Gardeners love their catalogs.

The splash of color in the mailbox is always an invitation to daydream. And a reminder to place your order.

However, Randy Schultz, a spokesman for the Mailorder Gardening Association, says most of us don't place our order through the catalog's 800 number. And we certainly don't mail them in.

We go to the company's Web site instead.

A survey by the group in 2006 showed that consumers who buy plants, seeds, bulbs, tools and other gardening products from mailorder catalogs were increasingly going on line for information AND to place their orders.

At that time, about 34 percent of customers placed their order by phone, 33 percent by mail or fax. In 2006, 14 percent were "pure" web shoppers and 18 percent looked at a catalog and then placed their orders on line. That was a total of 32 percent of orders placed on line.

"To give you an idea of how fast things are changing," said Shultz. "I did a straw poll of MGA members last spring and found out that 2008 was the first year that a majority of orders (over 50 percent) placed with member companies came in via the Web sites."

Even so, printed catalogs are not going away, Shultz said. "They are still what drives most on line buyers to the Web sites where they place their orders."

The catalogs are just a reminder to do so.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: From the catalogs
        

The garden is no escape from the bad economic news, and everyone in the industry is worried that the first place homeowners will cut back is on plant material and supplies.

My friends at Old House Gardens, a Michigan mail-order company which specializes in heirloom flower bulbs, have found a clever way to address this. Their spring marketing campaign went like this:

"This isn't the first DEPRESSION our bulbs have faced," the ad says, referring to the age of some of their antique flowers.

"They'll make your yard so beautiful you'll say, 'Staying HOME is the most fun of all!'"

I hate to ask the question, because this could be a downer of a conversation, but are you cutting back in the garden this year? How?

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: From the catalogs
        

You can grow ‘em. Or you can get Brent and Becky to do it for you.

Brent and Becky of bulb fame also produce bouquets.

From March 15 to Oct. 15, you can order fresh, farm-raised (sounds like beef) mixed bouquets. (I am guessing that this is Becky with the bouquet. And I am also guessing you don't get that many flowers.)

You never know what will be in bloom when your order, but let them know whether you like pastels, hot colors or patriotic colors. “If there is a color you just can’t abide, we’d like to know that, too,” says the catalog.

These aren’t greenhouse flowers and that means the weather can be a problem, but either Brent or Becky will call you.

In any case, the flowers are shipped overnight, so give an address where someone will be available to bring them inside.

You can order the flowers witha vase or without for $60 and $75, respectively. Check out their Web site and go to item numbers 103-01 and 103-02.

Photo credit: Brent and Becky's Bulbs.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: From the catalogs