Plant A Cybergarden

Before digging into the dirt in your garden, you may want to surf the Web or try out the latest gardening software. They can help you with tips on what to plant, and where and when to plant it.

Robin Raskin, editor in chief of Family PC magazine, gave CBS News' Dawn Stensland some insight into cybergardening.

She says visitors to user-friendly gardening Web sites such as www.garden.com and www.virtualgarden.com can get information on just about any plant under the sun, along with planting and garden care tips.

Raskin said that what is even more useful is the component that allows you to plug in your zip code to find out which plants will do well in your area, at what time of the season, and the best spot in your garden to plant them.

The sites offer monthly to-do lists for gardeners, step-by-step instructions for weekend projects, ideas for gardening with the kids, and more. Of course, you can buy the plants, seeds, tools and garden kits from these sites.

There also is a software program that allows you to visualize your dream garden in 3D. The Sierra Land Designer can help you figure out where to plant your trees, shrubs and flowers.

For more experienced gardeners and flower fanatics there are even more Web sites. For example the American Rose Society has a Web site where visitors can see the rose of the month and chat with experts about the finer points of growing roses.

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