GardenWeb

GardenWeb.com bills itself as "the largest gardening site on the Web." And if you've ever visited the site and explored the collection of forums available you would have to agree. I've been a member there for about a year now and I'm constantly surprised by the additions to the list of forums. No matter what your interest in gardening is you're bound to find a forum where you can discuss what you want. But what makes GardenWeb special to me is the people that post there. You won't find a more knowledgeable bunch on the internet. Not only are the people knowledgeable but I'm often amazed with how generous they are in trading seeds and plants with other people. When I joined I was "adopted" by a GardenWeb member who shared a lot of great plants and bulbs with me. Perhaps I'm jaded but before then I couldn't fathom packing up and sending your plants to another person that you'd never met before. The experience taught me a lot and shaped my idea of what we as gardeners are suppose interact with others.

On GardenWeb you will find plant/area specific forums, as well as forums to conduct trades. Make sure to read the FAQ so you know how you're suppose to conduct yourself and what you and the other person should expect when trading. And if you can't figure something out you can always ask someone.

What I don't like about GardenWeb is the design and feel to the place. It looks old and clunky and it doesn't offer all of the bells and whistles that people who are familiar with the more modern amenities of boards built on phpBB. But like your favorite rusted shovel it still works although I hear that there are some changes being planned for the Spring of '07. Lets hope they go over better than the changes that created the mass exodus after iVillage took over the forum.

The site requires registration to post, but it's free to browse. I give GW ★ ★ ★ ★ out of five stars because it could use some improvement.

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