| Plant Societies Online (July 2002) The internet is an invaluable resource. Many gardeners don’Äôt yet realise it, but there’Äôs a wealth of information out there. Plant societies were amongst the first garden groups to make use of the web and they’Äôre now taking advantage of the instant access to information on their activities, and their plants, from anywhere in the country, or even the world, I’Äôve looked at them all and here’Äôs what I found. Alpine Garden Society www.alpinegardensociety.org Good information on the society, much less on plants, but with excellent pictures and extracts from publications. Slightly clumsy, needs updating. Does not work well in Internet Explorer on the Mac. Frames construction does not suit all users. Interesting, though not recent, extracts from bulletins. Good information on local groups and links to specialist groups. Tours information poor. Join online? Yes. American Orchid Society www.orchidweb.org Huge amount of cultural and conservation information on both tropical and hardier orchids. Fast and well organised. Very useful for British orchid enthusiasts in spite of being an Ameriucan society. Join online? Yes Androsace Group www.androsace.org.uk Straightforward site featuring a blend of group information and details, including pictures, of these invaluable but sometimes difficult to grow alpines. Access to email newsletter Details of the group’Äôs seed lists. Join online? No Botanical Society of the British Isles www.bsbi.org.uk Attractive, clear and fast site concentrating on the society and its work on the British flora with little on the plants themselves. Useful links pages. Events information out of date Join online? No British Cactus and Succulent Society www.bccs.org.uk Basic but useful, functional site with society information, good elementary advice on cultivation and seed raising but little on the plants and no pictures. Includes contents of recent journals Access to email newsletter Features a list of nurseries and links to their websites Includes list of branches Indices of journal available for downloading Join online? Yes. British Carnivorous Plant Society www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/8690/bcps.html Two page site, part of a private Nepenthes site, providing the basic society information and contact details. Needs updating Join online? No British Clematis Society www.britishclematis.org.uk Excellent, up-to-date compilation of plant information, cultural advice, book and garden information plus background and news about the society. Good pictures. Includes awards information Chatty personal diary The ’ÄòJoin the Society’Äô page should be more prominent Useful photo gallery Join online? No British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society www.casarocca.com/BHHS/html/ Society information and modest picture gallery with some cultural detail and suppliers guide. Details on both plants presented together. Needs updating Hosta and hemerocallis information mixed - are we all interested in both? Join online? No British Pelargonium and Geranium Society www.bpgs.org.uk A small, simple but functional site on which society and show information predominates. Useful nursery list but some pages still being built. Society founded in 1951 by the late John Cross, producer of BBC TV’Äôs What’Äôs My Line Little cultural or botanical information (and some of it wrong) Very basic and not very tempting. Join online? No British Pteridological Society www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/bps/ Excellent combination of information on ferns, with pictures, and on the society’Äôs meetings, research and publications. Fast, and easy to use. Sometimes inaccessible Join online? No Cyclamen Society www.cyclamen.org Superb extensive botanical and cultural information, with many excellent pictures and accounts of the society’Äôs own research. A large and impressive site. Site does not work in IE on the Mac, but is OK in Netscape Frames can become cluttered with navigation Good show information Access to mailing list Join online? No European Bamboo Society www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/users/djh/ebs/ebsindex.htm Slightly confusing site with a good links collection and events calender but little on the plants themselves. Sometimes slow Join online? No Fritillaria Group www.fritillaria.co.uk Excellent cultivation advice, an impressive photo gallery and the expected group information. Very useful. Join online? No membership information Geraniacae Group www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/3139/index.html Small, basic site with an expanding photo gallery and information on the society which focuses on species and hybrids of Geranium, Pelargonium and related plants. Includes contents list for newsletter. Comprehensive booklist. Interesting page of ID posers. Join online? No Hardy Orchid Society www.drover.demon.co.uk/HOS/ Rich in information, with many excellent pictures from shows and the wild, this effective and up-to-date site has a slightly dated look. Good society and show information Most text on one long page Irritating frames Join online? No Hardy Plant Society www.hardy-plant.org.uk Good on the society, its work, its publications and its groups with a seasonal plant gallery but little cultural information. Familiar graphics and layout template Navigation unclear, site map indispensible Join online? No International Camellia Society www.camellia-ics.org/_ics/home.htm Quirky site with few pictures but good cultural details and interesting FAQs. Join online? No membership information! International Clematis Society www.clematisinternational.com Plenty of cultural advice and plant information, with good pictures, plus society news and information. Slow, but good. Well differentiated between information for members and that on plants. Join online? No International Geranium Society www.geocities.com/RainForest/2822/ California based society whose site has useful cultural advice and details of the work of the society. Join online? Yes. International Water Lily Society www.iwgs.org Slightly unfriendly site intended for members with no pictures or botanical or cultural information. Considering the popularity of water gardening this is disappointing. Join online? No Magnolia Society www.magnoliasociety.org US-based society with extensive propagation advice on the site, plus a publications guide and an impressive list of mail order sources. Don’Äôt be misled by a four year old, three page site at www.supernet.net/~magnolia/ Almost no pictures Could be more tempting Access to mailing list Useful for UK enthusiasts Join online? Yes National Sweet Pea Society www.sweetpeas.org.uk Good cultural advice coupled with society, show and trials information and pictures of top varieties. Surprisingly slow and with empty or missing pages. Would benefit from inclusion of up-to-date trials information Very uninspiring front page Links page has no content Events listings missing Join online? No National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG) www.nccpg.org.uk Site currently being rebuilt, but the events list and collection holders links pages are up-to-date although their colours are irritating. Publications page not up to date Look out for the new site Join online? No North American Rock Garden Society www.nargs.org Focused on comprehensive society information and activities, with a call for volunteers to cover more plant matters with which it is clearly intended to enhance the site. Join online? Yes. Orchid Society of Great Britain www.orchid-society-gb.com Straightforward, surprisingly extensive site balancing both the necessary society information with plant and cultutral information including tips for beginners. Extensive pictures of plants at shows and from members’Äô collections Off-the-peg graphics too familiar from other sites useful page with links to all the pictures on the site Join online? No Royal National Rose Society www.roses.co.uk/harkness/rnrs/ Fast, generally easy-to-use site with good advice on choosing varieties. Many outdated pages, including events listings, but questions answered by email. No events listing for 2002 Needs more pictures Join the society page should be easier to find Join online? Yes Saxifrage Society www.saxifraga.org Great site both for members and keen gardeners generally with an impressive database, including pictures, but no cultural details yet. Join online? No Society for Growing Australian Plants farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/ Developing site, primarily for Australian native plant enthusiasts in Australia. Good links pages Join online? Link broken |
         All text ©copyright Graham Rice 1999-2006, All images ©copyright Graham Rice/gardenphotos.com or judywhite/gardenphotos.com 1999-2006. All rights reserved. |
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