How has DG changed your garden?

I found DG when I was looking up seeds and plants a Master Gardener gave me. I have never looked at another gardening site since. I have new friends and lots of great advice when I need it. I LOVE this site!

I have added new plants, figured out what not to plant, honed my skills, gotten great advice and added indoor gardening to my hobbies. And made lots of new friends- all in all money and time well spent.
April

All but the last two are applicable. Never heard of Goji berry till drdon mentioned them; learned how to look for HVX from the Hosta forum; built a bog pond thanks to DG. In addition to researching plants I've made many good friends and picked up a lot of great ideas from the incredible assortment of wisdom, talent and caring of the membership. (and enjoyed Darius' biscotti)

There have been a good many folks with a treasure trove of info, personal experiences, skills, and the provision of web links, which have definitely triggered an increased interest in our desire to identify some of the plants that existed on our property .. and an effective aid in choosing a few of the additions.

DG has certainly been a centralized hub of activity .. in sharing and learning of each of our similar interests and discovering new.

- Magpye

Lots of friends- but the main thing I have gotten from DG is how to care for my plants in a more organic and well, cheap way. I have lots of knowledge of home remedies and soil improvement tricks since I started at Dave's.

Almost all of the above! I have dozens of new plants in my gardens, learned how to start plants from cuttings and how to winter sow, and identified a number of volunteer seedlings that have shown up that I previously would have pulled as weeds.

I've installed an entire native woodland garden on my property, discovered that some of my garden's old favourites are in fact heirloom plants and vegetables, and gleaned many tips and tricks for all things gardening related.....

.....and I have certainly "met" and made many new friends. DG rocks!

--Ginny

Having inherited my family's stubborn streak (I prefer to think of it as persistence) giving up my attempts at growing intriguing plants such as medlar and jostaberry has been hard. At some point I had to acknowledge that the time, effort and money I was expending could be devoted to more prosaic items likely to be successful. But I still plan
to try rhubarb as an annual and one more round with asparagus seeds.

I don't know how many new plants I've added since I found DG but we can safely say it's in the hundreds.

I've also learned the identity of lots of plants I didn't know and have made friends!

Love DG.

Gwen

Why don't you include an 'all of the above' option on these quizzes, Dave? Or at least 'two or more of the above'. I'm going to my 1st roundup this weekend, I have definitely benefited from the social aspects, I had my rose ailment identified, I 've had people ooh and aah over my pix, I've oohed and aahed over other people's pix, I've been inspired to try Dahlias, I've been inspired to start trying fertilizer (!), I've become interested in shady plants like Brunnera, Hellebores, Heuchera, I've learned about thrillers, spillers and fillers... I could go on and on...

xxx, Carrie

edited to add: I forgot about wintersowing! and html!

This message was edited Jun 19, 2006 12:00 PM

Had to choose OTHER primarily because I'ved added new varieties of existing plants and gained knowlege about how to care for them. Since discovering this site about a month ago, I've gained more knowlege than all my previous years of gardening combined. There is so much information available in such interesting and concise formats - this from someone not willing (or interested) in spending much time reading detailed scientific studies, etc.

But, show me a photo, tell me your experience, provide me a hyper-link to related information, and then, as if that's not enough - be available to instantly answer my questions when needed.......oh my gosh! A gardener's dream!

Unfortunately, there has been one negative effect - not in my garden, but my pocketbook! Suspect this will get much worse, not better!

Debra

If the question had been, "How has DG changed your life?" I would have said, "I now have a much dirtier house!" as I can't seem to get my housework done since I "met" DG. My priorities this summer (after family, of course!) are...
1. my gardens
2. reading all the DG threads I'm watching
3. housework

But since the question is slightly different (!)... I've learned so much and have met (via the airwaves and in person!) so many new friends. I had not gardened in about 15 years, and even plant names had escaped me, so DG has been a great tutorial for review and WOW...there are so many new cultivars of everything to learn about. And the people...the salt of the earth. Every person I've met has been friendly, so helpful, and totally genuine. At our Austin Nursery Tour I met some of the nicest people!!

DG ROCKS!!! .....

I chose OTHER because they all applied except the NO MAJOR CHANGES.

Lots of new friends, but I voted "other" because there are new addictions as well. But I can't really say I never heard of them before. LOL

Ann

I had to vote "Other" because all apply except for "no major changes". I have no idea how many plants I now have that I never heard of pre-DG, to list a few...Brugs, Daturas, and many tropicals. What's better than just learning of the plants is learning how to care for them well and seeing how others have used them in their gardens. For instance, I always considered Coleus a filler plant until seeing a container garden here on DG comprised mostly of Coleus and other foliage plants. This year I started a pack and a 1/2 of Coleus from seed to make sure I would have enough! Who needs gardening mags for inspiration when we have DG?? It's the best!!

I found DG looking for info on a few plants i was growing and have been here ever since.
I just love it here so many good people to chat with and learn from and i have learned lots form them.
i have also found that trading is fun,...and finding plants i have never grown is great.
:}
RH

Like many others have said, I voted other because more than one applied. When I first joined, I was a complete novice. I'm no Master Gardener now, but I've sure come a long way, thanks to DG. :-) Tamara

Good folks here. Good humor and wit, a broad-sprectum of seriousness-type knowledge as well. Then again, it's what you make of it I suppose...

Anyway, it's all here!

Glad to be a part..

I voted other, because quite a few of the catagories applied, and one that didn't- IDing houseplants. I've gotten a lot of help here with that.
The people here are the best!

I voted other because they all apply to me except the "no major changes" one. I've done all the rest. Since finding DG, my yard is a totally different yard than it was before, and I keep digging and rearranging more every year.

