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4B Daily News – Friday, January 20, 2012 It's time for a fresh crop of gardening catalogs (MCT) — Garden catalogs are more than pages and pages of pretty pictures for casual enjoyment. They inspire you to improve or reinvent your yard. They describe each plant down to the number of petals on the flowers or how the leaves are arranged on stems. They also introduce you to the latest and greatest in plant development, whether it's a new color in a coneflower or a big- ger and better tomato. For 2012, Burpee's catalog introduces its Boost Collection of six nutrient-rich vegetables designed exclusively for home gardens. All were naturally bred by traditional hybridization, with no genetically modified organisms, or unwanted GMOs, according to a Burpee spokes- woman. Burpee claims its Boost veg- gies provide higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants. For example, a half cup of Cherry Punch tomatoes delivers 90 percent of the recommended daily dose of Vitamin C, and Sweet Heat peppers produce 65 percent more Vitamin C than the average garden pepper. Its Healing Hands salad mix with four greens — mustards, radic- chio and lettuce — can be har- vested every three weeks for several salads. Home gardeners can purchase Boost via the print catalog or online at Burpee.com. The Gold Stan- dard hybrid cucumber with five times the beta-carotene and Healing Hands Salad Mix are available as seeds only; the tomatoes and peppers in the collection come as seeds or plants. Here are 5 more catalogs, all free, worth getting because they offer a wide selection of grow- ing material for Zones 3-10 and they do double duty as educa- tional material: Brent and Becky's Bulbs Always known for spectacu- lar spring- and summer-flower- ing bulbs, Brent and Becky Heath have added a few peren- nials to their summer catalog. This year, Becky recommends a Veronica called Royal Candles with royal blue spikes that look showy in the full-sun summer border; it grows 10 to 15 inches tall and is cold hardy Zones 4-9. The catalog also includes a couple new Colocasias, or ele- phant ears that add a touch of the tropics to your warm-weath- er gardens no matter where you live. They grow in the ground or look stunning in large pots on your patio or porch. One of the new ones is Bikini-Tini with bluish gray leaves with dark purple veins and leaves that face upward and fill with water when it rains; they stand on sturdy stems in full sun or par- tial shade and are rated cold hardy to Zone 6. The Heaths, who live and garden in southeastern Virginia, also like Eucomis, nicknamed pineapple lily, because its fresh and finished flowers give the garden beautiful structure. The Heaths introduce the new Twin- kle Stars with pink flowers that resistant to the powdery mildew that plagues most beebalms. Cold hardy in Zones 6-10, it puts on a two-month display of lavender-purple flowers and requires little water to keep the show going. To get the free print catalog, visit www.highcountrygar- dens.com or call toll free 800- 925-9387. Logee's The cover of Logee's new catalog showcases what it does best _ offers rare and hard-to-find plants like the container- found its niche in nursery-prop- agated wildflowers and native perennials, ornamental grasses, and unusual trees and shrubs. Located in Chapel Hill, N.C., the nursery's catalog is on the plain side with mostly listings of tried-and-true specimens like wild columbine cold hardy in Zones 3-8, artemisia cold hardy in Zones 3-10 and asters for Zones 4-8. New plant offerings include two dwarf conifers — Chamaecyparis Snow and Nana Gracillis — that are small enough for almost any garden and also add a touch of living art as they grow. Since deer are such problems for gardeners everywhere, the catalog features symbols indicating deer resistance, relying on the gardens' own experi- ence with deer, as well as published literature on the 5 ORDERING TIPS Choose hardy plants. Select plants suitable for your climate, not just because they look pret- ty in pictures, especially when it comes to perennials, shrubs and trees that you want to keep around for a long time. Cata- logs and online sites usually provide cold-hardy zones for each species; if you don't know your zone, look for a map that illustrates the different zones or contact your extension office. Also, make sure the plant is suitable for the site in your yard, such as sun or shade, wet or dry. Read catalogs carefully for plant descriptions and tips that help you make good choices. Select suitable seeds. Read feature stamens that almost "glitter" with pollen; it grows 24 to 30 inches tall and is cold hardy Zones 7-9. To get the free print catalog, visit www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com or call toll free 877-661-2852. High Country Gardens Brakelights red yucca, a plant known to be a humming- bird magnet, is a new introduc- tion for this company which specializes in perennials, orna- mental grasses and shrubs that require little water. Cold hardy in Zones 5-10, the yucca pro- duces narrow strips of foliage with