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Using the Internet for...

Gardening

The publisher would like to thank all relevant institutions for permission to reproduce their material. Every care has been taken to trace copyright holders. However, if anyone has been omitted, we apologise and will, if informed, make corrections in any future edition.

An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (The Library Council) is not responsible for the content of the websites included in this guide.

Using the Internet for Gardeningby Annette Wallace, Waterford City Council Library Service

Lifesteps offers you a range of online and printed guides. Written by staff from Irish public libraries, each guide contains easy to follow, step by step explanations of how to use the Internet to achieve a specific goal or ‘life step.’

Lifesteps is an initiative of Irish public libraries, managed by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna and funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government through the Information Society Fund.

For updates, news on the project and for a full listing of all the guides, log on to www.lifesteps.ie

You can contact the Lifesteps team at lifesteps@librarycouncil.ie

ISBN: 1873512309

Gardening

Contents

Introduction 2

Needtoknow 2

Needtohave 2

Relatedguides 3

QuickGuide 3

Step-by-StepGuide 3

Links 13

Glossary 15

Note: words in red appear in the glossary at the end of this module.

IntroductionTheInternetcontainsvastamountsofinformationanditcanbedifficulttoknowwheretostartwhenlookingforinformationonaspecifictopic.ThisguideisintendedtobeastartingpointifyouareinterestedingardeningandwouldliketofindoutwhatresourcesareavailableontheInternet.

Sitesareselectedwhichhelpwithplanningagarden,choosingplantsandbuyingthemonline.Thesiteschosenarereputable,up-to-dateandtheadviceisgiveninaneasy-to-readandeasy-to-navigateformat.ThemajorityofthesitesusedarebasedinIrelandortheUK,astheadvicegivenorplantssoldonthesesitessuitourclimate.Thelocationofawebsitealsohasimplicationswhenitcomestobuyingonlineasitcanaffectdeliveryareasanddeliverycosts.Shoppingonlinecanofferagreatervarietythanyoumayfindlocally.Buyingonlineisnotpossibleonallofthewebsites,however,thewebsitesarealsousefulasasourceofinformationonthelatestproductsavailable.

Onlinegardeningclubs/bulletinboards/forumsareoneareawheretheInternetoffersauniqueservice–gardenerscansharetheirknowledgeandexperienceandgethelpwithproblemsfromotherseasilyovertheInternet.

ThelistingofadditionalwebsitesattheendoftheguidegivesanindicationoftheamountofinformationonallaspectsofgardeningandthenumberofgardeningorganisationswhohaveapresenceontheInternet.

Need to knowAbasicfamiliaritywithacomputerandtheInternetisrequired.

Need to haveAccesstoaPC

Foronlineordering:

• acreditcard(ifyouintendtoorderonline)

• anemailaddress

• adeliveryaddresswheregoodscanbeacceptedduringworkinghours.

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Related Guides‘Internetbasics’

‘UsingtheInternetfor…Shopping’

Quick guideTheguideworksitswayfromtheplanninganddesignaspectsofyourgardentochoosingsuitableplantsforit.Havingchosentheplants,thereareanumberofwebsiteswhereplants,seeds,bulbs,lawnseed,rosesandshrubscanbepurchasedonline.Inthe“gardeningforproduce”sectiontherearelinkstowebsiteswhereyoucanbuyvegetableseedsandplants,fruittrees,herbplants,pearsandappletrees,cherrytreesandorganicseeds.

Therearealsolinkstowebsiteswithfurtherinformationandadviceongardeningaswellasanonlinegardeningclub.Finally,therearelinkstoonlinegardeningbulletinboardsandforums.

Attheendoftheguidetherearelinkstoadditionalwebsites,coveringcommercialsites,advicesites,andsitesongardenstovisit.

Step-by-Step Guide

Gardening for pleasure

Planning and designing your garden

Whenplanninganewgardenorimprovinganexistinggarden,thereareanumberofbasicthingswhichwillaffectthedesign:

• Siteaspect,space,timeandcost

• Whowillusethegarden?Children,pets,oldergeneration,disabledusers,etc.

