I share your concerns. I am interested in growing African trees in Spain, and have received little reaction. Also the site is full of adverts, some in my opinion inappropriate, and there is no opportunity to complain. You could try Dave's Garden.

Thanks Nathan. But I'm not looking for any gardening forum. I already am a member of others here on GardenWeb.

I was excited to find this one because it seemed to be the one place where people from all over the world could discuss the specific needs and wants and trials and tribulations of "Mediterranean gardening".

Joe

It really isn't that active and hasn't been for a couple of years, which is why I stopped visiting the site. I don't think it's a language problem.
The problem of rogue advertising posters here is seriously annoying. There appear to be no complaint procedures and no site administrators. I can't believe the posting about cheap shoes - dated July 13, currently 4 posts above yours because there have been no replies(!) - hasn't been dealt with in over two months.
Try the container gardening site here, very active.
BTW The Mediterranean Gardening Society website is hardly ever updated and is pretty useless apart from nice photos from retirees showing off their property and the MGS's annual trip. They all seem to know each other and have afternoon tea together. (OK not true but I'm cynical). There's precious little practical scientific help, and rather a lot of aspirational design. A coffee-table book of a website, really....
So, how do your gardens grow? I have no land, only large front and rear paved balconies with pots. I miss my English garden sometimes!

jenny:

Good to hear from someone. And I get the impression that despite your limited garden medium, you're quite the gardener.

I know what you mean about the MGS website.

As I told Nathan, I'm not looking for just any gardening website; I currently visit at least three others.

I just thought it would be nice to communicate with other gardeners in Mediterranean climates throughout the world.

Tell me what plants you have in continares in Greece.

I'm just starting another garden here in Pismo Beach, California. A rental so I won't get overly ambitious.

And let's hope that the new administrators of GardenWeb see the SPAM that goes on here. They seem to be pretty keen in other forums. Why not this one?

Joe

Hi Joe

I'll get back to you over the weekend about gardening!

In the meantime, I did email (21 Sept) a complaint about the ads through the official GardenWeb channels. It was delivered, but no response. Sooooo.....I'm going to risk putting a post up in the Container Gardening Forum, relating to our problem here. Will copy to here as well.

Good gardening. Pismo Beach looks fabulous.

Hi Joe

You will see I've put a new post up here, "Moribund Mediterranean etc etc etc", also posted in the "Container Gardening Forum".

In due course, maybe you and I will get to converse about Mediterranean gardening ?!!

Best wishes.

Jenny:

Thanks for your posts re: advertisers and the "moribund" state of affairs.

A couple of things I've noticed:

1) there is still the Chinese shoe advert. iVillage/GardenWeb has yet to blow it off.

2) there is a post with follow-ups, in Portuguese. I don't read Portuguese but I gather the gist of it is that someone has asked for a Portuguese gardening forum and someone else has provided a link to such. I assume because the members find the Portuguese gardening forum more active and less strewn with adverts.

I visit a few other GardenWeb forums regularly. Spam/adverts hit them as well. But what's surprising -- and curious -- is that spam in the other forums is blown off by GardenWeb within 48 hours!

So why not this one?

Does GardenWeb only police the "active" forums? Does GardenWeb have some set of priorities?

And is this forum inactive because no one is sure of its focus? This certainly isn't suppose to be a general gardening forum. My assumption was that this was a place to discuss the concepts and plants common to all Mediterranean climate gardens and lanscapes.

Maybe a few of us can get the ball rolling (again).

Joe

Hello Joe ... I am one of those guilty folk who have not ... until a few minutes ago ... thanked you for your response to my query on the Bay Tree. I also posted this query in Trees so must go look to see if anyone has since responded there.

To be honest, I gave up looking for a response to my query after 5-6 weeks, probably about the time you responded. I have not visited GardenWeb since as I am really only interested in the Med section and the inactivity is painful in my opinion.

As far as the adverts, this seems to be the 'in' thing on many sites. I have been a member for 3 1/2 years on a VERY active UK gardening forum where people post day and night (and was a Mod but resigned for my own reasons) and they have recently taken to Google ads which is annoying many people ... not only that my also are now suggesting donations in order to get rid of these ads !!!!!!! I am also a Mod on an expat forum here and admittedly I only look once a day as there may be no postings for a couple of weeks at a time, if not longer !!!

I find it hard to get around this forum (possibly because I really don't know it). It doesn't seem that once someone responds that that post goes back to the top of the list and you have to scroll down looking for your query (or response to a query). Not that you have to scroll far due to the infrequent activity here.

I shall now go and look at the Portuguese query here and see if I can be of assistance.

Victoria

I notice that the Portuguese query is now nearly six years old and the Acacia query is several years old from the initial queries, althogh you Joe recently responded to the latter.

As these are so old, it is hardly worth responding to as the initial poster has probably long since deserted GardenWeb ... although I have made a note of the Portuguese forum which has been recently posted in that thread.

Victoria

Victoria:

Thank you for your input.

I knew that the two posts were old; considerably old. But they were there, right up top so I added my two cents.

Posts are connected to the posters e-mail. When someone answers a post, that answer is sent directly to the posters e-mail box. (Unless the poster has tweaked his or her "setting"; but they usually don't). In other words, they get the answer whether they've "abandoned" GardenWeb or not.

I was trying to stir up some action.

So far GardenWeb has not stuffed its advertisers bits in-between actual post as other forums have done (and THAT bothers me).

I am not one to beat a dead horse but I'm hoping a few here will give a go at a bit of revival.

And where the hell are the GardenWeb administrators -- when are they going to blow off the posted ads??!!

Joe

Hi Joe

I know they say it takes two to Tango .... but I think it takes more than two to keep a forum going !!!!! I'll keep looking however ....

Are there any Administrators or Moderators, I ask ?????? They are certainly not 'visible' as on other forums so how would one contact them?

Hope all is well there is California. We are supposedly entering our 'rain period'. Having seen no rain since April whatsoever we've had two thunderstorms with torrential rain in the past two weeks ... but it only lasts a day. However, it's good enough for the earth, plants, shrubs and trees to enjoy it.

Victoria

HURRAY!

GardenWeb managers have FINALLY started taking some action. They've just cleaned up a few blatant and subtle advertisements -- one of the most discouraging parts of this specific forum.

Now it's a matter of actually getting some members back in here to chat it up.

And my question: How do you deal with limited rainfall in your garden?

Joe

Define "active".

I just found this forum....OK, OK, like the old song says " I don't get around much anymore". I live in an area where Med. plants can be quite happy so I'm going to be hitting this forum more often.
Re: adverts
I've had great luck on the other GW forums I'm on by emailing the admin folks with the offending web address pasted in the body of my message. I figure if those riding shotgun don't have to go hunting for the outlaws the issue might be dealt with in a timely manner. So far I've had good hunting with this technique.