Support for a Garden Tour forum?

I don't know if this duplicates another forum, but I've noticed quite a few people asking for looks at other people's gardens in some of the forums I hang out in. I'm wondering if there is any support for a kind of Garden Tour kind of forum where proud gardeners can take others on a pictoral tour of their special outdoor or indoor gardens. It would seem like a good idea if we could come up with a posting protocol that made the forum unique as a kind of home slide show of pics and commentary by the gardener and then have comments later or even seasonal updates by the gardener showing the wonderful transitions a garden goes through during the year. What do you think?

lol,

well at least this suggestion is dying a merciful and quick death...

hope all are well,
don

There has been some of that in the past somewhere.
It's not a bad idea except some members have an acre or more for a yard to show off and that makes me very jealous, LOL.

lol Ulrich,

you're not serious of course....You live in Manhattan beach where those muscle heads work out on the beach and go home alone...size...matter?...lol.

I'm sure your gardens are marvelous, your neighborhood sure is. What some of us lack in location we make up for in space...lol

best,
don

Drdon, Could you use the Photos forum and download a series of pics? I've seen that.
You could also use Photobucket to create a series of pics and display the link in a post.
What I do is use the Photo Show software and put a link in my post like this.
http://Photoshow.comcast.net/fantasyfinishes/favorites
Andy P

Thanks Andy,

I just thought it might be fun to have members walk us through their gardens in a kind of stream of consciousness thread where it would be like walking with them with dialog provided by them. It's convoluted but with all the brains here someone would do it marvelously and then all could take that as the model. The photos forum is so wonderfully evolved on it's own I'd really hate it if all of a sudden a bunch of photographic neophytes (like me) hijacked the truly amazing photography with blurry pictures of a tree with some ferns underneath.

I am kind of grateful this thing is dying in that I really didn't think it out before posting....ask dave, I'm somewhat infamous for such things...lol.

thanks for the advice Andy,
best,
don

Don, we have wall-to-wall housing on 40' x 135' lots. You have open spaces with vineyards, avocado orchards and hot air balloons.
And besides, your grass is greener, being on the other side of the fence.

Oops, must not forget to mention Indian Casinos! Can't be without those, lol.

This message was edited Dec 2, 2005 6:10 PM

lol@greener grass,

Remember what Erma Bombeck said about that...."It's always greener over the septic tank."

And the other side of fences out here might find you wondering if you've time warped to the dark ages or have been transported to Appalachia...lol. They ask for four things out here to see if you're the "right kind" ....driver's license, registration, insurance, NRA membership card...lol. Shootings down in town are so civilized....a guy drives by, opens fire, and politely leaves...here they pick on defensless road signs...go figure..

best to you and your zone 11 plants,
don

As Johnny Carson used to say: "I didn't know that".

LOL It's true. When I was kid we had a huge backyard......with three nice, dark green, and much taller strips of grass running through the middle of all the other grass.......where the septic lines were. ;-)

As Ed McMahon used to say........Gin....more gin.

I watched him fall off a barstool in Catalina while delivering a slurred and totally feeble monologue one summer as a lifeguard for LA county. What a mackeral head....lol.

Where Is.....?

