I don't. But never fear--the Internet provides websites to guide you in landscaping, growing flowers, gardening, and even floral design.

Let's begin at The Garden Gate, which offers gardeners and nature lovers links to sites around the world. Walk Down the Garden Path for a virtual tour of botanical gardens or join mailing lists for gardeners. Or, visit the Teaching Garden where you'll find databases on plants, perennials, and herbs.

Master Gardener Information provides tips and advice on fruits and nuts, flowering plants, ornamentals, turf grasses, and vegetables.

Want to know the uses of a plant? The Plant Tracker lets you search to find all the uses of a plant, such as to see if it's edible, medicinal, or used for something else, like cleansers, wax, or baby diapers.

The Virtual Gardener offers help with residential landscaping, features stories such as Soil and Fertilizing Your Lawn, and provides plant profiles and tips of all kinds.

Learn how to build a stone wall or compost bin, how to create an instant garden, or post a gardening question at the Virtual Garden. The site also features live chat and search facilities.

At Sherry's Greenhouse, you'll learn greenhouse and gardening tips, view gardening resource lists, and even visit a worm page!

For a more relaxed approach to gardening complete with breathtaking graphics, try The Armchair Gardener. Take a Pond Tour or learn about camellias. Diversions explains what needs to be done in the garden this month, offers articles on gardening topics, and allows you to ask the experts questions.

Have you ever wondered the meaning behind sending flowers? At Planting: The Language of Flowers, you'll learn that sending a deep red carnation means "Alas for my poor heart!", while sending an oak-leaved geranium is a sign of true friendship.

If you love roses, be sure to visit the Rose Resource Center. The site features categories such as designing with roses, rose gardening tips, and the history of the rose.

Rittners Floral School provides step-by-step lessons on arranging flowers, such as How To Arrange Flowers In Water, How To Make A Lovely Basket Arrangement Of Flowers, and How To Make A Fall Design.

Would you like to order your gardening needs online? At Gardensources, you can order trees, bulbs, seeds, garden tools, and even books.

The National Council of State Garden Clubs offers information on the organization itself as well as gardening and landscape tips, floral arrangements, and gardening resources.

Next week, we'll look for sites featuring summer foods. See you then!

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

Back to Main Articles Page