Excellent feedback...thanks for the input, guys.Here's how I think I'm going to handle it.
The local flora doesn't have sensory organs, so their knowledge of their surroundings would be limited to pretty much just touch and temperature. And ordinary plants don't have an intelligence, wisdom, or charisma score, so even though it could collect a little bit of data about its surroundings, it wouldn't be able to reason, interpret, or influence it.
So with that in mind, using speak with plants on ordinary plants would be a lot like checking a weather instrument. The plant would give data, but the druid would have to interpret it. Something like this:
Druid: (casting spell) "Rose bush, tell me what you know."
Rose bush: "Current time: mid afternoon. Sunlight, temperature, and moisture normal for the season. Recent limb loss due to light pruning. Two flowers in full bloom were recently removed."
Druid: (turning to the rest of the party) "The gardner was here today."
I think that is pretty fitting of a first-level spell.
Now, if the plants were intelligent and capable of reason, I could go a little further...
Druid: (casting spell) "Braeburn, tell me what you know."
Braeburn (Treant): "Welcome back, my lady. Three men came by while you were away; they knocked thrice on your door and called for you, but left after you didn't answer. I think they were friends of yours. They took my best apple, I'm afraid...I was saving it for you."
Druid: "Thank you, Braeburn. You will let me know if they return?"
Braeburn: "Of course, my lady."
Yeah, I like that.
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