Plants for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. I focus mostly on things that bloom in early spring and fall, because there are always plenty of things available in the summer.
• Fruits and berries of all kinds. Of course. A berry shrub that also fixes nitrogen is a double bonus.
• What is best picked fresh and eaten soon thereafter – lettuce, tomatoes, and (in some years) corn, for example.
• A few things for long-term: squashes and potatoes, for example
• Vegetables and herbs that can’t be found or are too expensive in stores (culinary herbs, unique veggies)
• My own medicine – and medicine for the bees, as well
• Specialty Plants: e.g., fiber plants, dyes, basketry, fence supplies, firewood, etc.
• Perennials over annuals 
• Unusual specimens – just because
• A little extra for sharing.

As you can see, I like to grow just about everything, and the plant list can easily get out of hand (hence, my 100+ plants on my original wish list). It is difficult to hone it down.

Step 2. Identify a Few Ground Rules

It pains me to say this, but the garden pundits are correct.

Following a few simple rules will save time and money and make the decision-making process easier. Here are my rules (guidelines, really, and they tend to overlap):

• Identify Holes; Find Plants to Fill in the Gaps. Gaps can be defined by function (bee plant, windbreak, groundcover, nitrogen fixer, etc.); by space (shady spot, acid soil, any spot where weeds can take hold); and by time (early bloomer, fall color, after the garlic harvest, etc.). The answer to almost all of these problem areas is to plant more plants! 
• Make the Most of What I Have – (and make no mistake about it, I have a lot). I figure it is all relative. We read a lot about protecting diversity, and I am here to do my part. 
• Plant What I Already Have Growing in Pots. This strategy is to reduce the number of potted plants (e.g., cuttings and seed starts) that require so much babying (especially when it gets hot) so as to leave time for other creative endeavors.
• Save My Own Seed Whenever Possible
• Divide what I Can.
• Take Cuttings of Select Plants (but not of everything!) It is easy to get carried away. Be judicious from the start.
• Reward my Restraint with a Few Interesting Purchases (counter to all of the above, I know)
• Share & Trade Plants and Seeds with Friends and Neighbors–truly the answer to most of the world’s problems.

Step 3. Create a Spreadsheet (or list of some sort)

Now we get down to the actual decision-making. Many gardeners are averse to using computer technologies on something as organic as seeds, soil, and sunshine, but when it comes to the Plant & Seed Purchasing Strategy, an electronic spreadsheet can be a valuable tool that can save a lot of time.

Personally, I love Excel and I use it a lot. I enter the wish list items into the cells. With the above criteria in mind, I add a column for yes/no and sort the list accordingly. I go through the “yes” list and cut again – and again. When it comes to the Plant List, “No” is not necessarily no; no means “not right now.” After all, I don’t have to plant everything in 2019.  This makes checking the No box easier. Yes, you could easily just do this on paper.

Step 4. Fill in Details. Identify Gaps.

After the final cuts have been made, I fill in more details on the chosen few (loosely defined “few”).  I create columns for sun, water, and soil requirements and notes on how to grow. This initial work really pays off later. When the plants and seeds arrive, a quick sort organizes them according to which seeds need stratification, which ones need to wait until last frost, which like a sunny, dry spot, and which would rather be in the shade by the pond, etc. I also create columns for various other qualities (my reasons for growing them in the first place). I can see at a glance whether there is a good diversity of plants across space, time, and function, and whether they fill in the identified gaps. (And yes, this step is totally optional, but so very useful. You could do this with graph paper, too, and just look down the columns).

Step 5. Make Final Decision

Does the list still make sense? Within budget? If so, hit the Buy buttons.

So… Did I follow the rules? (Mmm… not exactly…)

I confess, I succumbed on some new varieties of things I already have. I also purchased a few things I felt needed replenishing. I have plenty of peas and carrots and such, so I did not add regular veggies. We don’t heat the greenhouse, so most tropical things were cut. One very large frivolous thing was the Gunnera, but who wouldn’t want a dinosaur plant in their backyard? I mean, right? Ok. Maybe I should have cut that one. And then there was the Luffa, which I’ve always wanted to try, and the Yucca, which would look nice near the Fan Palm my son gave me… Zone 8b.

In looking at the list, I realized I had chosen several plants for dry areas, which makes sense in an area that might get 15” of rain per year when we’re lucky (and most of that dumps in November-March). I also selected quite a few bee plants, herbs, and dye plants, which are priorities for me. I splurged a bit on several blueberry plugs that I will grow out to see how they do, and on some new varieties of Andean tubers, which are always so interesting.  

So here is my list.

