| EVERYONE LOVES FREE STUFF-GARDEN
By Billie A Williams © 2006 I have a friend whose motto is “If it isn’t free, it ain’t for me.” And she does most everything this way. By sticking to her guns she has gotten places few manage to get. The best place to start is with your local Extension Services though you may have to go to: The Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Room 33328 Washington, DC 20250 www.USDeptofAgriculture.com Or look The Extension office up in your phone book to get started. Here is a link to a site to design your garden according criteria that you enter into the system. Click on the tiny URL below – it will take you to the Better Homes and Garden’s site where you can design your own garden plan and much, much more. http://tinyurl.com/jrb7u For information on planting, plant materials and conservation check out fact sheets at: National Resources Conservation Service U.S. Department of Agriculture P O Box 2890 Washington DC 20013 http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ You will find a list of very useful information type Publication in the search box and then type in plants in the next box and you will get a list of those publications. Or browse the list of publications. You are sure to find something that interests you. If you are interested in growing your own herbs, or if you need more gardening information on some gardening projects, request one of the free reference guides available from the Science and Technology divisions under the general title, LC Science Tracer Bulletin. Science and Technology Division, Reference Section Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540 http://lcweb2.loc.gov/sctb/ Where you will find excellent information – just browse around. Here is a list of more gardening helps from that site Garden Forever Gardening "for people of all ages, abilities and lifestyles." URL: http://www.gardenforever.com Garden Guides A good source for gardening catalogs and informational guides. URL: http://www.gardenguides.com The Garden Gate A gateway to gardening sites. URL: http://garden-gate.prairienet.org Garden Web Forums Discussion on a very wide variety of gardening topics, from African violets to woodlands, bonsai to xeriscaping. URL: http://www.gardenweb.com/forums Gardening Launch Pad Offers a large collection of well organized links to sites of interest for gardeners. URL: http://gardeninglaunchpad.com Green Landscaping with Native Plants The Great Lakes National Program Office of the EPA maintains an informative website on green landscaping, geared mainly toward the Great Lake ecosystems. URL: http://www.epa.gov/greenacres New Jersey Agricultural Weed Gallery An online gallery for identification of weeds. URL: http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/weeds National Park Service The site provides information on invasive plants, wildflowers, integrated pest management, and other topics. URL: http://www.nps.gov North American Butterfly Association The North American Butterfly Association, a non-profit organization, was formed in 1992. Its mission is to increase public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies, by focusing on "the joys of non-consumptive, recreational butterflying including listing, gardening, observation, photography, rearing and conservation". URL: http://www.naba.org/pubs/bgh.html Ohio State University Plant Dictionary URL: http://plantfacts.osu.edu/ Perry's Perennials Extension Professor, Greenhouse and Nursery Specialist, University of Vermont. A good source for herbaceous perennial information and links. URL: http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/ Plants by Mail FAQ Site Intended to "introduce readers to the world of buying plants by mail order; and also to serve as a central clearinghouse for information about contacting various mail order plant houses." Useful information on mail order companies, including "Who Owns What". URL: http://gardenwatchdog.com/ Compiled by Alison P. Kelly December 2001 |