Jane, I apologize for snapping at you as I did. That was rude. My suggestion, if stated more politely, is valid. Each thread in this forum explores a gardening topic of some sort and can be the basis for a gardening article. Some threads are of more general interest than others and some go into more depth than others. Pick a good one, flesh it out with additional information by Googling, check your facts, again by Googling, and you have an article. About writing in general, I think you might find the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance interesting. It contains some really helpful insights into developing writing skills. Good luck with your writing. Jim

Ah, newspaper articles. This is something our county has just started at the request of the locale Lifestyles Editor for the paper. The Master Gardener coordinator asked for volunteer writers and I am one. He figured if 10 volunteers wrote 5 articles each then he could write the other two which would cover every week for a year. As with anything this has its good and bad points. The good point is it will give people experience and exposure, the bad thing is it relieves the paper from hiring someone and paying them to write gardening articles. The way it has worked so far is the coordinator has published more of his articles than any other single author. All articles are sent to the Extension office where they are edited by the coordinator and the county agent to make sure they conform to Extension rules and regulations, then they are sent to the paper for further editing. Everything goes forward. There is no feedback to the writers on how their articles are edited or even as to when and if they will appear in the paper. Not the Master Gardeners but other editors have edited my work to say "Eddie was born and bread in Georgia" I'm sure you see the error there and another editor corrected my spelling of Callaway Gardens to Calloway Gardens. Of course Callaway is correct. I have had people change crape myrtle to crepe myrtle, not that many know the difference from what I see on the Internet. I was reading one article in a newsletter and thought "Wonder who wrote that?" I was surprised to see my name on it. Thereafter I referred to that particular editor as the butcher. I sent in my quota of five articles for the year in a matter of days then when the newspaper editor decided on a whim at the last minute she wanted an article on Poinsettias for the Christmas issue I had it submitted 45 minutes later. But there is dissention among the volunteer writers simply because there is no feedback and we have asked for a meeting but none have been arranged, so as always the system may have to once again deal with attrition, at least in this small area.

Hi Boca Joe, Congrats on the article! I am doing more container this year than ever before and frequently visit your photo albums for inspiration. Doug and I have our in-ground tropical garden 75% planted and our neighbors are getting whiplash from the rubbernecking. Hopefully we will be posting picture soon as things mature. We highly recommend Franko's book and refer to it many times. Rebecca

fllwfan: think your wife will be pleasantly surprised that the need for her talents is always going to be there. While there are many talented DIYers out there, there is an equal number who can't (for a variety of reasons including lack of time, ability, desire, etc) and shouldn't be DIYers (for a variety of reasons including lack of ability, etc. etc.). And even those with a good eye, good color sense, good grasp of design principles oftentimes do need help in pulling it all together. And your wife will have resources available only to the trade - many times that's where the "I'll know it when I see it" items are to be found. I'm a DIYer myself insofar as choosing my paints and doing my own painting, but I'll be using outside help for draperies and appropriately sized furniture. I don't need validation and, for the most part, trust my own skill and instincts. But there are times when paying someone for their expertise can be a bargain in the long run. I spend a lot of time lurking here and on the Landscape Design forum - there's an almost strange disconnect between the amount of attention (and money) paid to detail in a home's interior versus the exterior. The several thousand spent on a sofa is one thing, but spending the same amount for a good landscape design enhancing the entire property would be unthinkable.