Garden Commentary and Links

I have a number of challenges in my one acre yard. Half of the area lays in a flood plain that is flooded about once each year by run off from heavy rain. The upstream area is mostly pasture so there isn’t a problem with parking lot oil. There is a ground seep that starts above the high water mark that keeps a large area very wet all year including some spots that have an inch or two of standing water for long periods. Much of the drier parts are yellow clay. There is little top soil. More ground seep links: Non-Alluvial Wetlands of the Coastal Plan and Piedmont, Basic seepage swamp, Northern Piedmont acidic seepage swamp.

I won’t be digging beds in the areas that flood. The loose earth would wash away. I have planted willow, maple, bald cypress, and hickory trees in the flood area in 2004. I am looking for “pond margin” perennials to plant in the wet areas including the flood area. Since floods last only a few hours each year, I suspect I could find shrubs and other large perennials that can stand wet clay that would grow in this area. The plants I am planning for the very wet ground seep areas are Marsh Marigold, Variegated Iris (a variation of the UK native flag iris), Hibiscus, Trollius, Japanese Iris, and Siberian Iris. Any suggestions would be welcome. See my email link at the bottom of the page. Check back at the end of 2005 for an update.

I have vegetable and flower beds ready for spring 2005. I like growing dahlias and tuberoses having done well with these in the past. I dig them in the fall and store them over winter. It does not take long for these to multiply beyond the capacity of any garden I have had. I will get permanent annuals after I have worked the beds a couple of years and I am convinced the annual weeds are gone.

I planted a mass of bulbs for spring flowers in fall of 2004. I plan to seed annual flowers between the bulbs in the spring and dig the whole thing up in the fall and replant the bulbs. I have real problems with weeds right now as the property has not had an experienced gardener for many years. I will dig everything up to get rid of the annual weeds. Gentle tilling between rows stops germinating seeds from growing. After a couple of years the annual weeds disappear and periodic light tilling keeps all but the most invasive weeds from returning. I keep the invasive weeds out by periodic digging of a defensive margin around the beds. Yes, I could use wood barriers and the like but that costs money and I need the exercise.

I get floating row covers (formerly called reemay) from Pinetree Garden Seeds or Farm Tek to cover the garden when starting seeds. This provides protection from the weather and moderates the temperature underneath. The reemay lets light and water through, but keeps the seeds from being blown away, pounded by rain, frosted by cold, and burnt by heat. Also, I get bales of ProMix from the co–op (about $25 per 3.8 cu. ft. compressed bale, weight about 60–75 lbs.) and fill small trenches (not over an inch wide or deep) with ProMix and plant the seeds in the ProMix. Mixing ProMix with compost is ideal. Many seeds need light to germinate so they need to be on a smooth surface. Others should have only a light covering over them. The clay soil around here is really bad for starting most seeds smaller than beans and squash. If you have lots of compost that can be used with or instead of ProMix. I would use compost sparingly to start seeds and not try to mix it all into the clay. It would take mountains of compost or ProMix to completely break up our clay soil and it is not necessary. Just provide a sweet spot for the new seeds. Once the seeds are going they will take care of themselves.

Also, I dig holes in the wet clay and fill them with ProMix when planting all the bare root perennials, trees, shrubs, etc. that I get from the mail order nurseries. I don't have time to go around to the local road side nurseries and look for stuff. They usually don’t have what I want anyway and charge more than I want to pay when they do have what I want. The small and cheap bare root plants generally do better than the large expensive equivalents in the big heavy tubs. If some of the small bare root plants don’t make it, so what, order more and you are still ahead of the dollar curve. Put a cap of soil over the ProMix and mulch over that and you are ready for your new trees, shrubs, etc. to sleep till spring. Did I mention that I put dormant plants in the ground in the late fall?


Directories

I have not found these garden oriented directories, including Google (DMOZ) to be useful. It took me two days of hunting to finally find Gardena and I am very good at formulating search queries. I’ve rated these directories with (1) being best and (3) worst. Entering the latin name for a plant into Google with quotes around the name will get you quite a list of suppliers.