ed mcmahon
ed mcmahon is looking for you
ed mcmahon is still accepting speaking engagements
ed mcmahon is a man whose career has surpassed his own dream
ed mcmahon is most famous for is his role as johnny carson's straight man on the tonight show
ed mcmahon is still going strong
ed mcmahon is suing his insurance company for more
ed mcmahon is perhaps one of the most recognized figures on television
ed mcmahon is
ed mcmahon is looking to win a sweepstakes size lawsuit
ed mcmahon is a man whose career has surpassed his own dreams
ed mcmahon is a nationally known inspiring
ed mcmahon is nationally known as an inspiring and thought...burp
ed mcmahon is suing his home insurance company for $20 million
ed mcmahon is shaking my hand saying....burp
ed mcmahon is holding open auditions for an appearance on ed mcmahon's next big star.....buuurerch
ed mcmahon is back in the star search business
ed mcmahon is presenting the publishers clearing house check to..hic edna mcpherson of mitchell....so sorry I meant ed mcmahon of...hic
ed mcmahon is your father
ed mcmahon is just a heartbeat away from returning to...the prilosec..
ed mcmahon is nowhere to be found on this star
ed mcmahon is suing his insurance company for more than $20 million
ed mcmahon is still fishing
ed mcmahon is performing this service to delphi forums free of charge
ed mcmahon is vice president and director of land use at...who?
ed mcmahon is not
ed mcmahon is okay
ed mcmahon is cast as chancellor papltine's side kick
ed mcmahon is leet
ed mcmahon is suing over the mold in his house that he said killed his
ed mcmahon is a television host that laughs like a horse
ed mcmahon is vice president of the conservation fund 1800...d.o.b.
ed mcmahon is vice president director of the center for...help me up!
ed mcmahon is jerry seinfeld
ed mcmahon is the host
ed mcmahon is at my door
ed mcmahon is actually a.....bohemian....if they have vodka
ed mcmahon is craig shoemaker
ed mcmahon is on pie patrol for 'meet the marks'
ed mcmahon is terrifying frail
ed mcmahon is scheduled to help honor...er...Timothy Leary?..burp
ed mcmahon is the anchor of the telethon
ed mcmahon is moldy
ed mcmahon is a liar
ed mcmahon is at it again
ed mcmahon is at my door
ed mcmahon is also having problems...with his Bob Dole
ed mcmahon is really generously sauced...Bernaise anyone?
ed mcmahon is unavailable to drop it off at your house..he's hungover
ed mcmahon is going to announce the next ten million
ed mcmahon is going to come knocking at my door with a giant check
ed mcmahon is suing his insurance company for $20 million
ed mcmahon is bringing star search' to the really small screen...your phone
ed mcmahon is going to be the pitch man...for Seagrams
ed mcmahon is suing over mold
ed mcmahon is coming to your door
ed mcmahon is for real
ed mcmahon is being compiled for the masses
ed mcmahon is 79
ed mcmahon is trying to change things...he hates ice in his scotch
ed mcmahon is in our prayers
ed mcmahon is a mean old son of a really dull dill pickle
ed mcmahon is not expected to return as host...he's drunk
ed mcmahon is going to come...when pigs grow wings
ed mcmahon is sleeping next to you...NOOOOO!
ed mcmahon is soooo drunk during the jerry lewis telethon, he vomited
ed mcmahon is standing there with a three iron propping him up
ed mcmahon is proud to present you with a cooomlkjnmtail
ed mcmahon is bent over laughing..no he's just drunk
ed mcmahon is born again as a whiskey still
ed mcmahon is unavailable to host anything but a....burp
ed mcmahon is nowhere near where you are karaoking
ed mcmahon is calling to let me know i am the next big winner
ed mcmahon is not at the door
ed mcmahon is not part of this new version
ed mcmahon is to be present at our national awards ceremony....hic
ed mcmahon is in the next block ready to knock on their door
ed mcmahon is an attorney
ed mcmahon is never on the other end of the line waiting to tell me..I'm buying..
ed mcmahon is on the fifty yard line...oh my was that his breast?

Now that's the most ambitious post I've ever seen.

Hey Doc,

Did you just get a nice delivery from Napa by any chance?

I love you man, but *wow*!

mg

lol.....huge hug ZuZu...I just felt it needed to be said.....lol

Is there a way to use something alond the lines of diary or journal to track tour pics?

I think the garden Journals are a lovely way to do such a thing, I'm just not sure how many of us visit other's pages. The Forum I envisioned could function, however, to guide people to other's journals and then we could use the forum for discussion and commentary.

It sure would be fun to see some of the work so many passionate gardeners do and to be able to track a garden through the seasons in different parts of the country and world.

best,
don

Isn't Garden Talk the logical forum for that? I remember Pirl's great tour of her garden, replete with comments, in that forum:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/528730/

Zuzu ~~ I was trying to find that very thread of Pirl's....you definitely have a better memory than I do!! I thought that was just the place for such things as 'virtual garden tours'....Garden Talk seems a perfect forum.

Jamie
ps. By the way -- Fancy meeting you here Zuzu...LOL

Jamie, I was lured here by Ulrich, who e-mailed me the link because of Don's fabulous Ed McMahon rant.

Hiya drdon
I think the garden tour is a brill idea, no matter about where you are or what size you are...er garden that is...I for one don't put myself above or below any other individual.

Any person taking part in these forums is here for a reason, namely that they are proud of their garden, and they are interested in furthering their knowledge. the suggestion of a tour would be useful for both beginners and anyone at a further stage. I have personally gained much knowledge over the last few years, but am also aware that there is much more to learn. I am surprised, in awe of even, at the many talents of people, surely each and every one of us could benefit from this?

As we are 'talking' to each other it would give a much more personal feel as drdon says, almost like taking a friend around to show him or her your 'special' pride and joy. How many of us have grown something from seed taken from a plant we have, and come up with a beautiful flower which we want to shout about. I for one have a poppy or papaver orientalis x from 3 different poppies I grow, and I think it is worthy of an award! To see another person do something we previously had not thought of, or thought we couldn't do, opens up a whole new spectrum on gardening.

