I also just want to call out a thanks to the hard work WC8 has put into this - I think sweetcicely put it really nicely. Cj - that's a really good point. I really do try, but I sometimes forget to append "I think that..." or "From my limited experience..." to the beginnings of my post, which I think is important in ensuring that the reader knows that any advice being given is a guess or at least from limited experience. Even if it's neither these two things, anyone not growing in my conditions should take any information I give with a grain of salt, and so that little "I'm not sure, but this is what I think" really serves as a nice reminder to the reader. Sometimes I see it as a liability waiver! Re the nature of people visiting the forum - with the invention of the internet, people tend to 'ask' more than research. It's gone from going to the library to checking out a book, to going to google and searching for a key word, to just posting questions on forums and waiting for answers. I think the welcome draft is fantastically detailed and has so much great advice and information, but as others have said, may not be efficient, keeping in mind the mentality of the people who come here asking for questions. Is it possible to have a single line at the top of the page in a very prominent place saying: "Thanks for visiting the forum! If you have some time before posting your question, please READ THIS" and link to the page you've drafted? That way people who do click on the link will expect to be presented with something they need to read - if they do read all of it, they'll be that much wiser and if they don't, then there's no hurt feelings since it's not the first thing that jumps into their face when they visit the site, so it's less....foreboding.

I thought you were frustrated for another reason - the volume of ID posts. Identifying an iris by a picture, unless it was an extraordinarly popular iris, is pretty much an exercise in futility. So many of the pictures are of older ones that were just common in their day while others are out-of-focus. There is no way of figuring out what they are unless you grow the questioned plant by the side of the one that is true, as Lee suggested. I remember a 'fight' between judges over VANITY and PINK TAFFETA at a Dallas show. Each judge stuck to their guns about it being one or the other but staying with the idea they were incorrectly labeled. They asked the other judging panels to come and help. Their decision was to leave the names alone and give both blue ribbons anyway because the two were perfection yet similar. After the show was over, the exhibitor of PT came in and was asked the name of the iris. She said it was PT and it was sold to her by the judge who claimed it was a stalk of V. So, if judges cannot tell on the show table, how can one tell from two not so clear pictures? Google almost any iris and you can take your pick of colors and forms. I have been shocked at the untrue colors that have been depicted on certain irises. I apologize for the length of this, but it just took this many words to say what I intended. Walter Moores

I really like your interactive map - good job with it. Here are my guesses: 6: Siberian Iris 13: Azalea 14: Rhododendron 15 & 16: Boxwoods 19:Euonymus alatus 22: looks like some kind of laurel 27: that weed is probably garlic mustard - get out your shovel 32: Hydrangea Hope it helps.

Titles can be hard to come up with! I usually end mine in a '?' if I want info on something. So instead of writing:"Whatwouldbethebestwindowsizeforaretiredcoupleshouseinsoutherncaliforniawithamasterbedroomfacingnorthnorthwest? I would simple put: "Master Bedroom windows? I also get confused by acronyms, especially in the title line. I actually had to look up 'ARC' (architectural Review Committee). Sometimes I fall for a catchy but vague title: "you won't believe what happened!", but sometimes I'm lazy- it depends on my mood, and how much time I have. Obviously, I have a lot of time today!