Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Where in the www to find reliable plant info
Aside from right here at Garden Bite…. the Missouri Botanical Garden plant finder is one IMPRESSIVE website!
When your mouth is watering from all the plant catalog offerings and your eyes are wide with wonder at the new flora… it’s not a bad idea to do a little research on those plants. Such as prunus persica ‘Contender’ from yesterday’s GB! I looked it up and this link takes you right to it. MBG plant finder.
Companies are trying to sell their products to people in all climate zones, so it’s a good idea to keep in mind YOUR climate because what works in my zone might not in yours. Weather plays a major role in the health of our flora. It’s a good time to research those plants you’re panting after.
Missouri Botanical Garden was founded in 1859 and is the nation’s oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark. Their website is nearly as wonderful as their gardens around St. Louis. If you browse their photos and you’ll want to plan a visit!!!!
Plant Finder details complete care and growing information on over 6800 plants. If you know the scientific name of the plant you’re interested in, you can get right to it. I searched for prunus persica, the latin name for Peach tree (which we talked about yesterday) and it listed 6 types.
There is an advanced search where you can choose specifics of the type of plant you’re looking for including climate zone, flower color, height, width, ornamental or edible and much much more. Hit search and the site will offer you choices based on your criteria. Check out osteospermum!
The information for each plant lists all the basics plus noteworthy characteristics, problems and garden uses. There are additional photographs and even commentary on some of the plants.
I typed in “peony” and it came up with numerous options just to show you…
While it doesn’t list every plant, tree and shrub, 6800 is a whole lot! And it will also pronounce the scientific name for you!