Gardenweb is pretty ruined, it's like some kind of lobsterboy birthed by twitter and facebook. Someone suggested this place, and it looks like how gardenweb should look. I don't think the Houz people think anyone will leave, but I don't think they understand how frustrating they made everything. Going to post a Lady Emma Hamilton test rose photo.

Hi, Witchy. Welcome to NGA. Your photo of Lady Emma Hamilton is gorgeous! Houzz really did ruin Gardenweb, I agree. Make yourself at home here and bring all of your Gardenweb friends with you. I think you'll like this site and especially this forum. Lots of passionate but polite rose fanatics here.

Witchy. It's good to see you here.

Thank you! I scrolled to roses, made a post, and added a pic with no hullaballoo or cross posting to design lighting furniture, or multiple other things that I have no care for, and am sure the people that do...do not appreciate. lol I wonder what in the world they are thinking over there? This is SO much better, I wish I'd found it first. I hope more people leave, and end up here. I also fully appreciate the lack of overpriced things for sale all over the page. I never complained about it, because the forum was functional, but no longer. I'm sad for the people that stuck with them so many years. I wasn't around, but started out lurking around 2012/13 when I first got interested in roses, but thought they must be impossible to grow. I learned about own root roses, and alfalfa tea, and had some success, instead of watching bodybag roses die, or grow Dr huey. I would have given up after that, if not for some googling.

@WitchyWV ...

Here's a link to the WELCOME forum and you can learn about some of the NGA site features.

https://garden.org/forums/view...

There's a lot you can do to tailor NGA to work the way you like it.

Take a look at your SETTINGS, too. Just click the little blue person in the upper right and click on SETTINGS.

Have fun ...

Witchy, I saw that you left a link to this thread in the forum on the Houzz site, so I'll make my sales pitch here in the hope that other Gardenweb members see it. It wouldn't be ethical to post the sales pitch on the Houzz site, I guess.

NGA membership is free, just as Gardenweb's, but our site concentrates only on plants (it used to be called AllThingsPlants, in fact). We currently have about 100 forums, and all of them are garden-related. You won't find anything about kitchen design, lamps, and furniture here. We also have a stupendous database, with entries for 728,044 plants at this time, but the number changes quickly because we're always updating the database to keep up with the latest botanical name changes. All of the images and data have been added by our members.

https://garden.org/plants/

Our lovely rose database currently has 24,994 images of 6,789 roses, but that number is always increasing.

The Roses Database

Most of the changes made on this site are made at the request of the members, and changes that evoke lots of complaints are dumped. Dave, our executive director, is highly responsive to members' suggestions and complaints, and he fixes glitches at lightning speed.

We also have raffles, known as not-a-raffle raffles because no money changes hands. We "purchase" tickets with acorns, earned by our contributions to the database and the site in general. Our sponsors always offer great prizes. I have my eye on an Annie's Annuals $50 gift certificate in this month's raffle.

There are lots of other wonderful things I could list about this site, but this post is getting so long that it might discourage readers instead of appealing to them.

Sounds good witchy!


This is Alice Garnier rose and Venosa Violacea clematis.

I found the not a raffle raffle, and I got a ticket. I guess I got 5 acorns when I made an account. This is fun!

I just gave you 10 more. Go wild.

Hi, Joe. There's nothing like a good rose/clematis combo.

Hi Witchy,
I too am a new refugee from houzz. I posted more on the antique roses forum as kes. I don't have state-of-the-art equipment so houzz has been a problem for me from almost the beginning. First I couldn't post on my ancient Mac, only read. OK, I have a little notebook but it doesn't have many bells and whistles. That worked till it didn't. The saddest thing is the wealth of information on the old gardenweb that I am no longer able to access. I learned more from that than I could have from a library.

Anyway I found the link and here I am. Hello, everybody! And thanks, witchy.

Welcome Garden Web refugees! There are some very interesting rose folks enduring Houzz abuse. I hope to see more and more of them here.

to the best rose forum on the web!!

Hi All! Followed Witchy here from Houzz. Newbie to rose gardening and have appreciated all I've learned from the members at Houzz. Excited to expand my knowledge and resources here. I'm already really digging the layout here vs. Houzz.

Welcome! Good move; I'm sure you'll like it here.

I've been around both for many years and Houzz has really ruined it for me also. I love this forum and the easier to use no-nonsense format. And garden.org plant database is my favorite and an invaluable tool, I search it often when looking for roses or irises or daylilies I want to buy, to see more photos of it growing in various gardens.

Oh it would be so wonderful if all the Gardenweb rose members could find a happy home here! There are so many wonderful features, all geared toward our happy members.

A favorite feature for me: You can create your own personal inventory list of roses you own by simply finding the rose in the database and clicking the blue "Add this plant to your list" button on the left side. You can make a wish list the same way of roses you want to own and you can add things like purchase dates and growing notes. If you have other plants, you can create categories like I have, click on my user name and scroll down to see my plant inventory list. If you click on my Roses list, you can see where I have added some notes.

Also, if you add photos or comments to the database, once you hit 100 additions, you can turn off the ads if you wish in your settings, found on your profile page. Some don't as they garden related and don;t mind them.
If a plant is missing in the database, you can propose to add it or simply tag @zuzu with the @ sign in any post or contact her privately by clicking on her name and clicking the "send a tree-mail" (tree-mail is our private messaging)

Just digging around and so far really impressed! SO much information and easy to find. I really didn't realize what I was missing. I will stick around Houzz still as I'd hate to say goodbye to the friends I've made there/I will advocate for this place there. Thanks much for the warm welcome and the acorns which I'm still figuring out what to do with lol

Question: Is there a way to turn notifications on so when I get to this forum site I can see if folks have replied to a thread I've contributed to?

@Ray_Gun! You can click on the blue man icon at the top right of your page, and then click on settings. You will be able to make all changes there.
I'm a Houzz member too, and recently it was so disgusting that I've vowed never to go back. This is a wonderful site, full of great members.

I'M IN!

I think we can make a good home here . . . A HOUZZ is definitely not a Home any longer.

There are probably some other rose folks here who don't know us -- but we're "refugees" from the shambles of what was Gardenweb's forum for Antique and Austin roses.

I garden in coastal Ventura County, Southern California (U.S.) and my main interest is in Antique (Old/Historic) Roses. I'm a member of the Heritage Roses Group.

Here's a favorite of mine: "Benny Lopez" a rose found in Santa Barbara, CA.:

Jeri ...

I am excited to see you here. This site is so much more fun than Houzz and much easier to use.

The site culture is to "play nice" and Dave is site user oriented.

If you check out the different forums available under the COMMUNITY tab above, you will see that there is a SITE TALK forum and members can make suggestions that they think will enhance the site experience on NGA.

https://garden.org/forums/view...

AND ... you can speak up about what doesn't work and someone pays attention. To me, that is huge.

If you go to your profile, you can see that there is a link where you can invite people to join.

I'd love to see more of the old crowd here. There would be more traffic and I am certain a lot more info shared.

@Ray_Gun I am so glad you decided to check NGA out ...

@Kesroses , there are a lot of people on NGA who don't have "new" equipment. If you have problem, mention it on the SITE TALK forum and many of them will help you.

@joealvord I love your photo. I am growing my first clematis this year ... You can go to your profile and add your general location and zone so that people know where you are gardening.

It's going to be fun having new people on the Rose Forum.