Astrid, I bought some beautiful prints on ebay. Just search botanical print. I paid about $4-10 for them. I had them framed (which wasn't cheap!) and they are lovely.

Sometimes there are deals on frames eBay too. You can also buy pre-cut mats in black or white for standard sized frames.

Look for issues of Addisonia,a journal put out by the NY Botanical Garden. My are from the '20's, not sure when the journal went out of publication.

I have bought antique prints from www.panteek.com. I've also bought used books with plates (prints are attached to the page so you can carefully remove them...nothing on the back of the prints) or pages with nothing on the reverse side that you carefully cut from the book binder.

Cameron

There are calendars out there with gorgeous botanical prints~with after Christmas sales you can find them for 75% off. Have them professionally matted and framed and save a bundle. ;o)

First, keep in mind that sometimes they are referred to as "plates" when you're searching for prints. That may be a good search term for you as you look. Just make sure you search under art so you don't end up looking at kitchen plates! Great places to find them are...

1) ebay
2) art.com - I bought seashell prints/plates from here and framed them in black frames and gold frames and they make my casual LR look so classic and classy and they will never go out of style.
3) barnes and noble...see link...
Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Book of Botanical Prints: The Complete Plates

Thanks for all the input! I'm going to check out ebay and the books. Do you just tear out the prints from the books?
Astrid

Think carefully before buying antique prints rather than reprints. The bigger the market, the greater the encouragement for nasty people who go in to a library and razor out the prints, leaving a carcass behind. It is not only a problem aesthetically, but these are often important resources for scientific research.

Ludwig M... allegedly commissioned the thefts according to the market value of botany and zoology classics...

Thefts even happen even with more recent books. I saw one that had all the color plates ripped out by someone who used a ball point pen (!). Replacement of that volume was a low priority for the library as their budget was pretty tight and the text was still there, but any future readers lost out.

There are many fine sources for beautiful reprints.

Here is a link that might be useful: library theft case

You don't need to spend the money for professional framing unless you really want to. I get custom-cut frames and mats online and assemble them myself, which is ridiculously fast and easy (they provide instructions if you need them), and it saves a LOT of money. For wood frames I really like Franken Frames, for metal and composite frames and mats I order from Graphik Dimensions. Both companies offer free sample cuts of frames and mats, which I strongly recommend you order before making your final selection.

As for the prints themselves, I've been very happy with purchases from Global Gallery. (They're having a 35%-off sale until 1/14, too.) Their prints are nice quality IMO, not "posterish".

If you are looking for originals try http://www.rareprintsgallery.com
Or for copies try http://www.chartingnature.com
I have bought from the latter, very reasonable and the matted prints were great.

StudioBotanika has a nice selection of antique botanical prints. They're not exactly cheap, but the prints are high-quality and they also do custom framing. eBay is great for bargain hunting. Check out Panteek and RarePrintsGallery for their weekly auctions. I've ordered from both and can recommend them.

Here is a link that might be useful: StudioBotanika

I just happened to see some today on clearance @ Frontgate. Not sure if these are like what you had in mind, but take a look!

Here is a link that might be useful: Frontgate

Always have had good experiences with Charting Nature. They have a good selection of many botanical prints from flowers to ferns to mushrooms. Very reasonable prices, and great flexibility in ordering

Here is a link that might be useful: Antique Botanical Prints

There are a lot of places on the web to find some good botanical prints for a decent price with or with out having them framed by the company you buy them from. A quick google search can give you a good list to try. Give Botanical Prints a shot and see if you can find what you are looking for.

Here is a link that might be useful: Botanical Prints

These prints are fantastic here: http://www.centuryprints.com/galleries/botanicals - printed in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

Here is a link that might be useful: Botanical Prints

Charting Nature (www.chartingnature.com) has a nice selection of botanical prints and illustrations. All of their prints are printed on archival paper using archival ink and come in standard sizes. I especially love their fern and orchid collections.

Here is a link that might be useful: Charting Nature Botanical Prints