GoHelios provides a robust planting selector program based around the NPS approved lists of plants. The GoHelios Plant Selector also includes stock data (plant species and specifications) from subscribing nurseries.
Users are able to scroll through lists of plant species and varieties, view and search plant characteristics and create user-defined ‘palettes’ (subscribers only).
To run the GoHelios Plant Selector, either pick 'Plants' from the top bar menu or select 'Plant Selector' from the side menu.
All users are able to run a basic search by ‘Plant name’ or by ‘Plant class’. Typing “erica” in the ‘Plant name’ edit box and picking ‘Find plants’, will return all listed Erica genus and species/varieties containing ‘erica’ (e.g. ‘Lysichiton americanus’). Plants can be searched within a particular 'class', selected from the Plant class list displayed in the side menu and picking ‘Find plants’.
The associated species list is displayed in the results are. From here, GoHelios members are able to view plant characteristic information and create/save user-defined planting lists by selecting plants to add to the current ‘palette’.
By default, plants are listed in columns: Category, Species, Specs , Chars and Palette. To view the results as a gallery, select 'Gallery view' at the top right of the results area.
Scroll through the plant list by using the left (<) and right (>) arrows on the navigation summary. To skip page views, pick in the Page * edit box, type a page number as required and pick the ‘return’ key.
From the Plant list, there are options to view specification data, view characteristic data, to add to palette or to adjust the search filter. Note that the only option available to non-members is to view specification data.
Picking Specification data (Specs) from the GoHelios plant list, displays all available specification options for the selected plant using the specification criteria dictated in the NPS description of terms for the associated plant class.
From the Specifications data page, GoHelios members are able to select preferred specifications using ‘Add to palette’ or to display characteristic data and photographs using ‘View characteristics’.
Characteristic data and plant photographs are displayed by picking the Characteristic data icon from the Plant List page or by picking View characteristics from the Plant Specification page.
Note that characteristic information and plant photographs are restricted to members only and if a user who is not logged in attempts to view plant characteristic data, a warning message is displayed.
If you have forgotten to go through the log in process, use the browser navigation key to return to the previous view and then enter login details to allow access to Plant Characteristics.
Some plants have multiple photographs displayed in the Plant Characteristics page. Pick the thumbnail of the photograph to switch main image.
GoHelios members are able to print GoHelios plant characteristic pages for reference as required.
GoHelios members can save user-defined plant selections as GoHelios Palettes: species lists and associated specifications. GoHelios Palettes are stored against a member’s account and may be saved to file for reference or to take into standard word processor, spreadsheet (e.g. Microsoft products) and computer aided design (CAD) packages including CS Artisan, CS Artisan SL and Garden Designer products. Palettes can also be output to PDF format via the Downloads area (GoHelios Palettes).
In addition to the central NPS approved list of plants and related specifications, nurseries are able to include their specific stock information and users are recommended to encourage favourite suppliers to subscribe to GoHelios to ensure the broadest range of the most up to date plant information.
Plant searches by default in GoHelios are based on the National Plant Specification (NPS) approved lists of plants. Users are able to run plant searches for ‘All Nurseries’ or per individual nursery by selecting from the Plant Library list.
If ‘All Nurseries’ is selected for a plant search and a number of nurseries meet the search criteria, GoHelios displays a list of the relevant nurseries.
Pick the ‘More details’ link on any of the GoHelios Nurseries listings to display the matching criteria for the selected nursery.
From a selected nursery’s plant list, view plant characteristic information and create/save palettes as with the National Plant Specification (NPS) lists.
GoHelios members are able to run an extended plant search by picking ‘Advanced search’ from the GoHelios Plant Selector.
The Advanced search enables plant characteristic information to be defined as a refinement to the basic plant search. Plant characteristics are arranged under the topics of ‘Form & habit’, ‘Soils’, ‘Aspect’, ‘Performance’ and ‘Other factors’.
Select Advanced search criteria as required and pick ‘Find plants’ to display a resultant Plant List matching the defined search criteria.