Google Directory – Shopping Home and Garden Plants Nurseries
Get Digging links — (2) Links to interesting garden sites.
Gardening Supplies Guide — (3) Has links to some suppliers, but I did not find them interesting.
Garden Bazaar Mail Order Directory (3)
Allotment & Vegetable Gardening Ring — (2) UK oriented web ring.
WebRing Directory — (1) This is probably the best gardening directory listed here.
Email Communities (2)
Mailing Lists for Gardeners (2)
Google UK Gardening (3)
DMOZ Gardening Directory (3)
DMOZ Tools and Equipment (3)
Garden Break world wide garden directory (3)
Plant Sources — (2) “the most comprehensive inventory of sources for plants”
Hortic dot Com — (1) Might be the best directory in this collection.
Yahoo Directory — (1) Well maybe not as good as Yahoo’s garden directory.
Virginia Native Plant Society Links (2)
Market Farming dot Com — (1) Lots of information for the small farmer
Plant Search Online — (3) Search for wholesale sources for plants
I Love Gardens — (1) List of public gardens
I Love Gardens Virginia Page (1)
List of University Gardens — (1) Botanical Gardens and Arboreta at Universities in the United States and abroad.
All-America Selections (2)
All-America Selections Display Gardens (2)
Virginia Master Gardener Association — (1) Many Useful Links. More than I can explore at one sitting. Can find weed and bug identification here. University, government, society, and commercial sites with lots of useful information. This is a large library of garden knowledge.
Plant List Links — (1)

Horticultural Societies

The American Hemerocallis Society — Daylilies
The American Horticultural Society
The American Hosta Society
The American Primrose Society
Maryland Native Plant Society — The MNPS – VNPS Mailing List
The North American Rock Garden Society
The National Arbor Day Foundation
The National Capitol Dahlia Society
National Gardening Association — Interesting tools for short people and kids. Lots of ideas here.
National Garden Bureau
Virginia Master Gardener Association
Virginia Native Plant Society
Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society — Yahoo email discussion group
Links to Societies

Perennial Suppliers

These are all suppliers. Tutorials are at the bottom of this page.

