How does your garden grow?

Spring is in the air! (Well, in some parts of the world it is.) Whether you have lots of space outdoors or just a sunny kitchen window, this is the time to start planning your planting. To help you get started, I've dug through the web and found some useful and fun sites for you green thumbs.

Garden Escape has a gorgeous online magazine, a catalog of garden-related products unrivaled in cyberdom and an interactive "Plant Finder" that helps you match flora to your geographical location and preferences like "deer-resistant" or "butterfly-attracting." Choose from dozens of bird feeders, greenhouses or seasonal seed collections. Best of all, Garden Escape offers secure online transactions, which means your credit card information is sealed in an encrypted envelope that only the company can open.

The Seed Guild is a great service for serious planters who just can't live without their digitalis lutea. This British company has put together an impressive, searchable collection of seeds from botanical gardens around the world, many of them hard-to-find specimens (U.S. $1.50/£1 per package, plus U.S. $5/£3.50 for shipping). The Guild will send seeds anywhere in the world, but living plants and bulbs cannot be mailed internationally.

The Gardener's Supply Company has great tools and accessories to make gardening easier, like self-watering planters, raised flower bed kits and funky waterproof clogs. Many of the company's offerings are exclusives.

At Garden Web's plant forums you can exchange information with other daffodil-heads. There are 40 different discussion topics, ranging from bonsai to landscaping. There are also forums for gardeners in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. If you still have questions, ask the Garden Guys -- no question is too hard for these pros.

Hagar Scher is a New York City-based freelance writer.