The Island Garden
By Roger Marshall
I picked the last tomatoes last Friday - out of the greenhouse, that is - the last red tomato from a plant that stood seven feet tall and measured five feet around. But lately it has been showing its age and only the tips of the shoots were still growing, so I cut the last few tomatoes off it, turned them into a delicious salad, and cut the plant down. Last year the plant lasted until just after Christmas, but the previous year I was still picking tomatoes on Feb. 26, according to my gardening notes.

Now, all I have left in the greenhouse to harvest are the keyor Mexican- limes, and a pile of herbs, but that's okay, the new tomato plants are four inches tall and growing fast. They'll be about a foot tall in another month and ready to go from the germination chamber and into the greenhouse.

This is what a greenhouse can do for you. It can cut down on carbon emissions, because you can grow your own salads, herbs, and vegetables even at this time of year, instead of having them trucked across country. A lean-to against your home can provide an additional heat source on a sunny day.

The greenhouse that is next to my studio was a humid 82 degrees last Saturday and Sunday when the weather was 45 outside. It can provide a place to relax in the warm without having to go to Florida, a place to start flowers and other plants when there's snow outside, and it can be your sanctuary away from the kids, the TV, and other annoyances. If you want to know how to build your own, my book "How to Build Your Own Greenhouse" is available at Jamestown Hardware.

Now we can get down to the theme of this week's issue, seed catalogs. My pile is a foot or more high and I've picked a few that you might want to check out online.

British seedsmen Thompson and Morgan (www.tmseeds.com) have a quarter-inch thick catalog with a ton of both flowers and vegetables. New this year are two Italian plants, Genovese basil and tomato for that perfect taste of Italy. Their new flowers for this year are two with barely pronounceable names, eschscholzia "Fruit Crush" and echinacea "Pink Parasol," or you might want to try their "Salmon Velvet" trailing petunia. For sure I want to try their "Purple Rain" pansy and viola "Endurio Mixed" in my hanging baskets.

Another good place to go for flowers is van Bourgondien (www. dutchbulbs.com). They sell plants and I have had pretty good luck with everything I've ordered. You might want to try "Peppermint Twist" phlox for a bright pink and white flower, or "Francesca" a new pale yellow green primula. They also have an echinacea; this one is "Pink Double Delight." If you're a dahlia fan, van Bourgondien has them, six pages of them.

Another place to get a variety of unusual and old favorite bulbs is Brent and Becky's Bulbs (www. brentandbeckysbulbs.com). Their catalog comes across as a little homespun, but the bulbs I tried last year and the previous year have done exceptionally well. Another place to try for flowers and shrubs is Bluestone Perennials (www. bluestoneperennials.com). They have a huge variety of shrubs and flowering plants that you will not find in stores. Talk about saving the best for last, White Flower Farm (www.whiteflowerfarm.com) in nearby Connecticut, has an incredible variety of shrubs and flowering plants for your garden. With White Flower Farm, you know that the plants are hardy enough for New England weather.

Picking the right plants for your yard and garden can add thousands of dollars in value to your property. But not only that, new flowers and shrubs can provide color and enjoyment that is not available in any other way, and for some plants it can add flowers and fruit that you can enjoy as winter's winds howl around the island.