Cool Weather Slowed Spring Gardening Season

(HIT) - The "on again, off again" spring season, which featured late season snowstorms in the Northeast and Midwest and cool weather throughout much of the country, resulted in a slow start to the 2007 gardening season. According to the Mailorder Gardening Association, the nation’s top mailorder garden catalogs and websites reported slower than normal sales early this spring. But by May 1, when the weather across the country had warmed up, orders poured in. "Phones started ringing off the hook," said Sarah Boonstra of Bluestone Perennials. And just as the weather warmed up, gasoline prices began to rise, which convinced shoppers to place more orders with garden catalogs and websites rather than driving to the plant nursery across town. "Even with a slow start, we expect 2007 to be a very strong year for garden catalogs and websites," said Camille Cimino, executive director of the Mailorder Gardening Association. For more information about gardening catalogs and websites—including links to more than 100 online catalogs, visit www.mailordergardening.com.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center