In the Mailbox: R. H. Shumway's 2018 Illustrated Garden Guide

In today's mail, a new catalog for 2018 from R. H. Shumway.  They're celebrating their 148th year.  Owned, according to Dave's Garden by Jung Nursery, they have their own unique personality.

Opening the catalog is like a trip to the past.  Color and black and white drawings fill the pages, and the fonts lend the air of gentler times.  There are many old varieties of seeds and AAS winners of today.  Ha! The catalog pages are huge, and beyond the ability of my scanner to get the entire page.

I like the "Lazy Housewife Pole Bean"  The original heirloom from the 1800s!  One of the first beans to be completely stringless--there is little work or time involved...thus resulting in the name.  Use as a snap, shell or dry bean, depending on when you harvest.  Medium-green pods are 4-5 in. long with distinctive shiny, white seeds.  75-80 days.