Megan, first of all, I suggest that you thoroughly investigate your local providers. You may be surprised at the variety available from local growers once you discover them. Also, some of those privately owned growers may be willing to special order plants for you. I do not mean the big box stores, but the privately owned garden centers and growers.

That being said, I order plants online every year without hesitation. The secrets to success are simple:

• Know your provider's reputation. Garden Watchdog is a helpful resource, but there are scads of reviews online.
• Investigate your own growing procedures, growing environment, etc.
• Be realistic about the plants that you order. Some obscure, sensitive, rare, and difficult plants require special skills.

If you are buying indoor plants, then I would strongly urge that you review your potting soil, watering practices, and other environmental practices.

Tell us more about what kinds of plants you're buying/looking for and we can be of more help.

If looking for house plants, check out the busy Houseplant Forum. If wanting annuals or perennials, those forums stay busy, too. This forum is very slow.

There used to be a plant swap site. It was connected to the seed exchange site.

Thank you both for your comments and advice!

I should preface by saying, I'm a gardening newbie.

I don't have much experience in growing but am eager to learn. So eager that I simply ordered plants of my preference without much thought or planning.

I'm beginning to suspect that my growing environment is not ideal. Since it's been cold, I've been attempting to grow my plants indoors and in pots but the plants don't get enough sun.

My dream garden would include medicinal plants, edible crops/herbs, and succulents.

I will do more research on local growers because Houston is a big city after all.

Thanks again :)

Megan, one of the biggest mistakes that newbies make is underestimating the physical needs of plants that we bring inside. Many plants that grow happily outside in the full sun simply can't thrive when plopped down on a window sill without consideration of sunlight, temperature, humidity, potting medium, and other factors.

I like to see novices learn by trying some 'easy' plants...plants that are genetically adaptable to the sometimes hostile indoor environment. Luckily, there are thousands of such plants!

So, understand your environment first. Decide what, if anything, you are willing to do to make changes to your existing indoor environment in order to accommodate plants. Then, go shopping.

If you are a newbie, you can save some money by growing some plants yourself. Also buy some of those plant packs and just start planting. There is a lot you can read about ahead of time but practical experience will help you understand more about what you read.

Houston has plenty of chain and independent nurseries that you'll enjoy browsing.

Just be aware most of them probably have sales so you don't have to buy everything at full price. In fact, you'll want to split up some purchases because taking them home and trying to get them all in the ground or into pots at the same time will be tiring and rough.