dark-green, grassy non- spiny leaves that are compact and evergreen. Its nectar-rich flowers keep hummers coming all summer long. High Country Gardens, located in Santa Fe, N.M., also unveils its Harvest Booster Perennial Collection with small- and medium-sized flow- ering perennials that, when planted into and around veg- etable gardens and potted veg- etables, attracts bees for polli- nation. The 12-plant selection is cold hardy in Zones 5-9 and includes Pink Lace beebalm, Select Blue cat mint, Blue For- tune agastache, purple cone- flower, Little Lemon goldenrod and Rotkugel oregano. If beneficial bees rank high on your list, Peter's Purple bee- balm is what you need, espe- cially if you want a species grown Fukushu kumquat on the cover. Inside, the catalog profiles 68 new plants, including staghorn fern on volcanic rock, Bienvenue hibiscus with 6-inch, pink-swirl blooms, variegated Chinese violet with light pink-lavender blooms and orange lipstick plant. Located in Connecticut, Logee's celebrates 120 years of offering tropical and hardy fruiting plants and an assort- ment of fragrant and tropical plants for containers. The com- pany rounds out its catalog with hardy jasmine, red passion flowers, mandevilla, bamboo and angel's trumpet. Some of its oddities include chenille plant with furry-red catkins, lollipop flower with spires of yellow rocket-shaped lollipops and Chinese perfume plant with scented yellow blooms you can enjoy several times a year. When you order, you get 2 1/2- or 4-inch potted plants that can go in containers or in the ground. To get the free print catalog, visit www.logees.com or call toll free 888-330-8038. Niche Gardens Niche Gardens is a retail and mail-order nursery that has Save on your classified with these coupons! You choose the number of times! No limit on the number of ads per customer, but each customer order MUST BE ACCOMPANIED WITH THE COUPON for the special(s) you want to use. All ads must be PAID IN ADVANCE by cash , check , MasterCard or Visa. Orders may be FAXED, MAILED OR BROUGHT INTO OUR OFFICE . Use the form below for mailing or faxing. Help wanted ads excluded. Our address is P.O. Box 220, Red Bluff, CA 96080, and our FAX number is 527-5774. Final deadline for coupons to be in our office is 12:00 Noon, on January 24, 2012, includes counter, mail and fax. CLASSIFIED COUPON SPECIALS 6 lines 6 times 6 lines 12 times 6 lines 30 times DAILY NEWS COUPON OFFER ENDS TUES., JAN. 31, 2012 AT 12:00 NOON 6 LINES OR LESS, 6 CONSECUTIVE TIMES 4999 3999 DAILY NEWS COUPON OFFER ENDS TUES., JAN. 31, 2012 AT 12:00 NOON 6 LINES OR LESS, 12 CONSECUTIVE TIMES 8999 DAILY NEWS COUPON OFFER ENDS TUES., JAN. 31, 2012 AT 12:00 NOON 6 LINES OR LESS, 30 CONSECUTIVE TIMES OUR FAX NUMBER IS 527-5774 Please charge ads to my ( ) Visa Account No. ( ) MasterCard Expires_________________________ ----------------- ------------------- ----------------- ------------------ Name on Card_______________________________________________________ Signed______________________________________________________ D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 545 DIAMOND AVE.— RED BLUFF — 527-2151 IN ORDER TO RUN YOUR COUPON ADS THE DAY AFTER PLACEMENT THE FOLLOWING DEADLINE APPLIES: 12:00 NOON AD 3. AD 2. NO REFUND or CREDIT if ad is canceled prior to scheduled ending date Print or type your ad in the box below, check the special coupon you wish to use and mail or fax together with your payment. Name_____________________________________________ Address____________________________________________ City______________________________ State___________ Zip_________________ Phone________________________ No. Of Ads W/coupon ______________________ BOLD LINE ($2 ADDITIONAL CHARGE). No copy changes or skip dating on these specials. No refund or credit if ad is canceled prior to scheduled ending date. Ads must be scheduled to start on or before Tuesday, January 31, 2012. Forms may be copied for additional ads or attach separate sheet. AD 1. descriptions carefully and pick varieties that will yield the best results, especially if you live where there is a shorter grow- ing season for summer flowers, vegetables and fruits. Also, look for disease-resistant varieties. Be ready. Avoid ordering plants that you can't quickly put in the ground or pots. Use mild winter days to till and prep beds before your plant orders arrive. Instructions that come with the plants are your best guides. Order early. Plants and seeds are often available in lim- ited quantities, so place your order early to avoid disappoint- ment. If you don't want a substi- tution, state so clearly on your order form. Keep records. Make a copy subject. You'll also learn that native asters have new names, as described under Ampelaster carolinianus, or climbing aster, which produces loads of tight, purplish-pink buds that open to reveal spidery rose-pink flowers that mature to lilac. At Niche Gardens, a mailbox covered in this vining aster blooms mid- October through November; the plant is cold hardy Zones 7-9 so it can be treated as a summer annual in colder climates. To get the free print catalog, visit