Yet another request...

Since the Hybridizer of a daylily is a big part of the daylily... and I'm sure other plants too.... could we have a separate line or box to fill in for Hybridizer in the Plants Database and in our journals? (Year would be nice too, but I'm not going to ask for too much at once)

I know we can add the hybridizer to the cultivar line and it will come up in search...But adding a separate line for the Hybridizer (and year) would allow us to add the hybridizer to some that are in the database but don't have the Hybridizer listed.

I know I for one would be happy to have this information included, and I think it would improve the database.

Melissa

I agree, and I think the year is important, too.

Cheri'

It's a good idea, and Dave may be able to program around it, but here are the limitations that I think exist:

1) the "basic" entry form for a plant - common name, family, genus, species, cultivar - can only be edited by an editor (and possibly by the person who created it.) They are essentially "locked" together in a form.

To add some more free-form fields (as the synonym fields are) in the "open" section of the PDB entry is something that we've been VERY reluctant to re-introduce. (At one time, we had almost the entire PDB as free-form fields, and fields like bloom color took on all sorts of.....um, well "interesting" meanings for some folks who felt welcome to ad lib with whatever came to mind.)

That's when we went to checkboxes (and I had a LOT of fun "mapping" the current entries information over to our standardized attributes ;o)

That's not to say I'm totally opposed to a compromise solution, but Dave may or may not want to program it. And it would add another area that would need to be reviewed by editors for "junk" and "clutter" (you should see what I sometimes have to edit out of the synonym fields ;o)

I think this info would be invaluable. I tend to look up by Hybidizer name more so than plant name alot of times. Wouldn't mind seeing my name up in Daves Garden Lights!!!!!!

I agree with adding the hybridizer to the list. It's one of the items that I have in my own database and I refer to it quite frequently. I sure hope it's do-able

id Dave is willing to add it, and the editor's are willing to proof read it, I think it would be a positive addition to the PDB.

Cheri'

great idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

Great idea Melissa! I also agree. I hope its do-able also.

I would love to beable to see the hybridizer also!

I also like this idea. Would like to see it on irises and hosta,too.

LimeyLisa Kay

Allow me to clarify some things for the benefit of all who agree this is a good idea:

1) We are ALREADY editing each daylily, iris, and hosta entry to add hybridizer and year of intro. If you add a new cultivar entry for ANY of these plants, please help ease the workload for our editors by adding it at the time you create the entry.

2) Melissa's request is to add additional fields, so ANY user could add this information for existing entries. (Not just those with editor's access.)

If YOU are willing to help fix some of the ~35,000 entries that need this information added, then by all means please speak up and we'll consider creating these additional fields, or giving you limited access to edit these fields.

(It's easy to say that having this information is a great idea, but the hard part is getting the information added to each entry. So if you speak up, remember we'll be looking to you to help add this information once the fields are available!)

Terry,

I just went thru my first list of about 50 daylilies, adding plants and options, and reporting errors in the PDB. If the fields had been there, I would have added the hybridizer info, as well. (I did include it with the plants I added) Should I have reported the missing info as an error? At least then the editors would have the info in front of them, not have to go look (except to verify). But that would be a lot of error reports ...

Should I wait to start my next batch? I'm sorry I can't do this on a schedule - my life is way too complicated - but I've got a list of a few thousand cultivars and their info that I'm trying to get entered, bit by bit. It could take the rest of my life, at the rate I'm going, but we all have dreams ...

Cheri'

I'll be glad to help. I don't know how many of the thousands I can do, but would be happy to help all I can.

Thanks, both of you! Lemme see what Dave wants to do (and this could take a bit of time for him to mull it over, especially to consider changes to the PDB format.)

I know everyone is also going to get really busy gardening (if you aren't already) over the next several months, so I'm not expecting anyone to sit down and pound out a hundred entries a day or anything, lololol.

My reason for posting the above message was just to remind folks to be careful what we ask for - it's soooo easy to jump on the bandwagon and root for changes to be made, envisioning the glorious end result. But somehow it doesn't always hit home that the end result requires a lot of work for somebody, whether it's yourself or others.

I would also be willing to help out with what I can. I just do not want to add any mistakes. But I really would be more than happy to add information.

Terry, would it be a huge trouble to do the same for roses? I would be more than happy to help with that.

Paul, roses are a good one to start with, because most of the modern roses (for which there IS a hybridizer and year of intro) have not yet been added to the PDB. I'll drop you an email later today or tomorrow about the roses and your generous offer to help with the Clematis. (I really need to scram for now - I have plants begging to be planted and DD has a softball game tonight! ;o)

Ok, then I'll wait on adding more daylilies to the PDB. No sense in adding the info, and then having to go back and change it.

As to gardening, I'm already so far behind I'll never catch up this year. *sigh* But a lot of the reason for that is that I'm not free to get outside and play in the dirt. Most of the time, when I can't play in the dirt, I can play on the 'puter, albeit in fits and starts. At least, with the PDB, I feel like I'm accomplishing something.