Paradise Garden
Michigan Bulb — There are some items in this that look interesting. Prices a bit better than some other catalogs.
Spring Hill Nurseries — spotted a few items in this catalog that I might try.
Wayside Gardens Online! — I’ve bought many bare root plants from these people. Great selection of hostas for the shade garden.
Touch of Nature, Inc. offering quality Flowerbulbs & Perennials for Fundraising, Corporate Gifts and the Home Gardner.
van Bourgondien — Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Really good tutorials on the stuff they sell.
Plant Delights — Hosta heaven.
Niche Gardens specialize in native perennials, trees and shrubs but carry many other hard-to-find and unusual plants including evergreens, bog plants, ground covers and ornamental grasses.
WeGrowIt dot com
Collectors Nursery — a retail mail order nursery with an interest in unique plant material. We specialize in dwarf and rare conifers and uncommon, choice perennials, with a strong emphasis on shade plants.
Gardens of the Blue Ridge— Selection of plants plants native to Eastern US.
Windy Hill Plant Farm — I can stop here on my way home from work, between Chantilly and Haymarket.
Rice Creek Gardens
Direct Gardening dot Com — Provides web access for many nurseries. Individual nursery catalogs have things that are not in the Direct Gardening web catalog. Look for (DG) for member catalogs. There are links here to individual catalogs where I have a particular interest.
Farmer Seed — (DG)
Kelly Nurseries — (DG) Catalog features hardy plants picked with the northern gardener in mind.
Inter–State Nurseries — (DG) Direct Gardening’s number one supplier of roses including Knock Out Roses.
Burgess Seed and Plant Company — (DG) Has several catalogs with seeds and plants.
Royal Dutch — (DG) Division of Burgess Seed and Plant Company
Four Seasons Nursery — (DG) The usual suspects plus a few interesting items.
Jackson & Perkins — Rose specialist
Ecolage dot Com — a mail order plant nursery where purchasing unusual plants and mail order flowers online from around the world and Southern Native Plants
Pine Ridge Gardens — Nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Native plants.
Rare Find Nursery — Unusual and Rare Plants
Forestfarm — Grow and sell thousands of diffrent plants. Over 4,400 pictures with descriptions.
Miller Nurseries — Fruiting trees, shrubs, vines, etc.
Eastern Plant Specialties — Vast selection by mail order.
Greer Gardens — Vast selection by mail order.
Gardeners Choice — This seems to be a collection of all the ‘come-ons’ that can be found and put in one catalog. Everything is giant, super, fast, amazingly effective, etc. If this stuff were so good why isn’t it in the other catalogues?
Brecks — Catalog has mostly recently introduced, visually stuning, and expensive cultivars.
American Natives — Supplier of Native American Plants
Fairfax County Government Native Seedling Sale
Ensata Gardens — Wow! This is the last word in Japanese, Siberian and Species Iris and Hostas and Daylilies.
Rare Plant Research retail web site
Concord Nursery — Has Green Leaf Barberry (Berberis thunbergii, cultivars, picture). Japanese Green Barberry is the vigorous one that grows to five feet. Everyone else has only the Red Leaf Barberry that is smaller and less vigorous. Barberry hedges are very dense with one to two inch thorns. Better than barbed wire. Also on the Virginia list of invasive species.
Broad Run Nurseries — Between Haymarket and Broad Run Post Office, Virginia near where I live. I bought three willow trees in five gallon pots in spring 2004. Waiting to see how they look in spring 2005. It will be interesting to compair these six foot large container trees with the small bare root trees planted in the same year after a couple of years.
White Flower Farm
Forest Farm — Has things like Mountain Laurel, Pyracantha, willow, etc. that others don’t seem to carry.
Blue Stone Perennials
Catskill Native Nursery
Elk Mountain Nursery — Ashville, NC East Coast Natives
Rare Find Nursery
Brighter Blooms
Sunny Gardens
Evergreen Garden Works — Bonsai specialty including newsgroups and other Bonsai links
Multi Flora Plants — Tropical garden only
Whitman Farms
Woodlanders
Broken Arrow Nursery
High Country Gardens — Plants for the Waterwise Garden and Beyond
Musser Forests
Magnolia Gardens Nursery — Has Nandina domestica
Burnt Ridge Nursery and Orchards — Has Wolfberry Goji “Lycium barbarum”
Trade Winds Fruit
Rain Tree Nursery
One Green World
Parkfairfax Native Plant Sale in 2008 — Saturday, April 26, 2008 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Berries

Nourse Farms
Raintree Nursery, fruit, nut and berry plants for the American fruit grower
Awald Farms - Raspberries, Blueberries, Pumpkins, Nursery Stock Raspberry Plants and Blackberry Plants, U-Pick and more!
Fruit Gardening, Plants, Trees and Supplies and Gadgets
Open Directory – Shopping Home and Garden Plants Fruit

Bog Gardens

I haven’t found a list like this anywhere else on the web so enjoy. Look at the bottom of this page for plant lists, descriptions, and tutorials for bog gardening.

