I usually frequent the Spanish forum but have not had Internet access for a few weeks so I was horrified to see what has happened there. I too have contacted the admin. people to see what can be done to stop this troll. For anyone who would like to 'talk' gardening in Spanish I suggest you try www.infojardin.com (and just yesterday I was recommending gardenweb there for them to practise English!) Its a very friendly forum and for many members Spanish is second or third language so there are often errors and grammatical mistakes but the main thing is our common interest in growing things so language takes second place. It is a moderated forum but as there is mutual respect among the members it is rare for the moderators to have to act. Basically no-go topics are porn, religion and politics. If there are others here on this forum who could also contact the webmaster re. what is ocurring on the Spanish part I would be most grateful.

I think that before this goes any further and gets any more negative a few things need to be pointed out: 1. Everyone has the ability to shop where they want. If you don't like HD, don't go there. 2. DH, who is an upstanding contractor, and I donate A LOT of time and effort to Habitat for Humanity and hardly ever see local vendors donating. The prevailing attitude seems to be: "let them pay for it themselves like everyone else." DH has severed several local business ties because of this attitude, and from reports up and down the east coast several other contractors involved with HfH have done the same thing. 3. Anyone can write a press release and have it published. Letters to the Editor are the general public's opportunity to do this, and, again, when local charities write their "thank yous" for donations. No big PR Department, there. 4. All charitable giving over $250 needs to be reported individually on taxes, and anyone donating over $5,000 to any 501-3(c) organization gets reported immediately. Check the IRS files to see what local places have donated NEARLY as much as the HD's and Lowes of the world. You'll be in for a shock, believe me. 4. It is very well known that the major manufacturers sell their lower-end lines at HD and Lowes and WalMart and a lot of other "big box" stores. If someone doesn't do their homework when buying a piece of equipment that costs several hundreds or thousands dollars, and doesn't realize that it's not the same thing as at a "dealership", shame on them. This lower-end equipment allows consumers to enjoy the same warrantees and service that higher-end equipment carries, without needing to spend the high-end price. Again, it's a matter of consumer responsibility. 5. THIS FORUM IS FOR THE DISCUSSION OF NEW ENGLAND PLANTS and, even with the format change, I'm really disappointed that the thread was not pulled earlier. Any sort of consumer oriented business (ie., the museum gift shop, mom and pop stores, AND DON'T get me started on "local" hardware stores that market themselves as being "local" but are franchised by conglomerates much larger than HD) has its skeletons, and to single one company out defies the spirit of GardenWeb, iVillage notwithstanding. 6. Yes, many governmental agencies and contractors responded to the several natural disasters. Last I knew, it's what they are there for. I suggest that all of you who feel strongly about HD not go there, and let others make their own decision. Spreading negative information doesn't help anyone. Let's concentrate on the positive, here!! Martie, who really hopes this whole thread gets pulled

better search engine. since i joined i tried searching up answers using the built in search engine and found it extremely difficult to use so i ended up asking the question instead and i mean these questions were so simple im sure their were some answers on here but just couldn't find them. thus causing me to spam the section which everyone hates even me as no one likes spam. i often used google instead and found old links to the questions that way but i mean this site has a built ins earch engine i should be able to use it with ease instead of google. sometimes ads block my way and when i scroll down it scrolls back up automatically to the ad or it just pops up in my face when i try clicking something. if you are going to have ads i would like them to be on the sides not popping up in my face and causing problems while i try to read. right now i only see 2 ads on the side with a bunch of space inbetween

It's true, though, about Bourbons. I know from photos, that where they're happy, they're happy, but I've never YET met a Bourbon that wanted to live where I live. That's a real pity -- I love their look, but I know when to admit defeat. Still true about the pruning thing. Most of your Austins are budded. Most of the older roses -- are not. And until they build up some substance, pruning is the last thing most of the oldies need.