The bonus is we also get to keep a record of out attempts and achievements, at the same time encouraged to make a record of what we have done. Too many times I have seen a topic degenerate into a tit for tat game between two people, and any rush to an update is a waste of time. A good laugh along the way I do appreciate, it lightens things up! And heck some of us could do with a laugh every now and then. This type of forum would hopefully be kept on track.

here is a pic of my poppy which i have rightly named after myself, papaver Rowleyanus (there actually are some species with that identifying name.)

Don I don't think your forum is getting ignored as much as the fact that there is so much going on, and I for one have been absorbed in the photo competition. Have you not been there?

Fabulous poppy, indeed, Wallaby. I'll be looking forward to the tour of your garden.

drdon - very nice idea and a great way to tour each other's gardens. The mother of one of our neighbor's has me give her the same tour, year after year. She loves when I stop to explain the whole Color Echoes theory of Pamela Harper's and how I try so hard to incorporate it in my garden.

LOVED the Ed McMahon "bit". With all his money wouldn't you think he could afford good false teeth?

Zuzu: you're a gem. Thanks for the link. I just might revisit tomorrow and possibly add to it when we get some snow. (Or not?)

Jamie68: It was great fun both being on the tour and doing the write up. If I were more brazen (is that possible?) I would have included more close-ups of individual flowers than enchant me.

Wallaby1: I've spent many hours going over the photo contest entries and still find Irises the hardest one: so many great photos. I did write to a few people whose work I thought was soul stirring - Kell and the brugmansia photo should be a magazine cover and one of sanannie's come to mind along with a daylily by Melissa_ohio (hope I remembered her name correctly!)

Here's one I forgot to enter. Whether it's a blonde moment or pre Dementia, I'm not sure. Maybe it's pre Ed McMahon!

Wallaby: sorry I missed out on saying how lovely your poppy is. I apologize.

Thanks 75154 for leading me here.

Hi Zuzu
thanks, would love to see you if this gets going. do you know who else you can get interested? drdon needs support on this, and word of mouth or keyboard can soon spread better than a chance visit to this forum.

The poppy was one of a few I had survive from a sowing of seed off Patty's Plum, also have Royal wedding and Coral Reef in it's 1st year flowering when I got the seed. the texture is nothing like I have seen, a solid silk with a lustre, and I don't need to say how great that centre and the black marks are. They all show, some get half covered. Notice the bowled effect with frilled rim like a soup bowl shape, this was the first flower and strong winds bruised the new soft stem, so i took it off and put it in water. The following day it opened and bowled me over. I had a variety of flowers, some interesting, some poor, but none like this. the centres all vary too, the seed ball and the ruff of filaments if compared vary a great deal. This is Patty's plum...

hiya,

I went to pirl's amazing tour, btw ZuZu thanks for the link, and maybe garden talk is indeed the place for such things after all. It's a lovely garden and the pics are kind of exactly what I was thinking about. I just don't know if a specific forum might actually allow for more attention to be paid to 'tours', and not be confused with talk about the 1001 uses for pine straw...lol.

I apologize for the stream of consciousness dittie on dear ol' Ed, but he never comes to our door with a bloody check so he's annoying me...lol.



This message was edited Dec 3, 2005 7:29 PM

Don't you dare apologize for that!! I loved it.

Patty's Plum is so beautiful, Wallaby1.

No need to apologize for the Ed McMahon binge, DrDon. Considering how he was so happy to dump his wife when Carson headed to L.A. he probably has a lot of apologizing to do for the way he's conducted his life.

Hi pirl, thanks, it looks like the message is already spreading doesn't it! drdon where are you? We're here and waiting.
love the colour of the iris, I don't think I have seen one quite that colour. I also left some photos out, but admittedly I had so many and had already put loads in, gets to a point and you get zapped. there won't be any left for next year either! I have taken hundreds this year, only got the camera March/April, surprising what you can accumulate while enjoying yourself isn't it?
Photos are a very personal thing, and I suppose we all see different things in a photo, but as I read on the contest forum, it is an art to get the viewer interested in the subject. i personally am not drawn by 'set ups', while others may like them. i just grabbed the camera when a moment took me, and tried to capture that moment, hopefully successfully. A photo should have something that draws you in to explore further, and that something isn't always obvious, just a 'good feel'.

lol...ty ZuZu

I just hate it when my inner nihilist comes out....lol.

"Hello Dali hello,
Da-Da Dali don't go,
Lobster telephone trend,
How'd you get that pocketwatch to bend?"

what ever happened to dadaism and the pure joy of chaos?