Gardens of the Blue Ridge — Has Spiderwort (Tradescantia subaspera), Skunkcabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus and Purple), Bee Balm, Oswego Tea, Horsemint (Monarda didyma), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), and more.
Botanique — Specialist in carnivorous and other bog plants for all climates. They are located near Richmond, Virginia so I’m prejudiced.
Green Plant Market, Inc. — Look for Hammock-Sweet Azalea (Rhododendron serrulatum) and Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum).
Farmer Seed — (DG) I ordered some pond margin plants, Marsh Marigold, Variegated Iris, and Hibiscus, for my ground seep area from these folks.
van Bourgondien — Has pond and wet area plants including Trollius, Japanese Iris, and Siberian Iris.
Niche Gardens specialize in native hard–to–find and unusual plants including bog plants.
Rice Creek Gardens Bog Plants — Very nice selection
Big Dipper Farm — Has most of the bog plants that appear in lists. Click on icon for Bog/Water Plant.
Fresh Water Flora and Fauna — Bog Plants – Mostly plants for a shallow pond, but has iris, cardinal flower, and some other interesting ideas.
Pond Plants dot Com Bog plants — Most need to be inundated, all need to reach air, some better in margins, etc. Check Canna “Pretoria” at bottom of this page with “Bengal Tiger Canna” in Brecks catalog.
Springdale Water Gardens — Located in Greenville, Virginia
Kelly Nurseries — (DG) Two pages with plants suitable to wet soil and standing water.
Forestfarm — Has Darmera (Umbrella Plant) and many other wet soil and bog plants
Windy Hill Plant Farm — Have bog garden plants such as Butterbur (Petasites japonicus) and Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).
Eastern Plant Specialties — Has Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) under wildflowers, Arundo donax (couldn’t find in web catalog), Butterbur (Petasites japonicus), Parnassia glauca, and Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).
Greer Gardens — Has Goat’s Beard (Aruncus aethusifolius) for wet shade and Meadowsweet (Filipendula ‘Kahome’) for wet sun under Perennials. Also has Butterbur (Petasites japonicus).
Brecks — Page 37 of the catalog sent to me has Filipendula ‘Venusta Magnifica’ (Filipendula rubra) and Double Blue Tradescantia (Caerulea plena) this appears to be a Brecks exclusive common name is Spiderwort, but who would want to buy something named Spiderwort as in Spiderwort (Tradescantia) ‘Red Cloud’. On page 34 is Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) and Trollius (Trollius chinensis). On page 33 is Full Eclipse Louisiana Iris. These all look real interesting for a bog garden.
Royal Dutch — (DG) Royal Dutch Catalog has Coral Iris (Iris foetidissima) on page 29, Dragon Arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) on page 31, and Bengal Tiger Canna (Canna Pretoria) on page 34 that look interesting for a bog garden.
Mellow Marsh Farm — specialize in the propagation of wetland plants native to the Carolinas.
Gardens Green — Seeds for Pitcher Plant.
Sarracenia Northwest — Carnivorous Plants, potted, bare root, and seeds for sale including instructions.

Bulbs

Brent And Becky’s Bulbs — Neighbors of my mother–in–law in Gloucester, Virginia. Web site has lots of pictures, descriptions, and instructions. Worth a look for the education and then buy some stuff that you know will work for you.
Van Dyck’s — Has some different and interesting items along with the usual suspects. Good prices.
McClure and Zimmerman — Quality Flowerbulb Brokers
Van Engelen Inc. — If you are buying more than ten of any item then check here
John Scheepers — Lots of bulbs
Loge’s — Tropical Container Plants for Home and Garden
Netherland Bulb Company — If you are buying lots of bulbs for fall planting look here.
Van Bourgondien — Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Crapemyrtle

US National Arboretum Crapemyrtle Photo Gallery
Crape Myrtle Farms
Fast Growing Trees
Ecolage — USA Native Plants

Tubers, Roots, and Rhizomes

Tennessee Tuberoses Tuberose Bulbs for Sale A Blessing from the Lord. — Got a bunch of tubers from these folks. They seem to have the best price on the single flowering type.
Danielle’s Dahlias
Dan’s Dahlias
Chesterfield Dahlia Farm
ADS Handbook & Classification of Dahlias
Touch of Nature, Inc. Spring Catalog Tuberoses
Touch of Nature, Inc. Spring Catalog Dahlias
Broersen Bulbs – mail order bulbs, flower bulbs, tulip bulbs, tree peonies, perennial plants, berry plants
Tuberoses Polianthes Tuberosa
Roots and Rhizomes

Seed Catalogs

Pinetree Garden Seeds — These people sell seeds in very small sizes for the tiny allotment gardener. Catalog includes tubers, bulbs, berries, books, tools, etc. for the small garden.
Park’s Gardens Welcome to Parkseed.com
Certified organic seeds and garden tools from Seeds of Change
Burpee
Quality Products, wholesale prices always at Garden Value Outlet
Garden Time Online
Edible Landscaping
Johnny’s Selected Seeds Seed Catalog, Vegetable Seeds, Garden Tools, Garden Accessories, Seed Company
Google Directory – Shopping Home and Garden Plants Seeds
Cooks Garden
Henry Field’s — This on–line catalog and Gurney’s look mighty similar.
Gurney’s Seed & Nursery Co. — Lots of stuff. A few that are unique.
Jelitto Seeds — German company with USA location in Louisville, KY. Sells all types of Perennial Seeds.
Patrick Studio Perennials and Seeds for Every Climate — Large selection with some unique types. Can get both seeds and plants.
J. L. Hudson, Seedsman
Territorial Seeds — Home garden
J. W. Jung Seed Co.
Kitchen Garden Seeds
HPS — Part of R. H. Shumway’s
The Cook’s Garden
R H Shumway

Soil Amendments, Fertilizer, etc.

