Catalogue ‘Blooms’

The catalogue of Cooley’s Gardens in Silverton, Ore., is as far from Smith & Hawken as you can get, though not that many miles separate Silverton from Mill Valley, Calif. But in the Cooley’s catalogue (P.O. Box 126, Silverton, Ore. 97381), there are no chi-chi European tools, no gardener’s boots or clogs, no Tuscan grills or herbal bath salts. There are only bearded iris, about 400 varieties.

There are iris blooms of pure blue, purple, yellow, apricot, orange, burgundy, even a near red. And there are some that are difficult to describe. ‘Dusky Dancer,’ for instance. Is it really a dark, dark purple-black? There is an entire spread of “ebony and ivory” iris, with names like ‘Superstition,’ ‘Interpol,’ and ‘Night Owl.’ Or how about ‘Gallant Moment,’ a cookie-colored iris that comes very close to being brown.

The cover of Cooley’s looks like an aging Kodachrome lifted from the family slide show. And, sure enough, it is. It’s a picture of Grandma Cooley’s garden taken way back in 1953. Inside are endless iris mug shots and, not to be outdone by the slick catalogues, a pop-up photograph of iris.

--Robert Smaus

Handy Garden Cart

You won’t find it in Smith & Hawken, but you might at the local hardware store because, of all people, Rubbermaid makes this nifty garden cart. It’s a tough (they say it holds 200 pounds!), but lightweight (hang it on the garage wall) plastic and has slots for tools.

--R.S.

Drought-Tough Veggies

There are vegetables that need less water than most and that can stand the heat of summer. The Bountiful Gardens catalogue of Ecology Action (free catalogue from 19550 Walker Road, Willits, Calif. 95490) lists a number for the adventuresome vegetable gardener (prices for seed are postpaid and range between $1.30 and $3.25):

How about the moth bean? Though it doesn’t sound too appetizing, it is considered a delicacy in India and takes heat. ‘Foul Muddammas’ fava bean sounds even worse, but it’s a staple in Egypt. Lamb’s quarters ‘Magenta’ is a culinary relative of that tough weed, but edible and drought tolerant.

‘Munchen Bier’ or podding radish produces edible pealike pods on a plant that “will survive a reasonable amount of neglect.” ’Bronze Arrow’ is a heat tolerant lettuce which, they say, will keep its taste and appearance for three weeks in midsummer heat.

For the really adventuresome, how about Quinoa , “a beautiful, high-yielding, heat-tolerant ancient Andean staple,” which is considered “perhaps the most complete food on earth,” according to Bountiful Gardens.

--R.S.