To ensure that the information in PlantSwatch™ would be scientifically sound, Fourie teamed up with Steven Loewen, a professor at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, who teaches Horticulture Diploma courses. Loewen agreed to co-author PlantSwatch™ and his remarkable ability to identify and isolate the most important growing factors for each plant was key to PlantSwatch™’s successful development. Loewen also saw an opportunity to produce a guide with the kind of attention to detail that he felt was lacking in existing plant guides. For example, the introductory section of PlantSwatch™ actually defines what is meant by sun, bright shade, semi-shade and shade. When choosing plants to include in PlantSwatch™, the co-authors tried to select ‘classic’ garden plants – those that have withstood the test of time and tend to be reasonably easy to grow over a wide range of conditions. They included a number of favorite award-winning plants as well as some that are new and ‘promising’. Finally they ensured a wide array of colors to give gardeners lots of choice.