Databases

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Online plant finding services come and go, but the idea is appealing - one focused database to search multiple suppliers.

The best choice is Andersen Horticultural Library's Plant Information Onlin. online index of nursery catalogs and gardening literature has earned the distinction of being the first place library staff use to look for sources.

PlantScout from Dave’s Garden searches listings from 150 vendors (as of Oct. 2006). Searching for a plant will generate a list of linked nurseries that report selling it.  From the results page, the plant name link goes to the Plant Files database; “purchase” goes to the nursery’s web site; while the nursery name link goes to a list of all the plants offered by that nursery.  The nursery inventory page has a link to the Garden Watchdog customer review page for that nursery. Vendors pay a yearly fee to include their inventory in the database, but it is free to visitors.

eSeeds.com, A British based company, acts as a distributor of many international seed companies' seed packets.  eSeeds.com ships internationally and is not charging shipping charges in 2007 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

findmyroses.com will help you locate that rose you're looking for. They have information for over 6,100 varieties and species, many with sources.

Growit.com is wholesale only, and mostly lists Southeast USA growers.

Library staff use the (British) Royal Horticultural Society PlantFinder database more often for plant name verification than for finding a mail-order source simply because importing plants into the USA is tricky.  Still, confirming that a plant is commercially available may encourage the intrepid plant hunter to keep trying. 

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Last modified:
Friday, 25-Apr-2008 12:22:55 PDT