LMK when to get started again.

Cheri'

Terry, I have not received your e-mail yet, and wanted to confirm that I didn't miss it. Thanks.

Ooops! Memory lapse. You didn't miss it, I forgot to send it - tying a string to my finger to remember to email you today ;o)

Terry,
I'm going thru the K's (arbitrary place to start, but what the heck ...) and wonder should I be reporting the hybridizer and year on each as an error?

I don't want to flood the help desk with useless info, but if it's helpful, I'll do it.

LMK
Cheri'

Cheri why not add them as a comment like Shelly has been doing and as I have the time I can add them in the cultivar line like I have been doing. If everybody is filling in blocks now I can get more of the hybridizers added to the cultivar block instead of filling in the blocks.That way I won't have to look them up when I get to that one. Unless Dave decides to add another entry for it.

I can do that . . .

Cheri'

i, too (even though i'm not particularly interested in daylilies..) have been going through the database of daylilies filling in the blank fields (bloom color, size, etc..) and would also be glad to tick off an extra box for the hybridizer, if it were there
just thought i'd throw my 2 cents in to add another name to the list of people in favor of the idea :)
my pdb comments have gone from 0 - 243 in just 2 days since i've been doing this! lol

Kim

Terry, did you get my reply that I sent on the 2nd?

I know with the other problems right now, this is not very important, but I wondered if any decision had been made about anything we talked about yet? Somewhere I remember seeing something about a mass auto fill of the options or I could be confused, wouldn't be the first time. :-) My offer of helping with the hybridizer entries still stands... even just a few a day would be helpful I'd think... but, then again, sometimes I don't think very well either. :-)

Here ya go Melissa. http://davesgarden.com/t/427934/

Melissa, I was wondering the same thing last night. I guess it got shelved until things settle down.

I know we were told that we needn't check off hardiness, spacing, propagation, Ph and sun exposure, because they would be auto-populated. I hope that was for real, because I haven't been checking them . . . .

As to hybridizer, the section kitty & I already went thru - the K's - mystic entered those in for us. Now we are slowly conquering the C's. And I do mean slowly . . . LOL! I'm only on page two; there are 42 pages of C's. I don't think mystic has started on those yet.

This is going to take a long time. There are close to 25,000 entries to go thru. Kitty and mystic and I went thru about 460 of them, so far. I know other people are doing this, too, and I hope we aren't doing the same work twice. I hate double work. Maybe we should get organized. I've got lists if anyone wants 'em . . .

Cheri'

Cherí - I'd be willing to work on hybridizer and year on some if you want to send me a letter to work on. Are there other things you're filling in as well? E,M,L, Re??? Brenda

Brenda, we can't put in the hybridizer and year, you have to be an editor to do that. I'm putting in bloom season, height, flower size, flower form, fragrance, ploidy . . . like that. Mystic put in all the K hybridizers for me.

If you wanna do some check boxes like I am, I can send you a letter . . . be careful what you ask for . . .

LOL!

Cheri'

we can't put Hybridizer/year in as a comment? Give me a letter.....a SMALL letter. We'll see how this goes.

Better include some instructions with that letter too....I'd hate to have someone go back through the ones I do. So you're just filling in empty boxes then, right?

We can put 'em in as comments . . . sorry for the misunderstanding. We can't put them in at the top . . .

I'll email you

Cheri'

Yes you can put them in comments and I can get them from there. If you let me know what letter you are working in. Cheri
no I have started on the C's yet I got the X' and Q's and U's done and just about have the y's done.

woo hoo! go mystic! =) So you must have done over 1000 by now. You are awesome! This is why you are Uber . . .

I've only got the first page of the the c's done, checkbox wise. There are a lot of C's (over 2000). Hopefully I'll get them done this year . . . ;-)

Cheri'

I'm gonna take the I's.

Mystic....Cheri said she sent you her list of hybridizers so I guess I'll plan on doing the same. Any particular format you prefer that makes it easier to put them in?

Brenda

I don't know what's been decided about the auto fill in ones. I haven't been adding them either. Brenda just the (last name, year) But not all caps please. You gals are great I will do the best I can but right now I am more interested in my own garden but I will get them done. lol

mystic, that's my problem too . . . ;-)

I'll format the first 12,000 hybridizers for you. This way you can do them whenever you get to them.

Do you have Excel?

Cheri'

I've been hesitant about adding the hybridizer names & year... because I thought we might eventually be getting a separate box for it. Then we will have to add it all over again in the box. I didn't want to do all that work twice - lol.

Dang Cheri you really want me to work. lol Yes I have excel but have a problem with copy and paste with yours it will just copy the first coloum and not the year so I still have to type that all in. But hey I am game I am giving it all I can. lol I really appreciate all the help. You guys and gals are the best if I don't have to do the check boxes I can spend more time on adding the hydridizer and year. Hint, hint hey everybody jump right in. There are 20,000 plus entries out there that need some work.