Plant & Seed Order 2019

Common Name	Scientific Name
Arnica, “Meadow Arnica”	Arnica Chamissonis
Ashwagandha	Withania somnifera
Blueberries	Vaccinum corymbosum
Bugle weed	Ajuga genevensis
Bush Clover	Lespedeza bicolor
Chufa, Tigernut	Cyperus esculentus
Clary Sage	Salvia sclarea
Codonopsis (Dang Shen)	Codonopsis pilosula
Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis
False Indigo, Blue	Baptisia australis
Flax, “Marilyn”	Linum usitatissimum
Geranium, Wild variety	Geranium spp.
Globe Thistle	Echinops Ritro
Gunnera	Gunnera manicata
Heather, “Firefly”	Calluna vulgaris
Hemp agrimony	Eupatorium cannabinum
Jujube, Chinese Date	Ziziphus jujuba
Linden, Silver	Tilia tomentosa
Loofah, Common	Luffa aegyptiaca
Marshmallow	Althaea officinalis
Mashua	Troepaeolum tuberosum
Oca Root	Oxalis tuberosa
Osage Orange	Maclura pomifera
Quamash, Camass	Camassia quamash
Ramps	Allium tricoccum
Rhodiola, Rose-root	Rhodiola rosea
Rhubarb: Glaskins perennial	Rheum rhabarbarum
Safflower Zanzibar	Carthamus tinctorius
Sea Kale	Crambe maritime
Skirret	Sium sisarum
Soapwort	Saponaria officinalis
Spilanthes, Toothache Plant	Acmella oleracea
Strawberry, Alpine	Fragaria vesca alpina
Ulluco	Ullucus tuberosus
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium
Yucca, soapweed	Yucca glauca

Here is a sampling of how I can sort the plants –

Likes full sun, rocky or dry ground, drought tolerant
Ashwagandha	Withania somnifera
False Indigo, Blue	Baptisia australis
Globe Thistle	Echinops Ritro
Jujube, Chinese Date	Ziziphus jujuba
Rhodiola, Rose-root	Rhodiola rosea
Safflower Zanzibar	Carthamus tinctorius
Soapwort	Saponaria officinalis
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium
Yucca, soapweed	Yucca glauca

Prefers more acidic-to-neutral soil
Arnica, “Meadow Arnica”	Arnica Chamissonis
Blueberries	Vaccinum corymbosum
Bugle weed	Ajuga genevensis
Chufa, Tigernut	Cyperus esculentus
Clary Sage	Salvia sclarea
Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis
False Indigo, Blue	Baptisia australis
Flax, “Marilyn”	Linum usitatissimum
Geranium, Wild variety	Geranium spp.
Heather, “Firefly”	Calluna vulgaris
Loofah, Common	Luffa aegyptiaca
Mashua	Troepaeolum tuberosum
Oca Root	Oxalis tuberosa
Ramps	Allium tricoccum
Rhubarb: Glaskins perennial	Rheum rhabarbarum
Soapwort	Saponaria officinalis
Spilanthes, Toothache Plant	Acmella oleracea
Strawberry, Alpine	Fragaria vesca alpina
Ulluco, Pica de Pulga	Ullucus tuberosus
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium

Groundcovers / low layer
Bugle weed	Ajuga genevensis
Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis
Geranium, Wild variety	Geranium spp.
Ramps	Allium tricoccum
Rhodiola, Rose-root	Rhodiola rosea
Safflower Zanzibar	Carthamus tinctorius
Soapwort	Saponaria officinalis
Spilanthes, Toothache Plant	Acmella oleracea
Strawberry, Alpine	Fragaria vesca alpina
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium

Bee Plants, Wildlife Plants
Bugle weed	Ajuga genevensis
Bush Clover	Lespedeza bicolor
Clary Sage	Salvia sclarea
False Indigo, Blue	Baptisia australis
Flax, “Marilyn”	Linum usitatissimum
Globe Thistle	Echinops Ritro
Heather, “Firefly”	Calluna vulgaris
Hemp agrimony	Eupatorium cannabinum
Linden, Silver	Tilia tomentosa
Osage Orange	Maclura pomifera
Skirret	Sium sisarum
Soapwort	Saponaria officinalis
Strawberry, Alpine	Fragaria vesca alpina
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium
Yucca, soapweed	Yucca glauca

You get the idea. A bit of work upfront to gather all the information, true, but it comes in handy so many different ways.

Now that the seeds are coming in, I am, once again, thinking – OMG. What have I done! So – my method works, sort of, but I am not sure what I was thinking in purchasing yucca, luffa, and gunnera! And that Silver Linden tree? Uh oh. I was suckered by a good deal.

Still. This is exciting. And interesting.

Until next time…it looks like I have my work cut out for me.

If anyone can use a gunnera plant, I will probably have a few extra.

~blythe

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Interested in more approaches to buying seeds and tips on garden planning?

(apparently I write about this a lot!)

• Seed Order Madness – and Indications that You Might Have ISOD
• Buying Seeds: Garden Planning Reality Check
• Garden Planning 2011: Some Successes from 2010
• Garden Planning Season
• A Case of March Madness
• Plant and Seed Quest 2013
• Seed Catalog Frenzy
• Seed Order 2014
• Blue Moon Garden Review