There is an overwhelming amount of information available on every gardening topic under the sun. It’s a lot to take in and wade through, whether you’re a new gardener, or someone who has been fussing around with plants for a long time.

If you’re just beginning to green up your space, or if you’d like to add some native plants into your garden, here are some of the resources that I use:

Native Plant Finder
The Native Plant Finder website is a great place to spend an afternoon. You enter your zip code, and NPF will show you a multitude of plants that grow in your area, along with the butterflies each plant will attract. By creating a login on the site, you are able to save your favorite plants to a list.

The Audubon Society
The Audubon Society also has a great native plant database. Type in your zip code, and the site pulls up a variety of native plants, shrubs, and trees, with detailed information about each, along with the species of birds that may swoop in to enjoy them.

The Xerces Society
The Xerces Society website is just packed with information. They have the US broken down by region, with plant lists, seed and plant vendors, along with loads of info on ways you can help out your local pollinators.

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Books on Gardening

I’ve stumbled on some great gardening books over the years. Here are some of the books on my shelf that I find myself re-reading each year:

-Gardening for Butterflies by The Xerces Society

-The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America’s Bees by Olivia Messinger Carril and Joseph Wilson

-Tree and Shrub Gardening for Ohio by Fred Hower and Alison Beck

-The Backyard Naturalist by Craig Tufts

-The Ultimate Guide to Wildflowers of North America by Joan Barker

-Perennials for Ohio by by Alison Beck and Debra Knapke

-Native Plants of the Midwest by Alan Branhagen

There are tons of books out there, for every region around the globe. Check out your local library or book store for more information.

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Gardening Gurus

The world is packed full of amazing gardeners, who inspire and provide tips and resources for every topic out there. Here are a few of the gardeners that I follow:

Susan’s in the Garden
Susan is a master gardener living in eastern Washington. She has a great weekly YouTube post, books of her own, a blog, and a website with more information than one would believe possible. I’ve learned so much from her work, and cannot recommend her highly enough to gardeners of all levels.

Epic Gardening
Kevin is an urban gardener living in southern California. He has a great Youtube series, book, podcast, and website, with tons of information about growing all types of things, especially vegetables. He manages to simplify complex science about plants in ways that just make things click, and I’ve learned a ton from his work.

Gardeners World
I signed up for one of the British TV subscription services just so I could watch Gardeners World every year. Hosted by Monty Don (who has a slew of shows and books of his own), GW makes me want to race out to the garden every time it’s on. Set in the UK, but featuring gardeners and plants from all over the world, GW is a like a happy hug of plant knowledge and love. There’s the show, a magazine, podcast, and YouTube channel.

Finally, if you’re looking for other gardening resources, I recommend checking out your local botanical garden, garden center, library, zoo, metro park, Department of Natural Resources, and your local city government website. You’ll be surprised at how many free resources are available, from classes and workshops, to conservation rebate programs, books/guides/events for families, seed and plant exchanges, and ways to get involved and give back to your community.