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I always love this time of year, the best of winter with the promise of spring. Usually temperatures are reasonable with nice sprinklings of white snow, while in the mail the seed catalogues arrive with their images bursting with colour.
I’m a big herb
fan and so always look forward to Richters Herb Catalogue.
It’s great to
have such a high quality herbal company located in
Ontario, Canada. Richters carries so many plant
products, including herb, gourmet vegetable, and
everlastings seeds, as well as live plants, dried herbs
and tinctures, skin care products, teas, books, and even
beneficial bugs, that it’s hard not to find something
interesting to order.
Here are a few tempting items:
Basil.
Richters carries an
amazing array of basil plants and seeds, over forty, with
such notables as Genovese, spicy globe, dark opal, purple
ruffles, anise, Africa blue, lime, sacred, spice, and Thai.
Known as the King of Herbs, basil is best used fresh and is
wonderful in pestos, pastas, salads, sandwiches, or any
recipe where you love its flavour.
Echinacea. Richters has some spectacular Echinacea that break away from the usual gorgeous pink flower we’ve come to know. Choose also from red, orange, white, and yellow.
Wild Ginger. We have tons of it growing around here in Northwestern Ontario, of course. But sometimes it’s easier to purchase the plant and get to know it really well through the seasons so you know it at a glance, rather than heading off with a plant ID book, dubiously identifying it. And yes, the roots really do taste like domesticated ginger.
Hops. Great for filling in the bare spots, these vibrant vines take on a life of their own, growing feet in a day sometimes (or does it just seem that way?). I’ve often called mine The Dragon because of its sinuous movement as it grows. Looks marvelous too when the hops are flowering.
Mints. I love Richters mints. My faves are peppermint, chocolate mint, and mojito mint. There are numerous others, as well, including a wide variety of citrus types, pineapple, ginger, cotton candy, Italian spice, sweet pear, Korean, mountain, and wintergreen.
Piss-Off Plant. Here’s Richters descriptor for this plant:
Cats, dogs, and rabbits won’t go near it! Much as we love our feline and canine friends, they can be a royal pain in the you-know-where when they carouse in our gardens. They romp around damaging plants, dig holes, and otherwise ‘do their business’ where they shouldn’t… For some reason not yet understood, furry critters absolutely detest the odour of this plant. When planted three feet apart the Piss-Off Plant will protect a whole garden. Surprisingly the plant is not particularly offensive to humans, and it does not harm children or pets. And it has succulent leaves and attractive lavender flowers.
Ladybugs. Yes, you heard right. If you’re having troubles with aphids, mites, scale, mealybugs, leafworms, or leafhoppers in your garden, you can order a 1/2 pint to a gallon for June shipment of these red and black beneficials to help keep your plants from infestation.
Books, Books, Books! Richters carries a great selection of herbal books such as Beginner's Guide to Herb Gardening
by Yvonne
Cuthbertson,
Making Herbal Dream Pillows
by Jim
Long,
The Herbal Epicure: Growing, Harvesting, and Cooking
Healing Herbs
by Carole
Ottesen,
Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant
Health
by Rosemary
Gladstar,
Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference
by Jill
Norman, and
A Kid's Herb Book
by Lesley
Tierra, to name only a few.
You can order from Richters online catalogue, write for a hardcopy of the catalogue at Richters, Goodwood, Ontario, L0C 1A0, or call 1800-668-4372.
So many choices, so little garden space!
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