Lady Bird on the Web
You don’t have to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in person to appreciate the value of this research institution to the public. The Texas-based national treasure has a top-notch Web site (www.wildflower.org) that allows users to access an extensive native plant database, an online photo gallery with 17,000 images of native plants (many of them royalty-free) and an advice column that tackles questions from online readers across the country. Have a question for Mr. Smarty Plants? Visit www.wildflower.org/expert to submit your query. Need help identifying a plant? E-mail your photos (save images in JPEG format, no more than 640x480 pixels in size, with resolution set at 300 pixels per inch) detailing where and when you found the plant and describing the site. Include several photos that show details of leaves, stems, flowers, fruit and the overall plant. Put “Plant Identification Request” in the subject line, and e-mail to smartyplants@wildflower.org. The Web site also has a handy interactive search feature to help you choose a suitable native plant for sites throughout your garden. For example, let’s say you want to find a shrub that will work well in dry soils in light shade. After selecting “North Carolina” as your region, check the boxes for the combination of characteristics you desire. The search function will provide you with a list of recommended species with growing information. This feature is found in the Native Plants Database section under the “Explore Plants” menu.