Lol - I started two big ponds, added my first natives and really put natives everywhere now, started Daylilies and added real Iris... not to forget cutting and growing from seed... soooo many things! I have said before that my garden before Daves looked like a waste land but now it is a real garden well on its way to being something great! Thanks Dave!

I voted other, because I have many new plants that I had, indeed, heard of, but couldn't find elsewhere!

Some of the others do apply, though...lots of new friends, and I'm always learning something.....each and every day!

I built my first raised flower bed from scratch-- I learned from DG threads how to turn my clay soil into a lush thriving and fertile flower bed. 80 percent of which was planted by seeds. Amaranthus and Zinnias 5 and 6 feet tall. I spent 3 weeks working and turning the soil adding compost and leaves.
I went from this
http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/viewimage.php?did=12958
to this
http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/viewimage.php?did=15692

all from DG members and threads that were posted....how cool is that?

edited to add - dates Jan 1st - Jun 1st 2006

This message was edited Jun 19, 2006 4:30 PM

I checked the first one, but more than one apply for me. I have discovered, and are now growing, many plants that I hadn't heard of before such as Brugmansia. But I have also learned how to properly start plants from seeds and cuttings as well. I have added a Pond with the help of many DG members and although my garden HAS had many major changes due to Dave's Garden, I have certainly met and made many great freiends here. Ü

Don

I enjoy Dave's Garden for so many reasons...especially since I've made so many new friends here! I always get the worst case of plant envy whenever I visit any forum...and I'm proud to say my garden is now bursting at the seams with new plants!

Every time I wanted to get info on a plant, seed or pest on Google, Dave's always showed up! Today I broke down and paid up and now I'm a full-fledged member! Can't wait to start learning and sharing!

I now have a wonderful tropical garden, thanks to the generosity of so many nice people I've met here on DG.

I've been trying to repay their generosity, by sending plants to people who don't have anything to trade.

I think it's a great tradition.

I selected other because all of the above apply. I would consider the huge daylily bed that I put in last year and the one I'm putting in this year as major changes! I've met so many wonderful people here, I'd have never thought of starting things from cuttings before. I've grown, and started seeds of, lots of things I'd never heard of before DG. How many plants.... I'm afraid to count, over 200 daylilies alone.
Vicki

I picked that I learned how to start from seeds and they were heirloom which I also learned about in DG. I also use Dave's and Dave's only, for reference information and questions in the forums. I'm in this website at least 10 times (usually more) per day and hands down, this is the BEST gardening site anywhere for information!!!!!! Believe me, I've looked at tons of sites and I'm lucky I finally came across this site. I signed up within 5 minutes of looking at the site because I knew it was going to be good ... and it is!

I voted other because they all apply. I haven't put in a pond but I have had to add more beds to plant in. DG has opened my eyes to so many new plants and ways to garden, not to mention the great friends that I've met.

All of the above, except no pond - yet. This is a great forum, and an addiction!

I marked "other" because what I mainly use DG for is researching plants that I "think" I want to buy...to make sure that they will work out. Of course, I also often get home from the plant store with a carload of "couldn't resists". And then, DG helps me figure out where to put what. I love this website! I am just now beginning to post my own photos and comments.

I voted "Other".

Where do I start? I met the South Florida Gallopping Gardeners online while I was still living in Montréal. That was last July. I became part of the group right away, even though more than 1500 milles separated us. I finally moved to Florida in December and that's when I met the most wonderful people one could ask to meet. They are generous of their knowledge, time and resources. I was welcome from day 1 when we visited Fairchild Botanical Gardens, in Miami. Since then, we have gone on many outings and get-togethers and each time is a renewed delight.

Everything that is now growing in my beds is new to me. Moving from zone 5 to 10-B is quite a departure. I made many mistakes and I still do regularly but there's always someone to point me in the right direction.

Dave's Garden and the South Florida Gallopping Gardeners have changed my life and thanks to them, I am now enjoying a delightful botanical retirement.

Sylvain.

Multiple choices...all but one!

Laura

I voted other. I had about 4 choices I could have voted for, so just put other

me, too! new gardening friends, techniques, plants, garden design ideas, even just general inspiration!

Well, this isn't fair...it would only let me click on one thing...and I fit into several categories. New plants, plant ID, propagation techniques...gotten plants from co-ops and trades, made new friends, etc, etc, etc..... I need an 'all of the above' category....LOL!

DG has half filled the void in my life left by the death of my sweetest mother. She would have loved it here too.
I checked other because all but no change applied. It's the best $15 I ever spent I have 100s of hostas from co-ops I have 500 coleus from exposure here, I have 100s of new friends some of which I have even been invited to stay in their homes.
I also have huge beds of Brugs and other goodies I had never heard of.
But most of all I have a place where I get every kind of support that a soul could need.
Dave's Garden has been the single biggest change in my life in the last five years.
Sidney

i an't even remember how i came acros daves garden in the first place buit i'm glad i did. in the past i just bought my plants from wherever and put them into the ground and that was that. now i seem to have too many seed catalogs and all sorts of vegetable seeds which i have traded with a few of my fellow gardeners. i also found the container forum and now i use containers for all my vegetables and put them on my deck. its a lot easier now then having a regular garden when i had to put up 7 ft. fences to keep the deer out.

Like many other posters, I clicked "other" because ALL of the options applied (except "no major changes"). I joined a few months ago and am a complete gardening newbie and have learned an ENORMOUS amount from this site--everything from different types of plants, to the best catalog sources, to how to start perennials and tomatoes from seed, to garden design, to IDing plants already on my property, etc, etc, etc! And the support from other DGers has been incredible. It's the best $15 I've ever spent. :)

pam