But what if I'm looking for something really unusual?

If it's a new cultivar or variety of a familiar plant type, go to a society website (see How to find Plant Societies) for that plant specialty.

If it's something that's too new, too rare, too esoteric to have a plant society (a rare plant indeed!), then first try your search engine. This approach is especially effective for unusual names.

Some of the best information about new introductions will be found in horticultural magazines or in mail order catalogs. If you're really serious about collecting information on unusual plants, you might consider spending some time with:

Plant Information Online: A free (formally fee-based) website developed and maintained by the Andersen Horticultural Library at the University of Minnesota. Searching both periodicals and books, this database provides a very up-to-date and comprehensive listing of citations to all cultivated plants, including cultivars and varieties.
http://plantinfo.umn.edu/arboretum/

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Last modified:
Friday, 10-Jul-2009 15:37:52 PDT