"Redesigned iGarden!"

Check out our new look!
Sunday, 05 July 2020     

Our new website is easier to use on devices

It's been a strange old time for us all over the past four months. Whilst I have done heaps of gardening, my husband, Andrew, creator of the technology for this website, has kept busy redesigning the whole thing, giving it a fresh, new look - and today we are launching it upon the unsuspecting public! The website was begun almost 12 years ago, and over the intervening years many more people are using devices such as tablets and smart phones to access iGarden - up to about 70 to 80 per cent of readers these days. The old website wasn't tailored for use on these devices, so part of the upgrade has been to make iGarden more flexible in this regard. Many thanks to Andrew for all his hard work!

The basic structure of the website is not changed - it just looks different! All the original features are still here, such as the blogs (and blog archive), my plant reference of what I grow in my Sydney garden, forums where you can ask questions of other readers and exchange ideas, the 'virtual' rambles of various readers' gardens, lists of what's in bloom in my garden and jobs to do each month, and a marketplace listing some suppliers.

One change that has been made is the removal of the plant share facility from the original website. This was tied to my own plant reference, so it was necessarily limited in scope to what I grow. Instead, we now have a forum topic called Plant/Seed Swap, where you can post your own requests for whatever you are looking for and deal directly with anyone who has what you want! We hope that this will work out well for those who use it.

Another new feature is that we are now incorporating some information on the home page about upcoming garden events in your area, drawn from Andrew's own website, My Open Garden. A lot more gardens are starting to open up again now, so we hope this will be of interest to readers.

I thoroughly enjoy hosting this website, as it has given me a way to share my experiences and random garden thoughts with readers. And I truly appreciate the feedback you have given me over the years. Please let me know if there are any glitches you notice with the new site!


 Reader Comments

1/9  Carol - 6122 (Zone:10 - Mediteranean) Monday, 06 July 2020

The web page look awesome. I like the new look. Not a question with regards to the page but I was admiring the two plants on the very left of the photo on Pamela Wallace's garden. I'm sure their both Salvia's, maybe one if Salvia Luecantha but could you please confirm this for me. The combination of both colours is just gorgeous and I would like to incorporate this in my garden in Darling Downs-Perth. I look forward to hearing back from you. Yes they are both salvias; the one on the left is Salvia leucantha and the one on the right appears to be 'Phyllis' Fancy'. Deirdre


2/9  Annie - 3677 (Zone:11B - Arid) Monday, 06 July 2020

Hi Deirdre, May I ask you to change my postcode that is part of my iGarden ID? I have retired from 3131, Melbourne, to 3677 in NE Victoria, where gardening conditions are quite different! Hope this is the right way to make contact about this! Congratulations on the websites new look, and thank you for the frequency of your recent blogs, very welcome in these times when our gardens are even more important to us.
If you wish to change your current postcode you can do that through the 'Change Profile and Options' link that you will find by touching/clicking the User Icon   at the top right-hand end of the header on this page


3/9  Lois - 2088 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 06 July 2020

Yes, very spic and smart! Well done, Andrew! And congrats to both of you for continuing with this wonderful, reliable resource over such a long period of time. I have looked forward to reading it wherever Ive been in the world. Many thanks! Thank you so much, Lois! Deirdre


4/9  Sue - 2074 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 06 July 2020

Looks excellent - well done to you both. Lots of good info and seems easy to use. I was surprised to see how long I have been a member. Thanks for all your work. Thanks, Sue, and thanks for your comments over the years! Deirdre


5/9  Valerie - 2121 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 06 July 2020

Thanks so much Deirdre and Andrew. Your new design is very clear and easy to use. I especially like the extra information at the sides including snapshots of the plants mentioned. Thanks so much, Valerie. I appreciate your feedback. Deirdre


6/9  Shaun - 2075 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 06 July 2020

Andrew & Deirdre, thanks for the new look and your ongoing devotion to this website!! It's a gem! Shaun Thanks, Shaun, and thanks for your comments over the years! Deirdre


7/9  Patricia - 2100 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 06 July 2020

Ditto for all of the above! Thank you! Deirdre


8/9  Karen - 2446 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Tuesday, 07 July 2020

Thank you Deidre and Andrew for your amazing efforts. Just wanted to let you know that when using my Chrome browser on a Mac, most of the within page links don't work. eg link to purchase your e-books. They do work on Safari. Websites are a bit like gardens! Kind regards Karen
Thanks for that Karen. Although the website has been tested using Chrome it was from a PC so we will look into it further.


9/9  Kay - 2158 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 13 July 2020

Looks good to me. I find your information very helpful. I have tradescentia shown in your picture on this page and I am looking for a silver leaf begonia to go with it could you tell me the name of your one Cheers kay. Thanks, Kay. Wish I knew the name of that begonia! Most of mine have been acquired as cuttings from friends, without a name attached. The nursery at the Sydney Botanic Garden has some begonias for sale usually. There is also Bloomin' Greenery Nursery at Annangrove NSW that specialises in them. Deirdre


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