THE COASTAL GARDNER:

January is gardening catalog month, during which enthusiastic gardeners around the country check their mailboxes for the newest, the biggest and the best plants. They search for the most colorful, most improved or most unusual to add to their garden or to a pot on their patio.

Most of you are probably familiar with suppliers like Jackson and Perkins, and Burpee. I won’t bore you with their offerings.

But here are some plants that have caught my eye from some more interesting plant companies:

Crinum ‘Mrs. James Hendry’

I have seven crinums, but this is the one I really want. Crinums make clumps of glossy, green, lily-like leaves. This hybrid is regarded by most as maybe the best ever. Huge flowers, wonderful fragrance, a tidy, compact habit, and tolerance to abuse. Can bloom from May through fall. Wow! Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, N.C., www.plantdelights.com.

Elephant Ear ‘Blue Hawaii’

Elephant Ears are such dramatic plants and so perfect in a pot or a moist spot near the house. This new selection, bred at the University of Hawaii, has leaves highlighted by dramatic, purple veins. On the leaf back, the veins are cranberry instead of purple. Also, it’s a small plant that gets to about 30-inches tall — perfect for a tight spot. I want it! Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, N.C., www.plantdelights.com.

Sternbergia sicula ‘Autumn Gold’

Sternbergia are little bulbs, widespread in Greece and the Greek islands and perfectly adapted to Southern California gardens. Their bright yellow flowers pop out of the soil about October. I haven’t grown this species, so I can hardly wait. I placed my order last week from this terrific English company that offers a huge selection of unusual and little-known plants for serious collectors. Ad Hoc Plants, Lancashire, England, www.adhocplants.com.

Musa ‘Siam Ruby’

This new, ornamental banana with incredible, crimson-red leaves will definitely turn heads. Trust me, the leaf color is stunning. I had a small one in a pot that was broken and killed two weeks ago on a windy day. I cried for two weeks — I’m definitely getting another. It grows to about 6-feet tall and can grow in a pot or in the ground. Asiatica Nursery, Lewisberry, Pa., www.asiaticanursery.com.

Origanum libanoticum

I’ve always been attracted to the ornamental oreganos. This one looks like fun; it has rose-pink flowers and grows only to about a foot high and 2-feet wide. As with other ornamental oreganos, the stacked, overlapping blush-colored bracts look like papery ornaments. This would be nice in a Mediterranean garden and would show off well dangling over a small wall or ledge. High Country Gardens, Santa Fe, N.M., www.highcountrygardens.com.

RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.