Need help with search

I don't understand how the search works. I can put in a phrase, and then I can't find any of the words on some of the resulting pages, using I.E.'s "FIND on page" function. Right now I want to find "cerulean allium" (a very blue, small, allium), but if I put it in without quotes, I get a whole bunch of things with just cerulean or just allium. If I use double quotes, I get the same thing. If I use single quotes, I get nothing. What's going on? Is there a way to search for a phrase?

TIA
LAS

The trick on this one is the spelling--I think the plant you're looking for is Allium caeruleum, if I put that in the general search with no quotes, the plant I think you want is the first search result http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?q=Allium+caeruleum&Search=Search+PlantFiles

Hi, Ecrane3,

Thanks for helping me find a posting for my flower. But I'm still puzzled about the search rules. After the post for Allium caerulium there were lots of posts for only allium or only caerulium..... I think that's what was going on. Anyway, most of the "hits" were not for "allium caerullium".

tia
las

I honestly never use the general search, I have much better luck with the specific search so I don't know all the details of how to best use the general one. All I can tell you is that when I searched Allium caeruleum in the general search, the very first thing that came up was the plant Allium caeruleum, so I have to imagine that it looks first for things with both words in it. Just like what Google and other search engines do, the results at the top of the list will be things that had all your words in them, then later results might just have one or the other but not both. And just now I tried putting "Allium caeruleum" in quotes and searching for it, and the entry for Allium caeruleum was the only result that came up. So that tells me that it does understand things in a similar way to the Google search engine, maybe it's just not as good at suggesting alternate spellings when you spell something wrong.

I wonder if we're doing the same thing. What do you mean by "the general search" and a "specific search?" What I do is enter my search value into "Search Forums." Then I get a page titled "Searching Dave's Garden Forums" and I choose which forum (or all) and "Search through" (choices "body of post" or "subject of thread", and "show only posts by following user" - optional. Is that what you're doing?

It sounds as if you are beginning your search from the Dave's Garden forums, rather than in the PlantFiles environment.

Here's a link to the PlantFiles specific search. You don't need to fill in all the fields, and usually it's a case of 'less is more'. The least amount of information you put in, the more likely that the list of results will contain the plant you are looking for. I usually fill in either genus and species, or genus and cultivar. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?Search=Click+here+to+search+for+plants You can find this search page by going to Guides and Information, PlantFiles, and then scroll down to the green box that says 'Click Here To Search For Plants'

Here's the general search, where you only have one field to put in any information you have. It usually doesn't get quite as many hits when doing a search http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?Search=Search+plants This is the one that comes up when you go to Guides and Information, PlantFiles, and then click on the green 'Search Plants' box in the upper right hand corner.

Hope this helps a bit. If you have any other questions or problems, please feel free to ask.

And, if you're not sure where in this vast website you might find a particular something-or-other, try the Home page general search: http://davesgarden.com/sitewidesearch.php?q=allium+caeruleum

That will give you references to articles where Allium caeruleum has been mentioned, PlantFiles possible candidates, PlantScout companies selling them, and forum discussions that mention this word/phrase.

If there was a Garden Watchdog company named "Allium", it would have shown up in its own section, too ;o)

Oh Terry, I really like THAT search page. So many things come up from so many different areas. AWESOME!!! Thanks! I've bookmarked a blank page for future use.

Janet

Janet, there's no need to bookmark it - just click on the Home tab (or anywhere in the banner at the top) to get to your personal home page, and that's where you'll find that search box ;o)

We really encourage people to use whatever search box is in the upper right-hand corner of the page you are on - they were chosen and matched specifically to provide the best help for every situation.

For example, if you are in PlantFiles, the search is limited to PlantFiles; if you are in the Garden Watchdog, Bookworm, or Go Gardening, it will search just that particular area.

If you're in a more general area, then you'll get these site-wide results ;o)