www.nichegardens.com or call 919-967-0078. Tomato Growers Everyone everywhere enjoys fresh, juicy, home-grown toma- to for summertime sandwiches and salads and this catalog is all about tomatoes. New varieties for 2012 include Green Doctors and its cherry-sized green fruit and cherry cascade hybrid with cascading clusters of red cherry tomatoes — both perfect for of your order sheet so you have the names, item numbers, prices and dates to help you communicate clearly with a company if you have questions about an order. Also, be familiar with the company's guarantee policy before you order. Direct Gardening Association: www.directgardeningassocia- tion.com for more catalog sources popping in your mouth or on top of crisp salads. In all, there are 15 new tomatoes, one All- America Selections new pepper and a rare new eggplant called Pot Black. You've got to be a seed-start- ing aficionado because all the tomatoes and all the other veg- gies are offered only by seed. Therefore, the back of the cata- log is devoted to seed-starting equipment and supplies like jiffy pot trays, starting mix, soil warmers and tomato pens that are made of heavy galvanized wire that fold flat for easy stor- ing and last for many years of fresh homegrown tomatoes. To get the free print catalog, visit www.tomatogrowers.com or call toll free 888-478-7333. Your Place: Tips for heating safely (MCT) — On a warmish New Year's under that skin. Eve, I planted more lettuce in the cold frame on the south side of the house since what I'd put in a few weeks before was thriving. Then, of course, the next few days turned bitterly cold. Although the lettuce continues to thrive — it is a cold frame, after all — my thoughts turned to how people were coping with this and future spates of frigid temper- atures. Consumer Reports tweeted a link to a Centers for Disease Control list of home- heating safety tips. I'll give you a few. Use fireplaces, wood stoves, or other combustion heaters only if they are proper- ly vented to the outside and do not leak flue gas into indoor air space. Do not burn paper in a fireplace. Ensure adequate ventilation if you must use a kerosene heater. Use only the type of fuel your heater is designed to use. Do not substitute. Do not place a space heater within three feet of anything that may catch fire, such as drapes, furniture, or bedding, and never cover your space heater. Never place a space heater on top of fur- niture or near water. For the whole list, go to http://bit.ly/wC8yAJ. Better late than never. I received an e- mail while I was away for the holidays from a reader with a decision-making deadline of Dec. 22. Oops, I say. It seems she has a 1992-vin- tage dishwasher that seems to wash pots and pans just fine but leaves cloudy marks on the backs of glasses. She asked me to recommend a model — I cannot do so — or determine whether she needs a replacement. My advice: If your dishwasher has a dis- penser for it, a rinsing agent might help. You also may be using more dishwashing deter- gent than you need. Experiment before you replace. Q: My 1929 house was aluminum-sided (covering wood siding) in the 1970s. Every- thing looks fine from the outside, but I keep wondering what deterioration is going on Short of ripping off siding in different spots to check, is there a way to know if the wood is rotting? Or am I worrying about something unlikely? A: If there were pieces of siding that were crooked or sagging, or there was mold or mildew on the surface, I'd say you might have a problem. If everything looks fine, depending on how you define the word, I wouldn't go looking for trouble. From my experience, houses were sided with aluminum for three reasons: To avoid having to paint, to hide rotting wood (sales- men in the 1960s talked entire neighbor- hoods into believing replacing the rot was more expensive), or to make one rowhouse look different from the next (hence siding over brick). From your address, it sounds like your siding was done to avoid painting. Q: How can I safely take berry stains off my Hardiplank (fiber-cement) siding that birds put there from our holly tree? We tried bleach and water and used a brush that took off some finish. I also used a siding cleaner recommended at the home center and it didn't do anything. A: When I was installing Hardiplank as trim on a 19th-century shed in a churchyard a few years back, I used washing soda (in the laundry detergent aisle at Wegmans and elsewhere) to remove sap from evergreen trees before I painted the board. That or lemon juice might work. CORK FLOORS: I wrote about cork flooring a few weeks ago, and a number of you responded with your experiences. Here's one: "I have cork flooring in my kitchen. My house does not have a base- ment, and the cork floor is warmer and also softer than a typical floor. "I didn't consider it an expensive type of flooring, but it does have one thing to con- sider. It is prone to scratching. The installa- tion has it as a floating floor. The sections are large and they are glued together. "My cats have put many tiny nicks in the floor through their racing and stopping in the kitchen."