AVSA holds annual conventions in various regions of the country. All members may participate in these exciting events which feature judged shows open to all registered AVSA members. Commercial members also display their newest introductions and have booths where plants and plant-related products are sold. Informative presentations are made by experts in African violet culture. AVSA maintains an extensive library of slide and video programs which are available to members at a nominal service charge.
Planting Pride in our Communities. Check this link out to see how it works!
Your Community: • registers to participate in America in Bloom • pays a registration fee according to population size • receives information and guidance from AIB • welcomes qualified AIB judges when they visit your community to evaluate its efforts • sends representatives to a National Educational Symposium and Awards Ceremony • receives recognition for your efforts • is declared an America in Bloom Champion if it receives the highest score in your population category • receives a detailed report evaluating efforts, including recommendations for future activities.
The ABS was formed in 1979 and today we have over 1,400 members living throughout the U.S. and in 37 other countries. The ABS issues a bimonthly Magazine and the Journal to disseminate information about the use, care, propagation and beauty of bamboo. They sponsor lectures, conferences, tours and plant sales in the Chapter areas. Chapters maintain bamboo libraries, distribute publications and donate plants to public gardens.
The American Fern Society is over 100 years old. With over 900 members worldwide, it is one of the largest international fern clubs in the world. It was established in 1893 with the objective of fostering interest in ferns and fern allies. To this end it encourages correspondence and the exchange of information and specimens between members via its newsletter the Fiddlehead Forum. They have "Fern Forays" into the woods every August. These field trips provide a wonderful way to learn more about wild ferns from experts and also afford an occasion to meet other people with a similar passion for ferns.
The American Horticultural Society (AHS) is one of the oldest national gardening organizations in the country. Since 1922, we have provided America's gardeners with the highest quality gardening and horticultural education possible. We accomplish this with the help of an impressive network of experts -- from the members of our Board of Directors, specialized Advisory Committees, National Great American Gardener Award Winners and corporate sponsors.
Our members encompass all levels of experience and are committed to promoting the Rose in all its diversity. The society and its members strive to provide educational services to encourage the greater use of our national flower in private and public gardens throughout our country.
The Azalea Society offers membership to any one with an interest in azaleas, from home gardeners, collectors and students to plant professionals. Local chapters have social activities, garden tours, meetings and plant sales of unusual varieties. National conventions have garden tours, talks by well-known azalea authorities, plant sales, and the opportunities to make and renew friendships. The Azalean, our quarterly journal, has timely informative articles about azalea culture, hybridizing, propagation, garden design, new introductions and chapter activities.
"In need of down-to-earth garden advice, but don´t know where to turn? Perhaps you´re on a quest for innovative landscape designs. Or maybe you want the scoop on the latest and greatest shrub and perennial cultivars. If you have dirt under your fingernails and want to dig more, check out our list of garden clubs, societies and associations. Many offer green-thumb wisdom, workshops, newsletters, plant and seed exchanges, garden tours and, last but not least, camaraderie."
Want to know a little more about Geraniums? Well it looks like this is a great start... the society meets once a month, in the Cedar Room at VanDusen Gardens, to discuss the different varieties of Geraniums and propagation, as well as a 'show and tell' display by their members.
Aims to disseminate information of use to people with small farms or rural property. Topics include Garden, flowers, plants, seeds and much more. Most documents are in pdf format.
Check their information on ´Open Days´ of private gardens in the U.S. and you will also find a seminar schedule for this year. The Garden Conservancy is a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to preserve exceptional American gardens for the public’s education and enjoyment.
The Herb Society of America is dedicated to promoting the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educational programs, research, and sharing the experience of its members with the community. The Society is committed to protecting our global environment for the health and well-being of humankind and all growing things. We encourage gardeners to practice environmentally sound horticulture. The Herb Society of America does not give advice on the medicinal uses of herbs.
This is an extensive site of information and journals on herbs contributed by many people… but plan to spend some time here because she has tons of reference pages.
Mary's Gardens was founded in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to research the hundreds of flowers named in medieval times as symbols of the life, mysteries and privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus - as recorded by botanists, folklorists and lexicographers; and to assist in the planting of "Mary Gardens" of "Flowers of Our Lady" today. This site inspired me to start a 'biblical' garden and found some wonderful plants I may never have enjoyed… such as a varigated Solemons Seal and the Ladyslipper Orchid in my shade garden.
The National Agricultural Library (NAL): advancing access to global information for agriculture. You should just bookmark this page… if you havn't already. Always current information, but not limited to gardening.
The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
Rebellious Rock Gardening! This is an interesting club for a look at alpine gardening. They now have 35 local chapters in Canada and the United States. Check their page for a chapter near you and calendar of events.
OFA - an Association of Floriculture Professionals is a member-focused national organization of greenhouse growers, garden center operators, retail and wholesale florists, interior plantscapers, green industry suppliers, students, and educators. OFA's mission is to support and promote floriculture professionals through lifelong learning, career enhancement, and public awareness.
This site is designed to serve as a knowledge bank and interactive learning center on the care, cultivation, and utilization of plants from a commercial, consumer, and academic perspective. It also facilitates your access to the people, programs, and products of the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State. Home to the OSU Extension Services
Information on their monthly meetings and events planned for 2007. You can ´ask the Orchid Doc´ at this site too.
Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education, and application.
ASHS members (researchers, faculty and other educational personnel, extension agents, Federal and state experiment station representatives, and growers and distributors of horticultural products) continue to make significant advances in these areas, and are well-positioned to lead the rapid evolution of horticultural science through the 21st century.
University of Illinois Extension is the flagship outreach effort of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, offering educational programs to residents of all of Illinois' 102 counties - and far beyond. Through learning partnerships that put knowledge to work, U of I Extension's programs are aimed at making life better, healthier, safer and more profitable for individuals and their communities.
Garden Clubs, Organizations and Associations
Some organizations provide a wealth of knowledge, and activities for people with the same interests. We will try to find the best ones to list here, with web sites that can help you find those groups or those with data bases to assist you in finding other information on plants. (Some organizations are a hoax, so we've tried our best to eliminate them from this list).
Look up your ZONE for plant hardiness
Thanks to the National Arboretum for this plant hardiness zone map.Thanks to the National Arbor Day Foundation, they have recently completed an extensive updating of U.S. Hardiness Zones based upon data from 5,000 National Climatic Data Center cooperative stations across the continental United States.
