Online Resources for Landscape Architects

The Missouri Botanical Garden has a wide-range of plant types, including broadleaf evergreens, deciduous shrubs, herbaceous perennial, annuals and trees. The website is searchable based on criteria, including flowers, fruit, winter interest, leaf colors, sun conditions, water conditions, sun/shade, bloom time and various other criteria needed to successfully specify plant material. The list has expanded considerably over the last several years. I use this website as a primary resource when reviewing and specifying plant material.

This website has an interested feature; the user can find recommended species lists based on region and then narrow the search based on soil, sun, height, bloom color, bloom time and other requirements. There is a wide-range of plant types consistent with other web resources and the website is searchable based on many criteria, including bloom characteristics, light requirements, soil moisture, leaf, and size requirements. The plant image gallery contains over 17,000 images of over 7,000 plants, making it one of the largest online catalogs of its kind. Over 200 photographers contribute to the online gallery, increasing the size of database. The database is in progress. Not all of the species contain comprehensive information on plant characteristics, bloom information, distribution, growing conditions, benefit and propagation.

The Dendrology homepage at Virginia Tech is where to find tree identification fact sheets on approximately 900 species of trees, as well as lots of other tree information.

Plant database

Factsheets on trees.

Factsheets on trees from North Carolina State University.