To all participating in the August plants database challenge!

Actually, I guess that means everyone, since it's a challenge to all DG members and has 8 more days to go (tick tock, tick tock....:)

Dave has added some new features to the database, some of them to correct oversights on my part, others because you've requested enhancements that made a lot of sense. (Check out the new "look" to the database homepage, too - woohoo, Dave!)

1. If you added a vine, shrub, or tree, you might have noticed the plant height choices stopped at 4 feet (oops! that was my mistake----so sorry!). Now you have many more choices, all the way up to over 40 feet. Please take a moment to check your entries, and check the correct height for them.

2. If you entered any bamboo, ornamental grasses, or groundcovers you'll now find a category for Bamboo and Ornamental Grasses, and a separate category for Groundcovers. (Thanks to those of you who suggested these additional categories!)

3. If you entered a perennial flower, herb or shrub that is herbaceous (meaning it dies back to the ground in the winter, not just loses its leaves), you now have a box to check for that. That was another oversight on my part when I gave Dave the original list :(

4. If you entered a plant that is attractive to birds, bees, or butterflies, there's a new checkbox to indicate that (which means you'll be able to search for plants that are attractive to the three B's :)

5. And last but not least, if you entered a plant that can be grown indoors, there's a check box for that, too. (And there's a ton of these, I know!)

Much appreciation to Dave for his quick response to this list of changes. I am so sorry I didn't have them in there before so many of you added soooo many plants (we're now up to over 1200!!!!!), but I will be going in and changing as many of them as I can over the next few weeks. Your help in tweaking your own entries would be greatly appreciated.

And keep those entries coming - the more you enter, the better your chances to win a FABULOUS prize, courtesy of Dave and Trish!

I hope it is NOT a trip to Disney! LOL

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The database is LOOOOKING GOOOD!! Dave has done a fabulous job. Vols - I'll get around to editing all my entries sooner or later. I just did some of them but I have lots more to go.

You know what I think would be REALLY helpful - is some sort overall check-list of the plant entries where we could see what the entries need. Like a description, a picture, propagation ... or what ever isn't filled out on the entry. I don't even know what I have or haven't filled out on my own entries anymore.

Sue, I agree. I don't know how difficult it would be, but it would be nice if when you pull up a category of plants, you could see whether there is (or how many) general description, photos, cultivars, etc. exist.

I know that could take up too much room, given the limitations of a web page, but it is a very good idea.

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Sue,

That is a good idea. Vols raises the interesting point that we are running out of real estate, but I think this information is worth shuffling things around.

Here's what I did tonight:

In the "Browse by Category" listings, I took the "Date Added" column off, and added an "Images" column.

The number in that column represents the number of images attached to that particular plant. I'll go and add this feature to all other pages in the DB later on.

I'll also think up a way to represent the other content description counts in the lists, as well.

Dave

Thanks, Dave! Dave deserves a huge thanks for making some changes to the database this month that will make it even more user-friendly when we are searching for plants.

I am finding that our database is among the top five sites in my web search results - that is an AMAZING accomplishment that is due to everyone who has taken the time to enter one (or 100) plants in the database - some DG members have been incredibly generous with their time and knowledge :)

Here's a quick update on the challenge - we have more than doubled the number of plants in the database. With five days left in August, I think we could add enough entries to triple it. We started out around 550-580 plants at the end of July; we're now over 1300 plants. New descriptions and photos number in the hundreds if not thousands.

If you have held off on participating, now's your chance!

Can't find a plant that isn't in the database?
1. Add a description for general information, a particular cultivar, germination/propagation tips, or a photo.

2. Think of a favorite plant. Use a search engine like Google and type in the Genus name. You will likely get several other species which may not yet be added to the database. A few minutes of research into databases like MSUE's or Hortpix (they frequently come up in my searches) will give you enough basic information to fill out a new entry's "vital statistics".

If you're afraid that your entry won't sound professional, not to worry. The basic information can be completed by clicking on check boxes and selecting from pull-down lists. Family names - if you're not sure, leave it blank. (Hint for figuring out the family name - they all now end in "ceae".) Any other questions, feel free to post them here or e-mail me, and I'll help you.

Guarantee: your entry will look GREAT, and you'll have helped make Dave's Garden a little more personal and complete. (And you'll be eligible for the prize drawing that will be held when the contest ends.) So what are you waiting for????

Can't wait to see who wins the prizes!

HEY!!! not fair!! LOL!!!
Gee, I was out of town...missed 11 whole days of being able to add "stuff"- LOL!- and i even took pics of lots of roses in a big rose garden.... yet- won;t be redadt to upload until next week!!! NOT FAIRR!! LOL!!!
(just joking!!! loved the idea of the contest and did as much as I could before I left and will try to do more before the contest ends.... but, hey, thought I'd give it a shot to get more"time!") LOL!
-JSS!
Thanks for all your hard work Go-Vols!! And Dave, too!!
-JSS