Garden catalog season gives gardeners chance to explore, shop for next year's seeds

January begins the annual flight of vegetable, flower, and fruit tree catalogs to your mailbox or inbox. Depending on your level of gardening, the catalogs are starting to arrive frequently and en mass.

“It used to be you would get either a vegetable catalog or a fruit catalog or flower catalog,” says Richard Hentschel, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “Many catalogs now contain something for everyone, including the garden gadget addicts.”

Illinois gardeners should start by looking for plants that thrive in USDA Hardiness Zone 5. Many catalogs offer heirloom vegetables,...