You know what would be neat?...

If people started posting photos of the entire plant in the plants database. For example, if you have a spare plant that you don't need or are moving a plant and willing to do this, wash the soil off the roots and take a photo so we can see the roots and everything. That might be useful.

Fantastic idea! I'm always looking for pictures of the whole plant myself. Yes, let's do that.

Even if someone is not moving the plant, a picture of the whole plant amongst other plants would be great too.

Good idea! Maybe when people wash off the roots in preparation of sending the plants in the mail, they could snap a shot or two.

It would be especially helpful since sometimes the roots are pretty unique and will help ID a plant when it's dormant and the top's died back.

Yes, sort of a "this is what it looks like in a real gardening situation" thing...as far as a photo of it being planted among other plants. Here's an example that I did awhile back: http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/11663/

I got the root photo idea when I was yanking a self-seeded switch grass out of the ground. I thought to myself, hey that's neat the way the new growth is coming from the roots...something I normally don't see. It may even help someone decide where to plant certain plants. You know, if a plant has a big tap root or very fiberous roots, etc.

Taking the root photos obviously isn't the easiest thing for many people because like I said, it may require sacrificing or damaging a plant in the process. I guess if you've got lots of new growth or babies, it might work out ok. The photo would also need to be taken soon after rinsing the roots off to get the best photo.

Addition: I really like the "whole plant" idea...not just the out of the ground root photo, but a photo that shows the entire plant, planted in the garden. Many times on commercial websites you don't have a photo of the entire plant. They might show you what the flower looks like, but not the foliage and so on. A nice shot of the whole plant, a close shot of the foliage and a close shot of the flower really helps.



This message was edited Wednesday, Apr 16th 6:12 AM

That is a good idea, and not just plants you're cultivating. Weeds, for example, are much easier to ID when you can see details of every part of the plant, and images of the plant at every stage of its lifecycle.