Ghetto Cold Frame
Stay tuned to learn how I use it this winter.
*By the way, the cat in the photo is for scale only. Gratuitous pictures of kitties have been banished to my other blog.
This time of year, if you’ve ever ordered from even one gardening catalog, you’ll find your mailbox overflowing with colorful plant photos and slick copy. I was thrilled to find a luridly bright Inter-State Nurseries catalog in the mail pile last night. However, as I began leafing through it, I immediately had a sense of something not quite right. First of all, the paper was of a lesser quality than the usual glossy stock. The plant descriptions used words like “amazing,” “enormous” and “gorgeous” a few too many times. The copy neglected to mention light or moisture requirements. Finally, the prices were truly too good to believe (1 cent plants). I kept the catalog (hope springs eternal?), but suspected that the company was not actually reputable.
This morning, with the help of Garden Watchdog, I confirmed my suspicions. Inter-State Nurseries has a 94% NEGATIVE rating. The reviews are almost all horror stories of dead (or never received) plants and uncooperative customer service agents. True, six percent of the reviewers had a neutral or positive experience and unsatisfied customers are more likely to leave a rating, but I’d rather not take that gamble.
I’ve done some stupid things gardening (pruning my new Nikko Blue hydrangea to the ground, for instance), but, thanks to Garden Watchdog, I won’t be swindled by disreputable plant merchants. After I cut some pictures out of the catalog, I’ll use it to start my next fire. *sigh* I really was excited by those 1 cent plants...
*By the way, companies like this often operate under multiple names, so be sure to do your research.
Kitties and gardens are a lovely pairing (except when they use your soil as the litterbox). I adore being surrounded by my wee furry beasties as I putter amongst the flowers. The cats enjoy the garden as well. Tibbs attacks gladiolas, Zoro bats bulbs, and all the kitties love to hide in the “underbrush.” Last year, I grew catnip for them in a pot and this year I plan on edging my rose bed in catmint. If I was truly devoted, though, I suppose I would plant an entire garden devoted to my feline friends, like the garden at TLC, a cat shelter in Ann Arbor, MI.
For all of you cat-loving gardeners, I’ve borrowed this list of kitty-friendly plants from the TLC website:
Cat Garden Plants (hardy to zone 5 and requiring full sun, unless otherwise noted)
More on TLC’s cat garden.