RickCorey said:I've learned to Google for information about how to grow plants. So many of our database entries are just names, or names plus photos.
^^^^This.
I would love for the database to be the first place to go to find a plant or learn about a plant. Maybe one day ATP Database will be the first list on Google or BING? That's my worldly thinking. But for now, as an ATP member, I wish it were more useful to me as a simple gardener wishing to learn more on how to grow a plant and less about identifying a plant. However, if that was the intend of the Database, by all means, carry on!
And after "just" 5 years, man! That is quite a large database! Kudos to ATP for that!
The planting zones make it clear enough of the idea place a plant can grow as long as that fact is included in the plant description. But as some have learned, you can work outside of your zone and make it work.
As far as Orchids go, a Beginning gardener might mistakenly think that orchids grow in potting soil as a lot of plants do. Or worse, in the moss and solid glass container that it came with! This is one plant that is abused in the plant industry more than any! They set up the buyer for failure, speaking from my own experiences. I am still learning how to raise orchids right! I would think this would be a very important entry in the orchid section.
I used the Western Garden Book handed down to me from my mom. But I donated it. I found many of the West Coast plants and plantings did not pertain to me here in the South. It was a great book to peruse through while growing up. I learned a lot from it.
From now on, I will post as much as I can about the plant that I plant, how I plant it, in types of soil I have used, etc... I guess I didn't realize there was a "Comments" section and simply went by the check off list given when presenting a plant to be used in the DB. I think little hints and tricks that work for me might help others, i.e., "a tray of rocks beneath the plant helps bump up the humidity" or " This plant loves a good spray from overhead" etc.. We all want to be successful with things that grow. I hoped the ATP Database would be a good place to start.
