Weeding Through the Web
by The National Garden Bureau

One could say there is an internet revival occurring. Sites such as eBay are seeing a surge in sales. Business travelers are using the internet to find the best pricing for airfares and hotel room rates. Travelers want to feel in control of their travel planning and expenses. Use of the internet offers ease of comparison-shopping and control over the price. On the opposite side of the fence, gardeners are not using the net regularly. According to Gardening Trends Early Spring Research conducted by the Garden Writers Association Foundation, only 18% of gardeners surveyed used the net as a frequent source of information. The same survey showed magazines and garden centers as more frequently used sources of information. Why is this? Gardeners may be more action oriented in the spring. They want to get out and get their hands in the dirt, oops, soil.

The National Garden Bureau conducted research, looking for sites that offer gardeners reliable information, great graphics or both. If anyone is looking for information whether they garden or just wish for a garden, these sites are recommended for user-friendly navigation, content and images.

UNIVERSITY WEBSITES:

All land-grant (state) universities conduct cooperative extension programs. Many extension programs include websites brimming with gardening information; some of the information is intended for professionals, but you will find plenty of tips and directions for the gardener. You will find specific information for your state.

www.ext.colostate.edu Colorado State University offers hundreds of publications, gardening online, cooperative extension locations, and a Plant Select link for plants that thrive in Rocky Mountain gardens.

www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening Cornell University’s "Home Gardening" provides searchable flower and vegetable databases for selecting the perfect plants for your garden, flower and vegetable fact sheets, and garden photos illustrating garden design techniques. View photos and read about a Cornell University horticulturist’s garden.

www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer The North Carolina State University "Hort On the Internet" has tons of links conveniently categorized by Plant Groups, Garden Topics, and Sources of Information. "Quick Reference" topics include Hardiness Zones, Scientific Names, Fertilizer, Flowers, Herbs, Pest Management, Soil, and Vegetables.

www.webgarden.osu.edu Ohio State University's "WebGarden" offers an illustrated plant dictionary with 1,200 entries, a collection of 200 short gardening how-to videos, and a downloadable plant database for your handheld. The "Plant Facts" database searches for content from over 46 university and government sources. Over 600 frequently asked gardening questions, and more.

www.extension.uiuc.edu The University of Illinois "Horticulture & Home Garden" includes a listing of Extension Web sites in "Hort Corner" and "Ask an Expert". The U of I Plant Clinic services include plant identification; disease diagnosis; insect and weed injury and recommendations.

www.uwex.edu/ces PowerPoint presentations for vegetables are available to view and download on this University of Wisconsin Extension site. Bulletins are available at every Wisconsin county extension office by clicking on County Offices and selecting a county.

GOVERNMENT WEBSITES:

http://plants.usda.gov This national plant database provides standardized information about US plants. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, characteristics, images, plant links and references. Link topic areas include Culturally Significant Plants, Plant Photos, Plants & Names: Floras, Databases and Nomenclature, and Educational.

www.nbii.gov/disciplines/botany The National Biological Information System site provides many links for topics that include gardening information: Botany for Kids, Collections and Organizations, General Reference Sources, Taxonomies, Plant Identification Tools, General Plant Databases, General Image Collections, Websites with Extensive Botanical Links, and Dictionaries, Glossaries, Encyclopedias.

REFERENCE WEBSITES:

www.ahs.org The American Horticultural Society connects you to great gardens of the world and provides a national registry of children’s gardens. Listings are provided for Children’s Gardening Programs at Public Gardens and Horticultural Societies, Formal Educational Programs and Curriculum Guides, as well as Sources of Children’s Gardening Activities. Internet links and resources offer gardening education for all skill levels.

www.bgbm.org/idb/botgard.html Internet Directory for Botany site provides lists and links to worldwide organizations that provide gardening information. You can link to botanical gardens, museums, horticultural societies, as well as university botany departments.

www.all-americaselections.org The newly designed All-America Selections website features an AAS Winner Image Library, AAS Trial Ground information, a searchable database of AAS Display Gardens, Store Locators for AAS Winners, and direct links to AAS winner seed sources.

www.ngb.org The National Garden Bureau website "Year Of" offers flower and vegetable fact sheets with images, "Today’s Garden" contains 55 gardening bulletins, "How A Garden Grows" features a photo gallery with fact sheets, and the "Membership Directory" links to member mail-order seed and plant company secure ordering sites where you can purchase thousands of flowers, vegetables and herbs to grow from seeds.

CHILDREN’S GARDENING SITES:

In addition to the specific sites listed below, a wealth of youth gardening information is available on County Extension and Botanic Garden websites.

www.kidsgardening.org The award winning National Gardening Association’s website offers a wealth of information for parents and teachers. "Digging Deeper" offers a Parent’s Primer, classroom stories, gardening activities, and kids gardening FAQ’s. The online store features children’s gardening supplies for home or school. The Teacher’s Room page offers classroom stories, activities, and advice.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu Click on the "Just For Kids" section of this Texas A&M website. "Kindergarten" has a fun page for kids, activities, and tips for gardening with children. "JMG" (Junior Master Gardener) offers the "Kids Zone" full of activities including compost critter identification. You may also choose activities from chapters or topics of textbook level one or level two.

www.lifelab.org Since 1979 this California non-profit has worked with over 1,000 schools nationwide in developing Life-Lab school gardens. Their K-5 garden-centered science curricula are available for purchase.

www.urbanext.uiuc.edu "The Great Plant Escape" is just one of the many pages for kids. Click on the "Just for Kids" section for "A Walk in the Woods" (with sound), pages for the secret life of trees, a first garden, and insects. There are teachers’ guides as well.

www.vivagarden.com Offers herb and vegetable cultural information, ideas, tips, recipes, containers, and FAQ’s. Their link with NGA provides information on growing herbs and vegetables with an emphasis on gardening for children.

WEBSITES ON HOW TO GROW FROM SEED:

www.thegardenhelper.com If you are looking for help in getting started with gardening, this is a fun site to begin with. It covers general how-to’s for seed starting, information on garden styles (vegetable, butterfly, shade, for example), lists of plants with cultural requirements (including indoor plants), gardening forums, and a handy month-by-month gardening calendar.

www.gardenweb.com One of the older internet destinations, gardenweb offers page after page of useful and fun information. In addition to incorporating Garden Net, with its directory of botanical gardens and plant societies, it offers bulletin boards for finding answers to your gardening questions, links to products and plants, articles, and forums.