Using the Plant Chooser

The information in this article appliesto:

QUESTION

I am modeling a garden in Home Designer and noticed that not all of the plants listed in the Library Browser will grow in my area.How can I narrow down these results to only display plants that will grow in my zone?

ANSWER

Narrowing down the type of plants available for your zone, by a particular flower or leaf color, bloom time, height, or type is easy to do using the Plant Chooser tool. 

To use the Plant Chooser

1. Select Terrain> Plant> Plant Chooser to display the Plant Chooser dialog.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Here, you can search the Library for plant images and symbols that meet your chosen parameters.
   
   You can search using any, or all, of the options in this dialog including:
   
   
   • The Common Name, Scientific Name, or Variety Name for the plant. A Pronunciation field is also provided.
     
     
   • The Type of plant such as Annual, Bulb, Perennial/Biennial, Cactus/Succulent, Shrub or Tree.
     
     
   • The Sub-Type of plant, such as Nut, Turf, Herb, Fruit, Climber, Aquatic, Vegetable, Deciduous, Evergreen, Houseplant, Ground cover or Ornamental Grass.
     
     
   • Special Needs, such as Sun, Water, Soil pH, and Hardiness Zone range.
     
     
   • If you are unfamiliar with what zone you are located in, click on the View Map button to display the Hardiness Zone Map and use the drop-down menu to specify your region.
     
     
     
     
   • The Flower Color or Leaf Color of the plant, along with the Bloom Time.
     
     
   • Height properties.
     
     
   • Special characteristics of the plant, such as Attractive Foliage, Attracts Birds & Butterflies, Self-Sowing, Container, Cut Flowers, US Native/Wildflower, Easy to Grow, Fast Growing, Fragrant, Fall Color, Winter Interest, or Deer Resistant.
     
     
   • 3D Plants, Plant Images, or Both.
     
   
   
   
3. Once you have selected the options that you want to search for, click on the Search button in the bottom left corner of the dialog to display the search results on the right side of the dialog.
   
   
   
4. Select a plant in the list and click on the View Item button to see a preview of the plant in the Plant Information dialog.
   
   
   
5. Once you have verified that this is the plant that you want to place in your plan, click OK to return to the Plant Chooser dialog, select the plant, then click in your plan to place it.