Good online catalogue/fantasy garden suggestions?

[Kestra]

Hello, gardening people. I need some help selecting plants for a fantasy yard plan. For a school project I have to select some trees and shrubs - I need names and average max sizes. The teacher didn't specify that the plants had to be Manitoba suitable, so I was thinking of an avocado tree or other random exotic things.

Therefore can you recommend any places you know that have good websites with a full catalogue with pictures and basic info, so I have somewhere to search.

I was thinking I might make the shrub bed all with poisonous plants or plants with funny names or something. It's the last project of the year, so I want to give my teacher a laugh and make it entertaining for myself.

Also any suggestions of plants you would put in an imaginary garden?

Thanks

[Gina]

How about a 'noxious weeds' garden? Plants that cause dermititus such as poison ivy/oak, plants that are poisoness to grazing animals, all manner of weeds with burrs and prickles and thorns, vines that take over entire areas such as kudzu, plants that cause air-born allergies like ragweed, plants that set copious amounts of seeds and take over fields, pods that get caught in animal fur or our socks, plants with underground rhizomes like bamboo that crowd everything else out, etc. It's a botanically cruel world, lol.

Set up a competition in a square lot, plant 4 very aggressive plants in each corner, and after a year, see who has taken over. You could take bets. Of course it would be like watching a snail race. :laff:

Where to find a list of these? You're on your own, though a search for 'noxious weeds' would probably turn up a lot.

Or you could do a cheerier bird/butterfly garden. ;)




http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/photos/yellowstarthistleflower.jpg