ProMix BX
Gibberellic Acid
Primer on Soil – Organic Amendments
Growing Soil

Trees

The National Arbor Day Foundation — Got six bare root trees and joined the club. I put them in the ground in November 2004. Check back in the summer of 2005 for progress report.
Trees, plants, bushes, and shrubs offered by Nature Hills Nursery
Elm Research Institute
Google Directory – Shopping Home and Garden Plants Trees
Virginia Department of Forestry
Edible Landscaping — Afton, VA
Stark Bro’s Nurseries & Orchards Co.
Trees of Antiquity
Fast Growing Trees

Tools

My garden is made up of many small plots of ground. Also, my experience is mostly with small allotment gardens. I now have a lot of room, but due to topography, soil, and hydrology I must garden in small plots each with very different characteristics. I have a rototiller rusting away in a white pine screen. I need strong and cleverly designed hand tools that I can use standing up. That is why I have the two German garden tool manufactures along with forged carbon steel digging tools listed on this page.

Wolf Garten — Manufacturer of high quality garden tools for the home and allotment garden. You buy one or two standard handles and exchange tools from a selection. I bought two of their hand cultivators. You can not buy American made tools like these.
O My Garden — USA Internet catalog of Wolf Garten Tools.
UK Supplier of — Wolf Multi Change Tools with size of each tool. You really need to know the width of each tool to decide if it is suitable for your garden requirements.
Gardena USA in Winchester, VA — These are the people who have the really small garden tools that can be used standing up. They have a 6 foot handle with the inter–changeable 3.5" grubber and 1.5" cultivator I have been looking for. Unfortunately, the US suppliers don’t seem to have these particular items in their internet catalogs!? These are the tools to have for very intensive small gardens. I typically will plant rows as little as 4" apart. I need the small grubber with the long handle so I can till between these rows in wide beds without having to walk through them. Every inch of space is precious. This works. I can grow enough vegies in a 10'X10' plot for a family of five over a summer and into fall.
Global Parteners — Internet Supplier of Gardena Combisystem Hand Tools.
Doit Best — also has Gardena but they appear to have higher prices.
Lehman’s — Many tools for the gardener and householder.
Spear & Jackson — Manufacturer of forged carbon steel digging tools. Don’t waste your money on an American hardware store digging fork or a stainless steel digging fork. Forged carbon steel digging forks are the strongest. You will not regret spending the money for one of these.
Hand Tool Sources — This is a good “yellow page” listing of names, addresses, telephone numbers, and some web page links.
Smith and Hawken — American source for forged carbon steel digging tools.
Walt Nicke’s Garden Talk — This is the one I’ve been looking for for over a month! Could not remember the name. This is the source that specializes in the small home and allotment gardener. Has Spear & Jackson. I wish they carried Wolf and Gardena, but they don’t.
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply — Has Gardena irrigation equipment but not hand tools. Darn!
Garden Tools Guide — I suppose this will be useful to someone.
Carry On Gardening Tool Info — I like the tool descriptions, but all suppliers are UK. Has information for disabled gardeners with one arm or in a wheel chair.
Carry On Gardening Tool Suppliers — UK Tool Suppliers, but might help getting name and Google for US location.
Growers Supply — Light weight Green houses, sheds, and garages big and small along with tools used by green house growers.
Scrounge Central — Bargains
Sporty’s Tool Shop — Has stuff that you won’t find in garden catalogs that can be real useful in the garden.
How about one of these to warm a cold frame? Have not seen these downspout helpers in garden web sites. Also useful are these post anchors, menders, spikes. Shed Kits
A. M. Leonard
Home Harvest — Gardening Supplies Greenhouse, Nursery & Hydroponic Supplies for Every Season at Home Harvest Garden Supply
Outdoor Living
Miles Kimball
Horticulture Source — Specialty Gardening Supplies
Lee Valley Tools, LTD — click on Garden Tab
Forestry Suppliers — Arboriculture, Horticulture & Landscape
Walker Mower — This is the lawn mower I want.
My Tools Bee

Irrigation

I have been unable to find hose fittings to transfer water from a two inch pump outlet to standard water hose (5/8" or 3/4"). The technical name for these are Valve Manifold Kits so a search on that should find what I want. No luck.