• Howyouusethegarden?Doyouwantbedsfullofcolourfulplants,grassonwhichtoplayfootballwithchildren,anoutdoorentertainingareaoracombinationofalloftheabove?

• Theamountoftimeavailabletomaintainthegardenalsoinfluenceschoiceoflayoutandplants.

www.garden.iehasanexcellentsectionongardendesign.Clickonthelinkgarden designonthelefthandsideofthescreen.

Undereachaspectofgardendesigntherearedifferentsubsections,e.g.towngardens,largefrontgardens,non-plantfeatures,etc.

Tolookatanysectioninmoredetailclickonthelinksyouwanttoread

Therearealsosomegooddesignideasandthingstorememberwhenplanningagardenonwww.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/gardendesign.html

ThelinksundertheheadingforGarden planning information,atthebottomofthispage,mayalsobehelpful.

ThisisanAmericanwebsitesoallofthebooksrecommendedmaynotalwaysbeavailabletopurchaseinIreland–howevertheymaybeavailabletopurchaseonline.

Choosing plants

Whenchoosingplantsthefollowingarethemainconsiderations:light,moisture,temperature,wind,soiltype.Chooseplantswhichsuityourconditions.Someplantscalled‘hardyplants’willthriveprettymuchanywhere.However,‘tender’plantsneedmorecareandattention.Itisgoodtohavedifferentpointsofinterestinagarden.Choosingplantswhichfloweratdifferenttimesoftheyear,orplantswithcolouredfoliageorwhosefoliagechangescolour,willhelpachievethis.

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Forhelpdecidingonplantssee:www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/how_to_be_a_gardener/ClickonKnow your plot.Thereisalistofplantssuitableforeachsoiltypeunderthissection.ChoosethetypeofplantyouwantfromthePlant Listssectionontheright-handsideofthescreen.

Buying plants

Onceyouhavedecidedwhatplantsyouwantinyourgarden,itispossibletobuythemonline.Whenorderingonlineremember:

• companiesmaynotdeliverplantsoutsidethecountryinwhichthewebsiteisbasedastherearerestrictionsonsendingrooteditems.Checkintheterms and conditionspagebeforeordering

• generallybulbsandseedscanbesentworldwide–alwayscheckdeliverycharges

• somecompanieshaveaminimumorderquantityorminimumordervalue.

Whenbuyingonline,alsorememberthattheitemsavailableareinfluencedbytheseasoni.e.bulbswillbeavailabletobuyatthetimeofyeartheyshouldbeplanted.

Plants, Seeds, Bulbs

Therearemanyinterestingandusefulsitesthatallowyoutobuyplants,seedsandbulbsonline.Onesuchexample,www.mrmiddleton.com,isaonestopshopastheyhaveplants,seeds,bulbsandplantsavailableandisbasedinDublin.Orderscanbeplacedonline.

Seeds–youcanorderseedsfromtheabovewebsiteorthroughThompsonMorgandirectusingwww.seeds.thompson-morgan.comClickonOnline Seed Catalogue–Worldwide Delivery–thenselectIrelandfromthedropdownlist

ThereisaSEARCH Flowerslinkonthelefthandsideofthepage.Onthisyoucansearchbyplanttypeorbyareawhereyouwishtoplant,e.g.bedding,borders,etc.

Bulbs

Forinformationonbulbusageseewww.langeveld.com.ClickonBulb Usage.

Langevelddonotsellonlinetothegeneralpublicbutthiswebsitegivesgreatinformationonwhatisavailable.

Tulips

www.tulipworld.comOnlineorderingavailable.Thiswebsitehasalotofinformationabouttulips.ScrolldownthehomepagetoseeAbout Bulbs,Bulb Encyclopaedia,Inspire Me,Organic Bulbs.

UnderBulb Encyclopaedia,theBulb Advisorlinkhelpsyouselectbulbsbysoil,climate,colour,etc.

www.gardensupplydirect.co.uk–orderonlineforflowerbulbsandothergardensupplies.ClickonMore infoundertheflowerbulbsheadingtoviewthefullselection.

