What is a virtual garden? In my case it is a real garden that has grown increasingly more interesting, and more healthy as a result of things I've learned on the Internet. It is also the growing wealth of information available to all of us online about gardening and all of its aspects.
When I first logged on, I was a real amateur. I knew enough to stick seeds in the ground and hope that they sprout. And to be honest, I spent one spring happily watering and tending what turned out to be a bumper crop of crabgrass before I realized that it wasn't likely that every kind of seed that I planted would sprout exactly alike. I also knew enough to dig a hole and stick whatever plant I found at the nursery into it--but nothing about giving it the best soil and light conditions for its needs.
Then I got a modem. I subscribed almost immediately to a Gardens list, and was amazed at all the knowledge out there! Before too long I was not only digging the right sized hole in the right kind of soil, but I was out with tweezers and baggies attempting to cross-pollinate roses.
Then people started to talk about plants I'd never heard of -- plants that, from their descriptions I just knew I'd need to have in my garden. Sometimes (often, really) I was lucky. Gardeners are generous people, and many list members sent me a piece of the plant to try in my own yard. Just as often, they would direct me to a site on the web where I could have a look at the plant in full glory and decide if I wanted to spend the money.
The web was another revelation. There are people out there giving tours of their gardens, complete with planting instructions. There are a wealth of pictures, too. Recently I developed a yen for daylilies, and ordered a lot of catalogs that came unillustrated. But I can log on and find pictures of many of them before forking over my hard-earned dollars.
And it's also easy to fork those dollars over right online, as many nurseries now have catalogs on the web, and secure online ordering.
Got a problem with a plant? There are question and answer columns you can tune into. Many state agricultural agencies have their fact sheets available online, so you can read about problems and solutions without ever leaving the computer. There are pages about pests, and pages on propagation.
Go To Page: 1 2
