Where Can I Buy Them?

Herb greenhouses are becoming fewer and farther between with rising costs of maintaining a year-round greenhouse. When you do find a specialty greenhouse, don't expect a lot of bargains. Although herbs are easily grown and will thrive in places where most plants would toss up their branches and die, growing them on a large enough scale to open to the public can be very costly. You may find your pocketbook can't provide you with all of the plants you dream of to make your herb garden chock full of everything that catches your eye.

If your thumb isn't completely brown, you should be able to grow a lot of your herbs from seeds. Seed packets are relatively inexpensive and with a little bit of knowledge, proper tools and equipment and a little bit of luck, you may be able to not only fill your own garden to overflowing, but share some with friends as well. What a lovely way to fill a Saturday afternoon, swapping herb plants with friends and neighbors. Perhaps members of your garden club would be interested in combining orders so that you can each afford a great quantity.

Below is a list of some of the most popular herb catalogs:

• http://www.sandymushherbs.com/ Located in North Carolina, Sandy Mush Herbs offers a wide selection of herb plants, seeds and books. They are open to the public occasionally, and are a nice addition to a visit to Ashville's points of interest.
• http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/ Mountain Valley Growers, in Squaw Valley, CA offers certified organic herb and other perennial plants.
• http://www.seedsofchange.com/ All Seeds of Change seed packets are certified organic, and are a true link to the past.
• http://www.goodwincreekgardens.com/ Goodwin Creek, located in Williams, OR has a free print catalog offering herb plants, seeds and books
• http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/ One of my personal favorites, Nichols (also in Oregon) has a vast selection of herbs and rare seeds at affordable prices.
• Visit my neighbor, Larry Chandler of Sand Mountain Herbs near Fyffe, Alabama http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/ and be impressed by the variety of unique seeds he offers!
• I've personally visited White Flower Farms in Litchfield, Connecticut, and it was a lovely respite after a two-day drive. You can order a copy of their catalog at http://search.whiteflowerfarm.com/cgi-local/cataloguerequest.pl.
• http://www.gardeningplaces.com/seeds.htm This is just a good basic list of garden suppliers across the country

OK, now the gauntlet has been tossed. Go forth and buy seeds, plant seeds, harvest bounty. But, along the way, don't forget to relax and ENJOY!