Lawns

Decidehowitwillbeused.Isitornamentalormultifunctional–thegrassseedsorturfchosenshouldreflecttheuse(s)ofthelawn.Theamountoftimeavailabletomaintainthelawnwillinfluencethelawnsize.

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Forinformationondesigningandplanningalawnsee:www.lawnandmower.com/lawn-design.aspxThiswebsitealsocontainslotsofinformationonlookingafteralawn.

Forlawnplanningandsowingsee:www.garden.ie/Pages/gardening-know-how/index.html?section=Lawns

Roses

www.davidaustinroses.com/english/ToorderonlineclickonSearch for Roses and Ordering,ontheleft-handsideofthescreen.

Trees

Forsomeguidelinesonplantingtreessee:www.bordbia.ie/consumers/plants_flowers/trees.htm

www.futureforests.netThiscompanyisbasedinCorkandsellsbareroottrees,shrubsandclimbersbymailorder.ClickonBareroot listsorContainer listsalongthetopofthehomepagetoviewlistsandprices.

Shrubs

www.treesbypost.co.ukOnlineordering.ClickonTreesorShrubsonthelefthandsideofscreentoseelistofitemsavailable.

Further information/advice

www.garden.ie.ClickonGarden know-howonthelefthandsideofscreen.Itissub-dividedintodifferentsectionse.g.Trees and Shrubs,Roses,Lawnsetc.

www.dermotoneill.com/your_garden/qanda.aspThissitehasanexcellentquestionsandanswerssection.Itisdividedintocategories–clickonthecategorythatyouareinterestedin.Foramonthlychecklistofthingstodointhegardenclickonwww.dermotoneill.com/your_garden/index.asp

www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/archive.shtmlAdviceonallaspectsofgardeningPropagation,Plant,WateringandPruning.

www.gardenadvice.co.uk/index.htmlClickonHow Toatthetopofscreenforadvice.

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/index.aspScrolldownunderHelp & advice.Clickontheeasy-to-use problem solver.Itisveryusefulforbeginnersasitisdividedintosectionsonpests,weeds,etc.Clickonthetopicthatyouwishtoknowmoreabout.

TofindanunusualplantoraspecialistnurseryseeRHSplantfinderonwww.rhs.org.uk/plants/index.aspasitincludessomeIrishnurseries.

Online gardening clubs

Anonlinegardeningclubisaninteractivesitewhereyoucanshareideasandinformation.Seewww.garden.ie/Pages/signup/signup.html

Toaccessclubpagesyouhavetoregister.Thisisquickandeasy.Youneedanemailaddress.Onceregisteredyoucanaccessadditionalservices,e.g.questions and answers,discussion groups,information about gardeningandclubs and societies.

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www.letsgogardening.co.uk/information/clubs.htmlinkstolotsofgardeningclubsandsocietiesintheUK.

Gardening for produce

Eatingfruitorvegetableswhichyouhavegrownyourselfcanbeveryrewarding.

Planning

Youneedtodecideaboutissuessuchasthesiteandthetypeofsoil,doesthesoilneedimprovingwithorganicmatterandwhethertoplantseedsortobuyseedlings.

Forinformationaboutgrowingvegetables,softfruitortreefruitwww.garden.ie/Pages/gardening-know-how/index.htmlClickonthelinksVegetable Growing,Soft FruitorTree Fruit.

www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module7/ThiswebsitehasasectiononThe Productive Garden.Itisverywelllaidoutinmodularformwithastepbystepguidetogrowingfruitandvegetables.

Clickonthefirstlinkonthelefthandsideofpagetogethelptosetupyourplot

Formoreinformationonplanningandgrowingfruitandvegetables,seewww.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_index.shtml

Buying plants or seeds for produce

Vegetable plants/seeds

www.victoriana.ws/cat.asp?CID=3Tobuyvegetableplantsorseedsonline.