Myers Pumps 1 Honda Gasoline Engine Driven 40 GPM 1 # MCPH (C)
Gentron Pro 1500 Water Pump – 2.5HP, 1.5 – Pro 1500 Pump
Grainger Industrial Supply Pumps & Plumbing
Pumps Industrial, Commercial, Centrifugal; Pump Brands Such As Ebara, AMT & Barnes
Wayne Pumps GP300 3.5 HP Transfer Utility Pump – 56681 AbsoluteHome
Koshin SEx – 25X – 1 Dewatering Centrifugal Pump
HorticultureSource.com – Specialty Gardening Supplies – Pumps, Irrigation & Parts
04408-Honda Powered Trash Pumps
04408-Honda Powered Water Pumps
Ace - Ace Tree Plumbing Sump & Utility Pumps Gas Engine Pumps Pacer Pumps® Transfer Pump
DEQ Permit Expert
http--www.bizrate.com-watergarden_irrigationsupplies-products__keyword--irrigation+water+pump+pond.html
Irrigating the Home Garden
Irrigation Pumps & Alternate Water Sources
Irrigation tutorials; sprinkler & drip systems, design, install and repair.
Landowner's Guide to Managing Streams in the Eastern United States
MaxTool.com
Mid-Atlantic Irrigation Quality Agricultural Irrigation Products 888-442-0240
NorthStar Water Pump — 1590 GPH, .08 HP, 1in., Model# SEM-25L Gas Powered Pumps Northern Tool + Equipment
Open Directory - Home Gardening Landscaping Irrigation
Pluto Irrigation Pump 70M
Pumping Water from Remote Locations for Livestock Watering
SOLAR WATER TECHNOLOGIES INC - Solar Water Pumping Systems
Sprinklers, Lawn Sprinkler Systems & Irrigation Supply Store
Tanaka TCP-210 Water Pumps
TPC210 Tanaka Water Pump
Virginia DEQ - Citizen Boards
Virginia DEQ - Regional offices - Northern Regional Office
Virginia DEQ - Wetlands - Surface water withdrawals and impoundments
Harbor Freight — 2" gas powered water pump
Schumacher Irrigation
Urban Farmer Store

GreenHouse

Charley’s – Hobby Greenhouse Kits & Greenhouse Supplies
Juliana Double Cold Frame
Yardiac.com – Garden Starter Cold Frame
Sporty’s Tool Shop – Search

PlantSupports

Buy Panacea Plant Support at BuyHardwareSupplies.com
PANACEA 89723 PLANT SUPPORT 33 x 12
Find Tomato Cages and other Plant Supports at Aubuchon Hardware
Ace – Lawn & Garden Plant & Lawn Care Plant Stakes
Miles Kimball
etc heavy—duty heavyduty heavy shopping – washingtonpost.com

