Leafing through seed catalogs can cause garden plans to sprout in your head.

As we transition from the chaotic activities of the holiday season to the quiet of winter days, many of us anticipate the arrival of garden and seed catalogs.

These catalogs are a welcome distraction from our cold and gray weather and entice us with photos and descriptions of bright, colorful flowering plants and vegetables, along with tantalizing new varieties and heirloom favorites. The result is often the purchase of an abundance of seeds or plants, enough to plant 10 gardens. Oh, the anticipation of spring!

Sometimes, our overzealous seed and plant selections result in crops that do not perform well in our gardens. Before purchasing plants, it is important to know the plant hardiness zone for your area. Butler County is USDA zone 5b/6a. The average minimum temperature is 10 below zero to 15 below zero.

To increase your success in selecting and growing seeds and plants, understanding common terms found in plant and seed catalogs will help you make the best selections for your gardens.

Plants are scientifically classified with a botanical name consisting of two words, the genus and the species.

The genus represents the group the plant belongs to and the species often describes some aspect of the plant. These names are written in italics. Catalogs generally provide the genus and species name for a plant, but often further designate the plant with a variety or cultivar name. The term variety notes that the plant is a naturally occurring variation of a plant species and is indicated by the term “var.”

The term cultivar is an abbreviation for “cultivated variety.”

Cultivars are produced by human efforts for specific traits. These characteristics include flower color or fragrance, leaf variegation and size of the plant. A cultivar is capitalized and enclosed in single quotes.

When reading a catalog, consider the plants you want to grow (for example, tomatoes), then decide on the variety or cultivar, based on the type, color, size and flavor of tomatoes you enjoy.

Hybrids are created by cross-pollinating two different parent plants (usually within the same genus) to achieve a desired characteristic. Hybrids may enhance the plants' disease resistance, flower or fruit production or other feature.

Open-pollinated plants and seeds are produced from natural, random pollination. Heirloom flowers and vegetables are open-pollinated. Hybrids are those in which the seed material is genetically engineered in a way that does not occur in nature.

Most catalogs group flowering plants as annuals, biennials or perennials. These terms are based on the plant's life cycle. Annuals live for only one growing season. They grow, flower and set seeds before dying. Annuals cannot survive a hard frost and must be planted after the last frost in spring; zinnias, lantana and nasturtiums are examples. Seeds of some annuals may overwinter and sprout in the spring. These self-sowing annuals include larkspur, cleome, alyssum, calendula and more.

Biennials are plants that take two years to complete their life cycle. When started from seed, these plants produce only foliage in their first year of growth; they produce flowers and fruits the second year. Hollyhocks and foxglove are examples of biennial plants.

Perennials are woody or herbaceous plants that live for more than two years and continue to grow after they have reproduced. While these plants may die back after frost, their roots survive winter and the plants put out new growth in the spring. Examples are coneflowers, asters, daylilies and peonies. Perennials may require periodic division to keep them within their allotted garden space.

Plant growth patterns are also found in the catalog descriptions. Bolting refers to premature flowering and seed formation in response to climatic conditions. For example, cilantro, spinach and lettuce are prone to bolting in hot weather. When purchasing seeds or plants, look for varieties that are slow to bolt.

Determinate is a term used to describe the growth habit, particularly of tomatoes. Determinate plants grow to a particular height, set fruit from the top of the plant to the bottom and then decline. Other tomato varieties are indeterminate and will continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season. Select plants based on your available space.

Spring will be here sooner than we think. Be prepared by studying your garden catalogs and selecting specimens based on the outcomes you desire for your gardens.

Mary Alice Koeneke is a Butler County master gardener.

Mary Alice Koeneke is a retired biologist who enjoys birdwatching and gardening. As a Penn State Extension Master Gardener Butler County (Class of 2016), she is especially interested in gardening for birds, pollinators, and wildlife using native plants.