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Links to other sites

This page contains various links web resources I find useful enough that I return to them regularly. Also, a list of links to other gardeners' websites. The list is just a short list - for a much more extensive directory of gardening resources on the web, visit the Open Directory Project's Gardening category, which features thousands of links to useful, informational, and commercial gardening topics.

A separate page lists some of our favorite local nurseries.

Seed-starting information

Tom Clothier's Garden Walk and Talk

As far as I'm concerned, the quick-reference bible for germination information. Includes germination instructions for thousands of plant species, as well as an index to Norman Deno's book and supplements.

The Seed Site

A very nice website of encyclopedic proportions, with not only a wealth of germination information, but also pictures of seed pods, seeds, and seedlings. This one's worth getting familiar with!

Thompson and Morgan's seed raising guide

Not nearly as comprehensive as Clothier's database, this guide (now carried at backyardgardener.com) has some useful bits on germinating tropicals, and a limited germination database (listings only by genus, not by species).

NativePlants propagation protocol database

If you can deal with the scientific lingo, this is a nice resource for finding methods to propagate species native to the United States, with both vegetative and sexual methods covered.

Gardenweb

A lively garden-centric site full of forums on all garden topics imaginable, with lots of friendly experts and mostly on-topic discussions. In the context of seedstarting, check out the growing from seed, wintersowing, and seed saving forums and the seed exchange. Wintersowing - the practice of sowing in wintertime into containers for germination outside - has grown especially popular among the Gardenweb community. If you're interested in this, the wintersowing FAQ is a good place to start. In addition, many of the more specialized forums are helpful for answering germination questions particular to that group of plants, e.g. alpines, aroids, and salvias.

Seedstarting supplies

Pinetree seeds

Our favorite general-purpose seed source. Lots of vegetables, and a good number of annuals too, all in no-nonsense packaging and amounts, at no-nonsense prices. You won't find the latest fancy hybrid at you saw for $4.99 at Thompson and Morgan here, but they offer many of the standbys at reasonable prices. We get all our veggie seeds here, and also Neptune's Harvest fish-based fertilizer.

J.L. Hudson seeds

An oddball among seed companies. An amazing number and variety of seeds in a small black-and-white catalog with no photos. Interesting details in plant descriptions, often referring to native uses. Botano-political commentary in the front and back. Most seed packets are $1.50. Also a source for Gibberellic Acid GA-3.

Mellingers

Mail-order company with a large catalog. After having less than great success with a number of their plant shipments, I will no longer order plant material from them. But I've found them hard to beat for a number of plant supplies. They are one of the only sources of Pro-mix PGX seed-starting medium I've found. Their prices on flats, inserts, and various styles and sizes of plastic pots are good, especially when purchasing in larger quantities. And I always keep a few of their weatherproof markers on hand.

Novosel

A mail-order source for cellpacks, pots, trays and other plastic products. Their online catalog is not very large, but they've been very helpful in getting me some different products that they didn't list, in response to an e-mail request. I recommend them for their personalized service. Reasonable prices, too.

Plants

I prefer to get my plants from local sources - see my local nurseries page. But sometimes you just can't get what you want locally. Mail-order companies I've tried and have been pleased with include:

Bluestone Perennials

A good source for garden standbys - common perennials and shrubs, with a good number of new selections every year. Most of the selections come in three-packs, which contain fairly small plants, at a good price. For this reason, I prefer to order from Bluestone in spring - when I've ordered in Fall, I've lost plants because they simply weren't robust enough yet to get established in my garden before winter. I always order when they have their buy-two-get-one-free deal. Amazingly, they let you take the most expensive of the three as the free one!

Forest Farm

An almost encyclopedic source of woody plants (mostly shrubs and trees). They offer so many different selections that their no-frills/no-color-photos catalog is a bound book. They are in Oregon, and shipping costs can get high. Best to order the specimens as "tubes" (just a little soil around the roots) rather than pots. They once sent me a supposedly male holly bush that proceeded to grow berries, but gave me a credit when I complained.

Collector's nursery

I only ordered from this company once, but I like their selection of out of the ordinary perennials. I found them while looking for variegated horseradish, and got a healthy plant from them. Take a look at their website and see for yourself.

Miscellaneous garden supplies

Paw Paw everlast label

The best source I've found for permanent metal plant markers. They offer a good variety of styles and sizes, for reasonable prices. The zinc-plated writing surface can be marked with a black crayon or a permanent marker. See my markers page for more details and other approaches.

General gardening

Gardenweb

I already mentioned Gardenweb above, in the seed-starting section. But they are about lots more than just that. Check out their wide variety of forums - two of my favorites are perennials and name that plant.

Suite 101 gardening community

Another friendly place where gardeners congregate. Less interactive than Gardenweb, the forte of Suite101 are the columnists, who contribute (more or less regularly) articles on various gardening topics. Especially worthwhile:
Gardening in shade by Marge Talt. Very well-researched articles with great photographs to illustrate her favorite plants. Her series on aroids is an especially good read. Unfortunately, she's written no new contributions in quite a while.
Virtually gardening by Carol Wallace. An irreverent grab bag of topics that almost always hit home.

I Can Garden

Another gardeners resource and community, this one based in Canada, with regular articles, a Kidz Korner, well-organized information and LOTS of links to all manner of garden web resources.

Gardens around the world

This is just a random collection of garden websites I know about - some belong to friends, others are sites I came across while Googling around. For a much longer list, visit the Personal Gardens category of the Open Directory Project.

Emmy in the Netherlands

I've traded lots of seeds with Emmy over the years, and a lot of the resulting plants are now growing in our gardens. Emmy's site has an emphasis on seed - her trade list, tips and techniques, etc. Also some pictures of her garden in the Southeast of the Netherlands, and a list of plants she grows.

Maureen and Glen in Canada

Trying to find good links to plants listed on my own site (and trying to figure out what those plants I've started from seed will wind up looking like), I scout around the internet quite a bit. Often, my surfing takes me to this wonderful site, chock full of beautiful plant photos and personal details of how plants grow in their garden. A great resource that I've yet to fully explore.

Hayefield

Garden author and fellow plant geek Nancy Ondra blogs about her garden just a short drive south of ours. Several plants in our garden originated in Nan's (either as seed or as divisions) - and if you count inspiration (derived from a visit last year), we owe even more to her sunny paradise. The blog is full of life, highlighting interesting plants — and occasionally alpacas.

Greta and Gerald in Belgium

Greta is another prolific trade partner. Her small web site is home to an extensive seed trade list and a plant list with many photos.

Gardeners' corner

An Arizona garden described in pictures, along with a great many links to all manner of other garden resources. Visiting this website in March and seeing the garden in bloom while mine was still barren got my hopes up and my imagination going!

Elizabeth in Ireland

A website I just happened upon, a nice example of one that's developed over the years, with photos of Elizabeth's garden in years past, as well as pages devoted to her favorite categories of plants. Good for a leisurely browse.

Carla in the Nederlands

A great example of a Dutch plantswoman's garden - lots of plants and garden design tucked into a modest space. The site has plenty of garden pictures, and plant photos too.

Jan and Mieke in Belgium

Bilingual website for a flower-filled garden near Ghent in Belgium. A list of the plants and bulbs growing in the garden, with many photos. I also like the page showing combinations of different plants in bloom. Link for English version at the bottom of the homepage.

Blom & Planten - René in the Netherlands

Dutch-only website for a garden in the Southern Netherlands. Like myself, René is a real collector, and he spends more time documenting his plants than his gardens. Nice hellebore photo gallery.

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Last modified: June 02, 2008
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