Tutorials

Missouri Botantical Garden Plant Finder — Alphabetical list and very good search engine. Pictures and detailed descriptions of each plant.
The Garden Experts — Plant directory, nursery locator, etc. “The Garden Experts is a free site of horticulture education and gardening information.”
USDA Plant Database
Kentucky Garden Flowers
Invasive Alien Plant Species of Virginia
native Plant Species of Virginia
Virginia Cooperative Extension Service resource links
Northern Gardening
Southern Gardening
Virginia Gardening
Insect Identification Laboratory at Virginia Tech
Weed Identification Guide at Virginia Tech
Backyard Gardener — Lots of stuff for the small gardener. Wasn’t impressed by the tool selection. Web site on “free space” paid for by other peoples’ advertising so traversing pages is accompanied by annoying popup ads. The bog garden page does look interesting including a long list of suitable plants. I suspect other subjects are treated as well.
Plant Ideas — Identical content with nearly identical format to Backyard Gardens!
Gardening from the Ground Up — for gardeners in New Mexico and other parts of the southwest
Chesapeake Bay Field Guide — Check Schoolyard Habitat
Native Plants of Chesapeake Bay Area — Includes a lot of wet land (bog) plants native to Eastern US.
Carry On Gardening — UK gardening tips and instructions.
Virginia Gardener Magazine
Chesapeake Bay Native Plants — U. S. Park Service
TVA Native Plant Selector
List of Invalid Cultivar Names
Dave’s Garden — Treasure Chest of garden information shared by many gardeners. Plant file has over 90,000 plants with over 60,000 pictures.
A Modern Herbal — Descriptions of herbs used in cooking and medicine. Over a thousand plants pictured and described.
The Garden Helper — “Your Free Internet Guides to Gardening”
National Gardening Association
Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
Virginia Tech Pest Management Guides
Oregon State Landscape Plant Identification
Yale University Plant Lists
Dirt Doctor — Organic gardening resources.
Agricultural Research Service
Cranky Gardener — Slate, the liberal webzine, has a garden discussion forum. Can a discussion of hydrangea culture have cultural implications?
The Wild Chicken
Invasive Plants listed and described

Bog Gardens

It was really hard finding information on plants for a bog garden. I searched using terms such as “pond margin” and “wet soil” before finally landing on “bog” but most of the links here and under perennial bog garden suppliers above were found accidentally while browsing through many web sites. So enjoy, you won’t find a list like this elsewhere.

BBC: Bog Garden
Yahoo Bog Garden Links — Mostly links to instructions for bog construction. My yard comes with it’s own ground seep producing a natural bog. The link to a bog garden discussion forum is interesting.
LoveToKnow Bog Garden
Moisture Loving Plants
Lovely on Land, But Perfect for the Pond — Great article on iris in a pond or bog garden. Yes, iris, but not bearded iris.
Waterside Trees and Shrubs
Plant Ideas Bog Garden page — Exact same stuff as on Backyard Garden Bog page! Nice picture though—I mean the one in the middle of the article. Plant Ideas and Backyard Garden are the same stuff, mostly!?
Plants for Bogs and Marshes
Bog Garden Forum
bog plants — Lots of ideas for bog plants. Look for your zone after the writer’s name.
Irish Peatland Conservation Council
Natural Communities of Virginia
Wisconsin Wetland Plants
Wisconsin Wetland I Plants
Coastal Plain / Piedmont Basic Seepage Swamps
Aquatic Plants of the North
Aquatic & Marginal Plant Images — Very comprehensive list with pictures.
Aquatic Weeds
Building a Sphagnum Bog Garden — Nice list of plants including native Orchids
Bog Garden Plant List

Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Growing Instructions for Pitcher Plant — Don’t use potting soil and don't drown crown of plant.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)
Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)
Blue Flag Iris (Iris Versicolor) — The Sweet Iris (Iris pallida) — also called Dalmatian Iris (Aurea Variegata) is sometimes mistaken for the blue flag iris.
Dracunculus vulgaris aka Arum dracunculus also called Voodoo Lily, Dragon Lily, or Dragon Arum.
Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’
Asclepias incarnata ‘Cinderella’
Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia) ‘Red Cloud’
Tradescantia ohiensis — Ohio Spiderwort is also known as Bluejacket which is the official vernacular.
Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
Hammock-Sweet Azalea (Rhododendron serrulatum)
Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum (L.) Torr.)
Hoary Azalea (Rhododendron canescens (Michx.) Sweet)
White Fringed Orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis)
Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris)
Green Wood Orchid (Small Woodland Orchid)
Calopogon tuberosus (Calopogon pulchellus) Source Grass Pink (Calopogon)
Rose pogonia, Snake–mouth (Pogonia ophioglossoides)
Pink lady slipper; Moccasin–flower (Cypripedium acaule) Source Hardy Orchids
Wild Calla; Water Arum (Calla palustris)

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Updated 10 January 2008
© Copyright 2005-2008 Stephen Daniel McLeod