"Or am I wishing for something that isn't there?!! "

Yeah ... kinda ... it's important to narrow your search ... are you talking about cultivated or native plants ?? ... for example ... tropical or just the plants used in your state ... ect. .

It also depends on your level of experience ... some books are more precise then others but harder to use with out some botanical training ... by the way some plants don't have flowers ??

Here is a few books but there are many others out there .. I don't live in your area so do not know the local references ... it's rare a single book will cover everything ...

I see you like Cactii ... Anderson's , "The Cactus Family" is the latest and greatest work that covers the whole family ... lots of photographs.

"Hortus Third" is a very big and expensive book ... it is a comprehensive dictionary of cultivated plants grown in the United States and Canada ... this book would be very useful ... given that you already have a reliable name to work with common or scientific ( example from a members trade list ) ... it is a great place to start your research but it may not answer all your questions ... it's a big world out there !!

What kinds of plants are of interest to you ??

Good Day ...

I've found Mark Griffiths' book "Index of Garden Plants" helpful to update Hortus III. My best reference these days though is to go to Google Images and query the name of a plant unfamiliar to me. Usually by visiting several of the sites provided I can find not only photos but cultural info.

And of course there's always Gardenweb..smile...I've learned almost every forum has several friendly helpful experts. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Griffiths' Index of Garden Plants

I use "The Wise Garden Encyclopedia" by Harper Collins.. it covers everything!

~Dusty~

A good reference website that lists plants by common or latin names is http://www.botany.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Botany Reference