I prefer the present system, but I'm a flower floozie.
I don't want to go to an alphabetical page of the database and see cultivars represented by thumbnails of bark, seeds, and twigs. I appreciate those other photos, but I want to see nothing but the highest-rated blooms on the front page, especially when I'm treating the winter doldrums by browsing through the alphabetical rose, plumeria, iris, or hibiscus pages.