Maggie, I confess I don't like swiss chard so don't grow it, but my friends who do say the rainbow chard is every bit as tasty as the white stemmed varieties.

Re: catalogs, I probably order from Johnnys more than any other place, then Seeds of Change (all their seed is organic, but selection is limited.)

Flower seed I get from amywhere I can find what I'm looking for. Johnny has a great selection of cut flower seed, but for common annuals I am just as likely to use Park or Burpee as any other. I don't grow a lot of annuals, though, and tend to stick with those that easily self-sow. I have enough perennial gardening buddies to swap plants with that I rarely buy potted perennials anymore.

If I'm buying seedlings I try to shop at the local farmers market or at one of several locally owned nurseries and garden centers. From my years as a cut flower grower, I have a couple of people who will start anything I want them to from seed, and grow it on until I'm ready for it.

The Wayside Gardens and White Flower Farm catalogs are a delight to browse, but I only buy from them when they threaten to stop sending the catalog.

If you like dahlias, check out Swan Island Dahlias. Great and large selection and good info in catalog. On the web I think they are just dahlias.com.

Speaking of dahlias, Mine are all coming out *sob*. I love them. More than that, I ADORE them. But they take as much work as hybrid roses (maybe more) to be at their best. Some of them I dug up and gave away last year. I kept 20 or 30 of them. This spring I'll bit the bullet and dig up the rest(eyes tearing, voice trembling, hands shaking in horror.)

Janie