Plant Imagery Sources for Garden Centers

A comprehensive guide to finding high-quality plant photos for retail displays, signage, and marketing—from major breeders and wholesalers to free stock libraries.

Breeder & Wholesale Sources

Imagery from suppliers whose plants you carry. These are the most relevant for garden centers—cultivar-specific, professionally shot, and typically free for promotional use.

Monrovia
Free (account required)
Collection: Varieties in catalog

Access via Garden Gateway Photo Gateway at gardengateway.monrovia.com

Limitations

  • Must be a Monrovia customer
  • Images only for plants in your current orders
  • Watermark cannot be removed or cropped out
  • Cannot share, sell, or loan images to third parties
  • Only for promoting plants purchased directly from Monrovia
Proven Winners
Free
Collection: ~100,000 photos

Limitations

  • No packaging, plant tags, stake tags, or on-product labeling
  • Must credit: "Courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com"
  • Professional account required for high-resolution downloads
Ball Horticultural (WebTrack)
Free (account required)
Collection: 33K+ products, ~16K with hi-res

Limitations

  • Promotional use only
  • No use on plant tags or containers without permission
  • Correct variety and series name must be listed on all reproductions
  • Customer access required (login)
Ball Photo Library
Free
Collection: Thousands of approved images

Also serves PanAmerican Seed (Wave, Beacon, Kitchen Minis)

Limitations

  • Promotional use only
  • Cannot license or resell images
  • Contact photolibrary@ballhort.com for archive requests
Bailey Nurseries / First Editions
Free
Collection: 100+ varieties

Contact press@baileynurseries.com for imagery

Limitations

  • Request-based; no self-serve library
  • Email for specific image requests
Walters Gardens
Free
Collection: 1,000+ perennials

Hi-res and low-res available; Proven Winners perennials

Limitations

  • Photo credit required
  • Promotional use only
Star Roses and Plants
Free
Collection: 1,600+ photos across 471 pages

Limitations

  • Brand-specific (Knock Out, Drift, Bloomables, Bushel and Berry)
  • Free POP materials available for retail
Terra Nova Nurseries
Free
Collection: Catalog-based (annual editions)

Limitations

  • Downloadable PDF catalogs
  • No searchable image database
  • Extract images from catalog PDFs
PanAmerican Seed
Free
Collection: Wave, Beacon Impatiens, Kitchen Minis, Fantastic Foliage, etc.

Limitations

  • Part of Ball Horticultural ecosystem
  • Approved images for retail marketing
  • See Ball Photo Library for additional access
Syngenta Flowers
Free (account required)
Collection: Stars Collection and branded varieties

Limitations

  • Contact for marketing toolkits
  • Mood photography, POS materials, content calendars
  • Customer relationship typically required
Dümmen Orange
Free
Collection: Confetti Garden, Potunia, I'conia, Vitamum, and more

Limitations

  • Catalogs and POS materials
  • Contact-based access
  • Retail concepts and branded displays

Award Programs & Regional Sources

Organizations that trial and promote outstanding plant varieties. Imagery is often available for winners and regional selections.

All-America Selections
Free
Collection: AAS Winners only

Limitations

  • Credit All-America Selections required
  • Use correct variety name
  • Hi-res images via Dropbox link on media kit
Plant Select
Free
Collection: Colorado/western-adapted plants

Limitations

  • Design gallery and trial garden photos
  • Regional focus (Intermountain West)
  • Free waterwise designs and plant guides

Third-Party Stock Imagery

For lifestyle imagery, backgrounds, or when cultivar-specific shots aren't needed. Generic species and garden scenes—not suitable for product-specific signage.

Free

Unsplash
Free
Collection: Very large

Limitations

  • Generic species; not cultivar-specific
  • Best for lifestyle and background imagery
Pexels
Free
Collection: 258K+ flower photos

Limitations

  • Generic; not cultivar-specific
  • No attribution required
Pixabay
Free
Collection: 305K+ plants, 400K+ flowers

Limitations

  • Generic; not cultivar-specific
  • Royalty-free for commercial use

Paid

Shutterstock / Getty Images
Paid
Collection: Massive commercial libraries

Limitations

  • Paid licensing (~$29–499+ per image depending on use)
  • Best for one-off premium needs
  • Cultivar-specific imagery may be limited

Quick Reference & Best Practices

Tips to help you choose the right source and stay compliant.

  • Start with your suppliers

    If you carry Monrovia, Ball, Proven Winners, etc., use their libraries first—highest relevance and clearest usage rights.

  • Know the restrictions

    Most breeder images cannot be used on plant tags, containers, or packaging without explicit permission. Stick to promotional use (signage, websites, ads) unless you've cleared it.

  • Track attribution

    Most free sources require photo credit. Document requirements and apply consistently—e.g., "Courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com".

  • When to use stock

    Use Unsplash, Pexels, or similar for lifestyle shots, garden scenes, or plants you don't carry. Avoid for cultivar-specific product imagery where a customer might expect that exact variety.