Orderingisveryeasyonthiswebsite,scrolldownthelistofvegetablesandclick on the pictureoftheoneyouwishtoorder.

Vegetable seeds

Tobuyseedsseehttp://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/list/all-vegetables

Fruit trees, herb plants

Seewww.futureforests.netforfruit treesandherbplants.Itemsareavailablebymailorderonly.ClickonFruit and herbsundertheContainerlistsheading.

Mushrooms, pears, apples, cherriesseewww.bakker.co.ukClickonFruit & Vegetablesatthecentretopofthescreen.

Seeds for flowers, vegetables, herbs or fruitwww.fothergills.co.uk/

ClickonlinkFlowers,Vegetables,HerbsorFruitfromthemenuacrossthetopofthescreen.

Organic seeds

Fororganicseedsseewww.theorganiccentre.ieClickonOrganic Seed Cataloguetoviewseedlists.Mailorderonly.

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For help and advice

Onvegetableandherbgardensseewww.gardeningpatch.comClickonthelinksVegetable GardeningandHerb Gardening.ThiswebsitealsofeaturesGardening Basicslikeimprovingyoursoil,wateringyourplantsanddealingwithslugs.

Forspecifichelpandadviceonfruitandvegetablegardenshttp://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/problems_fruitveg.asp

Foradviceonherbsseewww.herbalgardens.com/contents.html

Bulletin boards/Forums

Bulletinboardsandforumsareinteractivesitesforexchangingideas,tipsandinformationongardeningviatheInternet.

Mostrequireregistrationbeforeaddingorreplyingtoamessage.ClickonFrequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)orhelptocheckonregistering.Youwillneedanemailaddresstoregister.Someexamplesofbulletinboardsareprovidedbelow:

www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/adviceScrolldownthescreenandclickongardening message boards.

www.gardenstew.comAgardeningforumwhereyoucanexchangeadviceandideas.Clickonin the gardenandthenselectthetopicofinterest.

www.kitchengarden.co.ukAkitchengardenforum

RHSbulletinboardwww.rhs.org.uk/advice/problems_archive.aspScroll downthispageandclickonbulletin board.

Plant finder

Seekinginformationonaspecificplantforaspecificplaceinthegarden?e.g.anevergreenplantforashadyspotinthegarden?

Useplant finderwww.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/index.shtmlwhichbringsyoutothesearchpage.Enterthedetailsofthetypeofplantyouwantineachsearchfield.Themorespecificyourrequest,theshortertheresultlistwillbe.However,Itisbestnottorestrictyoursearchtoomuchbymakingaselectionineachfieldasyoumaynotgetanyresults.Amorespecificchoicecanbemadefromthelistdisplayedaftertheinitialsearch.

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Links to other websites of interestwww.igps.ieIrishGardenPlantSociety

www.rhsi.ieRoyalHorticulturalSocietyofIreland

www.arboretum.ieIrishgardencentreoftheyear2004

www.modelcountypaving.comgardenandpavingcentre

www.irishseedsavers.iepromotingIrishbio-diversity

www.rockworld.ienaturalrockfeaturesforyourgarden

www.wildflowers.ieinformationandwildflowerseeds

www.peonypassions.comIrish-basedmailordernurseryspecializesinsellingpeonies

www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/water/index.htmladviceonwatergardening

www.gardenguides.com/TipsandTechniques/container.htmadviceoncontainergardening

www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/product.htmsellsseedsandgardeningbooksonline

www.bakker-irl.com/onlineorderingandgoodgardeningadvicelinks

www.woodiesdiy.com/shoponlineforgardeningitems–alsohasgardeningtips

www.strictly-plants.co.ukadviceonalpines,herbsandwildflowers

www.rhododendrons.comforadviceandtobuyrhododendrons

www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden_home.aspadviceaboutpesticidesinthegarden

www.carryongardening.org.uk–websitewhichencourageslessablepeopletokeepgardening

www.herbsociety.org.uksocietyforincreasingtheunderstanding,useandappreciationofherbsandtheirbenefitstohealth

www.wigglywigglers.co.uk–naturalgardening

www.recklessgardener.co.ukanonlinegardeningmagazine

www.learningireland.iehaslinkstodayandeveningcoursesalloverIreland

www.thegoodwebguide.co.uklinktogardeningpagesofthisonlineguidetothebestwebsitesontheinternet.

