On the Web, find a nursery near you

So, you've flipped through the garden catalogs and decided on the plants you want. Now what?

You could drive all over the place looking for a good nursery that might, or might not, have what you desire. Or you could log on to www.plantsourcedelval.org.

The Web site won't tell you who carries a particular plant, but it will tell you which nurseries are near you or in another county and, in some cases, what kinds of plants they specialize in (annuals or perennials, houseplants, trees, whatever) and what their hours and Internet addresses are.

Or you can click on, say, "bulbs" and "Delaware County" and find four choices: Carolyn's Shade Gardens in Bryn Mawr, J. Franklin Styer Nurseries in Concordville, Mostardi's in Newtown Square, and Wedgewood Gardens in Glen Mills.

Plantsourcedelval.org, which also lists plant sales, started life as a booklet back in 1996 and turned into a Web site in late 2005. It lists about 600 plant nurseries within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia International Airport - that includes parts of New Jersey and Maryland, Philadelphia and its suburbs, and Berks, Lancaster and Northampton Counties.

Ellen Wilkinson, of the Hardy Plant Society's Mid-Atlantic chapter, spearheaded the effort, which she says is also useful for planning outings with friends.

"My gardening buddies and I think it's very interesting and a lot of fun to say, 'Let's go check out this nursery and then have lunch.' It can be an adventure," she says.

Or if you're visiting someone in Lancaster County, you can find a nursery nearby and add it to your itinerary.

Of course, the main purpose of the Web site, sponsored by the Hardy Plant Society, Chanticleer and Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, is to link buyer and seller. That works for Joe Marano Jr., manager of Marano's Gardens in Fort Washington, a nursery founded by his parents in 1960.

"We've had a few people stop in who said they used it," Marano says of the site. "It's a great idea."

With the Philadelphia Flower Show coming up, the site may get more traffic, he says:

"Gardeners can go to the show, see what they like, and go to the Web site to find out where to buy it."

- Virginia A. Smith