Many gardeners begin the season on dark winter evenings, snuggled on the couch with a stack of colorful seed catalogs. After some deliberation and eventual order placement, a tidy package arrives, usually filled with highly-anticipated seed varieties. However, a growing number of mail order companies are now offering live plants in addition to seeds, bulbs, and garden supplies. You’ll find an impressive array of annual flowers, perennial plants, herbs, vegetables, and even grafted tomatoes. You may also find that ordering plants by mail brings new creativity, reliability, and convenience to your garden.

A broad palette of petals
From subtle pink petunias to splashy scarlet begonias, you’ll find a spectrum of annual flower plants available by mail. If you tend to think like a decorator when planning your garden beds and containers, you seek just the right hues, flower forms, and plant habits. Ordering by mail allows you to peruse photos and variety descriptions at your leisure and then secure exactly the varieties that fit your aesthetic.

Claim that name!

Many varieties and series, like PanAmerican Seed’s famous Wave™ Petunias, have made a name for themselves with years of strong garden performance. Breeders have also branded some newer high-performing series, as Sakata has with their SunPatiens® New Guinea Impatiens that thrive in full sun. While some garden centers label these outstanding varieties, some do not. Ordering by mail assures that you receive the professional-quality varieties you desire. If you seek an assortment of bloom colors within these high-quality series, you’ll find collections like Harris Seeds’ 15 plant Sun Lovers SunPatiens Collection to be convenient and economical.

Uncommon tastes

One of the thrills of gardening is trying new varieties. Whether you seek the sweetest cherry tomato, the wildest striped heirloom tomato, or a bell pepper with professional-quality disease resistance, you’ll enjoy the diverse selection offered by mail order companies. While garden centers gravitate toward well-known bedding plant vegetable varieties, many mail order companies offer hard-to-find varieties. These unique items include grafted Indigo Rose tomatoes, AAS Winners like Orange Blaze Pepper, and Primo Red Tomato, an early, extra-large tomato with professional-grade disease protection.

De-stress your springtime!

Spring is a busy season, so visits to the garden center can become harried – or postponed until the best plant selection is gone.  However, when you order plants online, by phone, or by mail, you can do so at any time of day. What’s more, you can be assured that your selected varieties are reserved for you and that they will arrive in good condition. Plant suppliers have developed excellent packaging mechanisms – ranging from plastic clamshells to custom-designed cardboard structures – to hold plants and soil securely during transport. Plants are delivered in the springtime, usually at an appropriate time for planting in your region. Make sure you check the plants’ ship date when you order to make sure you’ll be in town to receive them.

Send green greetings

Spring is indeed busy, but it’s busy with good things, like Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and graduations. If you can’t be with loved ones for these events, you can still send your best wishes – in the form of flower or vegetable plants. If the mother figure in your life loves patio gardening, you might send a color-soaked collection of Shock Wave Petunias her way. If your favorite veteran has a green thumb, he would love to receive tomato, pepper, or herb plants on his doorstep. Whichever plants you choose, gift giving by mail order is simple. Just be sure to supply the correct ship-to address when placing your order, and make note of the plants’ ship date. Give your loved one a quick call that week to send your best wishes…and to make sure they’ve checked their mail!

Whether your 2013 garden will include a blooming carpet of petunias, a salsa-worthy array of tomatoes and peppers, or patio pots of bold begonias, you’ll find and excellent selection of plants available by mail. Browse catalogs and websites at your leisure, place your order, and relax. A simplified gardening season awaits you, full of gorgeous blooms, freshly-harvested vegetables, and the fun of deciding what to grow next year...