Gardens to visit

In Ireland

www.dillongarden.comHelenDillon’sawardwinninggarden

www.powerscourt.ie/Powerscourtgarden,CoWicklow

www.fotahouse.com/FotaHouseandgardens,Cork

www.visitdublin.com/gardensgardenstovisitinDublinincludingtheNationalBotanicalgardens

www.heritageireland.ieIreland’sheritagegardens

www.ireland.ie/things_2_do_results.asp?querystring_keyword=gardensalistofover120gardensaroundIreland

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou.htm#linktoNationalTrustNorthernIreland

Outside Ireland

www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea/2006/index.aspChelseaFlowerShow

www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt/2006/index.aspHamptonCourtFlowerShow

www.rbgkew.org.ukKewGardens

www.chateauversailles.fr/en/130_The_Parc.phpVersaillesPalaceandgardens

www.keukenhof.nl/Dutchgardenthatfeaturesworldfamoustulipsdisplays

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GlossaryBulletin Board: Aninteractivesectionfoundinsomewebsitesthat

permitsindividualstopostonlinecommentsonatopic.Eachbulletinboardisusuallybasedonaparticularthemeortopic(e.g.discussiongrouponaparticularauthor,newsstory,sport).

Drop-down menu: Alistofchoicesthatappearswhenyouclickonawordorholdyourpointerovertheword.

Email: EmailorelectronicmailisaservicethatsendsmessagesacrosstheInternetfromonehumanusertoanother.Likealetter,emailisperson-to-personanditstoresmessagesuntiltheyareread.

FAQ’s: (Frequently Asked Questions)AFAQisalistofquestionsandtheiranswers,whicharecommonlyasked.Thesearepublishedonthewebsiteofaproductorservice,sothatthesamequestionisnotaskedofthesupplier,overandoveragain.AgoodexampleofaFAQ,whichfocusesonwebsecurity,isathttp://www.w3org./Security/Faq/www-security-faq.html

Forum: Aspacewhereindividualsmayexchangeviewsonline.

Homepage: Themainorintroductorypageofawebsite.

Internet: Alargecollectionofcomputers,connectedtogethertoallowthemtoshareinformationwithoneanother.

Interactive Site: Asitewhereyoucanpostcomments,remarks,questions,andreceiverepliesfromotherusers.

Link: Alink,orhyperlink,isapartofawebpagethat,ifclickedwithamouse,opensadifferentwebpage.Linksareusuallyshowninblueandunderlinedonawebpage.

Online: Awordusedasshorthandfor‘ontheInternet’or‘connectedtotheInternet’

Register: Toregistermeanstocreateanidentityonline.Formanyservices,itisimportantthatthewebsiteknowsyourname,address,phonenumber,etc.Forexample,ifbuyingabookinanonlinebookshop,youneedtoprovidethisinformation.Theonlinebookshopthenrecordsyourdetailsinadatabaseofcustomers,whichitlaterusestopostoutthebooktoyou.Registrationisusuallycompletedbyfillinginanonlineform,withfieldsforname,addressandotherinformation.

Website: Awebsiteisacollectionofwebpageswhichdisplaysinformationonaparticulartopic.Commontypesofwebsitesincludecompanywebsites(informationaboutthecompany),onlineshops(whereyoubuygoodsandservicesandpaybycreditcard)andpersonalwebsites(whereindividualssharetheirinterests).Awebsitemayconsistofjustonepageofinformation,butwillusuallycontainseveralpages,alllinkedtogether.Allthepagesinawebsiteusuallysharethesame‘domain’name.Forexample,allthepagesinthelargeonlineshopAmazonhaveanaddress(URL)thatstartswith‘www.amazon.com’.

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Information Society Fund

,