Do you miss hearing Carl Elliot of KUOW on Wednesday mornings? Or maybe you work Wednesday morning and so never enjoyed this local gardening guru on the radio. Well now you can download the archived pod casts from the KUOW website (www.kuow.org). A podcast is essentially an audio file that can be downloaded from the Internet and then listened to via computer or played on a MP3 player (such as an iPod, thus the name). You have to install special software to manage the downloading of the podcasts and it isn't totally intuitive, but what fun to listen to a gardening radio show on my schedule.

Going to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show? This is the event that jump starts the garden season in Seattle. If you're feeling flush with money, splurge for the $48 premium tickets which buys valet parking and entrance into the show an hour before everyone else, for optimal viewing of the spectacular display gardens. Not feeling so flush? Buy $11 half-day tickets for entrance after 3:00pm. It's much less crowded in the evening and you still have the chance to see 9 different seminars (3 time slots in 3 rooms, so only 3 lectures, but 9 topics to choose from). If you're on a strict budget, make a note to volunteer next year to help staff one of the many educational and non-profit booths. Although you'll need to join a gardening society or club before you can volunteer for one!

The garden show has lovely gardens, but the shopping is fabulous. Seeds, rare perennials (in bare roots, so not too heavy to carry around), and cool new books. As always, there will be the entertaining hucksters selling some new fangled weeding tool or chunks of Plumaria stem that promise to make our dark houses smell like Hawaii. Steel yourself against such temptations!

After pouring over the seed catalogs I find the word "wildflower" used a lot to describe a sort of care-free fantasy of a flowery meadow reminiscent of the Sound of Music. Beware: Wildflower does not mean native or even "these flowers grow in wild areas." It means "will grow without much fuss and may become weedy (or even quite invasive)". It means foolproof, which has a certain appeal. But is certainly does not mean natural.

What I didn't find in my catalogs was a good source for single color flower seeds. Specifically I want orange, melon and peach colored zinnias and yellow hollyhocks. Both of these cottage garden classics are always sold in all-color mixes. I buy these mixes and I end up with hot pink zinnias and maroon hollyhocks. Lovely, but oh-so-wrong for my tastes.

I searched online and found Redbudfarms.com, who sells single color (and mixes) zinnias and other annuals. I'll start these seeds in April for planting out in early June. Zinnias have no scent, but butterflies and the occasional hummingbird love them and they also make long lasting cut flowers.

The two other companies who earned my seed buying business were Thomson and Morgan (800-274-7333) and Nichols Garden (800-422-3985). T & M tempted me with Agapanthus hybrids and daisies in sunset shades such as Osteospermum and Gazinias. From Nichols Garden I bought purple Brussels sprouts 'Red Rubine ' and a new cilantro cultivar, 'Delfino' that promises more leaves and "bolt resistance" (won't go to flower too quickly).

One word of advice on starting seeds: the window sill won't do! Don't waste you're time with growing seeds indoors unless you're willing to invest in florescent lights.

Tracy Mehlin is a librarian at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. Do you have a question for Tracy? Email her at gaiagardens@excite.com