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I used to be into native plants and that's a big ask. Assuming a USA buyer, you'd have to ask for their zip code, then match that to the plants, many of which
by julianeon 2y ago
I used to be into native plants and that's a big ask.
Assuming a USA buyer, you'd have to ask for their zip code, then match that to the plants, many of which would probably have to be individually coded & entered (the zip codes they are native to), a map blur across the US which would vary for each species.
The binary qualities (toxic/nontoxic) on the other hand seem easy to add.
For invasiveness: that may be a reason why not too many "Amazon for plants" websites exist. But a simple binary "flagged as invasive", like a red dot on its product page, would be a terrific addition.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ethbr1 2y ago> But a simple binary "flagged as invasive", like a red dot on its product page, would be a terrific addition. Agreed! In terms of difficulty:benefit, a binary invasive flag would get most of the way there. E.g. English Ivy, Bradford Pears, Mexican Petunia, creeping bamboo. Buuuuut... this looks like it's mostly for house plants, for which invasiveness is less of a concern. However, I think it should mostly generalize to outdoor plants as well. At least in the US, you could simply add USDA hardiness zone [0], which roughly indicates the boundaries a cultivar can survive winter (freezing) and summer (heat), and is almost always listed. I'd be shocked if there wasn't a zipcode-to-USDAH converter out there. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#United_States_hardiness_zones_(USDA_scale) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone#United_States...
- ryebread777 2y agoIt is more targeted at houseplants now but only because that’s what I know more about. Definitely love these ideas and want to make it better suited for outdoor plants. It could also be a good motivator to encourage people to create an account, so that they can get personalized results based on their location! I think hardiness zone and invasive status are good first steps.
- ethbr1 2y agoIt's an awesome site and kudos on the design! I like the focus on what your target user actually wants (that isn't addressed by existing solutions).
- PeterisP 2y ago"Flagged as invasive" where? Every invasive species has a place where they're a perfectly nice local native.
- julianeon 2y agoI was assuming this is US-oriented, so invasive in the US was my presumption. If the customer base also includes Europe, it could accommodate that also. On the other hand, if you're assuming the userbase is truly global, that would get complicated.
- PeterisP 2y agoI wonder if there are any invasive species between US states - like, some plant that's native to Florida but invasive in California, or native to California but invasive in Hawaii?