Jean Arp, "Configuration"

I just think it would be a wonderful thing to drop in on a garden and marvel at the skill and passion that is manifested in flowers, trees, shrubs, cleverly placed garden art, well conceived hardscape...the list goes on. I think it might also be fun for me in the desert to watch the leaves turn in pirl's garden or watch poppies blooming in wallaby1's fabulous patch. The artistry of gardening is something we all share in our own ways and with our own vision. DG is uniquely suited for this kind of sharing. dave and the administration obviously will decide the most logical course of action regarding this suggestion, but for me, I'd just like to go into a forum free of the distraction of conversation regarding the best mosquito repellant and immerse myself in a space, a garden and have a liesurely "walk" and take in the sights as seen by the steward(s) of said garden. Maybe have some conversation about the garden, learn, and be sure to thank the gardener for their hospitality.

Then have a cocktail...lol.


Salvador Dali "Persistence Memory"

You used the wrong illustration for a cocktail. Here's Birth of Liquid Desires:

lol, that's a goodie

Dueling Dalis...what a concept...lol. An hour in front of either of them and you'll need a second round...lol.

I've always been interested in his penchant for lighting giraffes on fire. Why don't giraffes have deeper voices?

ZuZu, have you seen the Edward James Garden in Xilitla, San Luis Potosi, Mexico?

Max Ernst and a bunch of others made this place a true sight to behold. Here's a link.

http://www.surf-mexico.com/states/SLP/Xilitla/pozas_tour.htm

Actually, my lack of computer knowledge amazes me. The first hour in computer class was a flop. The Community College class was attended by youngsters aware of cyber doo-hickeys so nobody thought to see if I knew how to turn the darn machine on, I didn't. That said, I think the garden tour idea is a good idea. But then comes the format, and what I see now is for every entry we have to post, go back to the thread,skip to new, post a new reply for the second entry in the "tour", then go through the whole procedure again for each step of the journey. See, that's all I know how to do, and if there is another way it has eluded me. The 'system' I see on some other internet stuff is where you just hit "next" or "last" and continue on your merry way. How they did it is a mystery, maybe if I had gone to the second class instead of dropping out it might have become clear. Don't know if DG has the capacity to do a collection sequence like that or not, or whether my computer has the ability to do it, or even if I have, as Poirot says, the little grey cells. Personally I would enjoy a tour through members gardens using a "next" click rather than a click:back:click:back etc. But this is ultimately up to our Computer Guru Dave who knows about the magic, esoteric, mind-numbing,arcane,enigmatic and completely cryptic machinations of these addicting inventions.
Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!
Don't give up Don ,remember what Beowulf said, must have said something, darned if I can remember what.

Wow, a format like that one would be cool for a garden tour wouldn't it ?

No, Don, I've never seen it. Regrettably, I haven't seen much of Mexico at all.

Now that's a garden tour I'd love to take. It looks fascinating.

Balvenie, we've had discussions of this nature here before, and the consensus was that most people prefer the current format. I can't quite remember why, but maybe someone else remembers. It was a discussion in the Photos Forum.

Beowulf??? He said so many things.

hiya balvenie!

great to see you amigo.

I'm sure Beowulf said something as well. One has a difficult time silencing 10th century Scandinavians...lol, they're just so verbose.

I also think it might pose some challenges with the back button thing and this is why I've brought it up. I don't know if a slide show kind of thing could happen but if it did it might diminish the commentary by the gardener explaining what, where, why a particular image was taken.

As far as computer savvy goes, I'm certainly in agreement, let the pros here tell us how it would work and then we'll adapt to the format. I would imagine gladly...I've seen some pictures of gardens that I just stare at for a while, so the slide show thing might be annoying, however your next button idea certainly has merit if that could be employed. I do like to spend some time studying the nuts and bolts of a garden (like yours btw), so I just grab a dram and learn.

best to you and thanks for posting. Sixty or Seventy more "on topic"..lol posts of support might give this thing a chance.

don

Yeah, now I remember the reason for the consensus: We like to chat. Moving from picture to picture is not enough for most of us. We want to read text -- not only the names of plants, but why they were chosen (or appeared spontaneously), how well they perform (or how poorly they perform, contrary to expectations), etc. Mostly, however, we want to learn more about the gardener in addition to the garden.

Couldn't find much in Beowulf about setting up garden tours, but how about:
" The wise did not really blame him for undertaking this expedition,although they loved him; but they urged him on and watched the omens." (Penguin Classics trans. by D Wright)
Watching the omens here....

Thank you, Sorgina. Here's an omen: Today is DrDon's birthday. Perhaps he should get a new Garden Tour Forum for his birthday.

Happy birthday, Don. Hope you have a great day.

Happy Birthday, Don! I hope one of your presents is a Garden Tour Forum. LOL (I think I hear the sounds of celebration all the way back here in frigid Ohio.)