One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "Where can I find this plant?" I get dozens of these questions a week and am unable to answer them individually.
Sometimes readers express annoyance that they can't find a plant I've written about at their neighborhood nursery, or better yet, buy it cheaper at a big-box store.
But locating plants just isn't like that. Nursery stock is seasonal, and it changes constantly, so if I told you where I'd recently seen a plant, it might not be available by the time you made it to that nursery. Or perhaps you could find it larger, less expensively, or a more healthy-looking specimen elsewhere.
Plant shopping is an art, composed of regularly hanging out in nurseries, searching catalogs and the Internet and, perhaps most useful of all, developing relationships with buyers at the nurseries you frequent most often.
These knowledgeable people often can order the plant you're searching for, put your name on a wait list, advise when the plant should be available and suggest alternatives.
Patience and flexibility are needed — I often wait a long time for plants, or search out a plant with similar attributes that might work instead. All good gardeners need to be plant hunters, and the quest can be half the fun, as well as an education.
"The Plant Locator: Western Region" by Susan Hill and Susan Narizny, (Timber Press, 2004) lists more than 50,000 plants and tells where to find them. Although it's now more than a year old, this is still a useful place to start any search. It gives several sources for the cotoneaster with yellow berries and lists hundreds of kinds of clematis. This book is available in bookstores and libraries.
Putting a plant name into Google means you'll have to spend time searching through articles and garden chat rooms, but you'll also find current information on what mail-order nurseries carry which plants. Take advantage of the "contact us" feature on most specialty-nursery Web pages. Usually you'll get an answer back from an expert within a day or so.
For expert help with any plant or garden question, contact the Miller Library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens for fast, reliable help. The professional staff at this open-to-the-public library is trained to track down plants. You can reach the Plant Answer Line at 206-897-5268 or e-mail hortlib@u.washington.edu.
Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.
