CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: HOW DOES YOUR VIRTUAL GARDEN GROW? WEB BLOOMS WITH IDEAS (COLUMN 96)

The nice thing about the Internet is that you can have lots of gardening enjoyment without getting your fingernails dirty. Many, many gardening sites are growing on the Internet. We're going to start at GardenTown.

www.gardentown.com

Joni: You can head to the garden forum where you can talk about everything from zucchini to grass.

Peggy: Zucchini? Oh that's my dad's favorite vegetable. Here are tips on how to grow a better zucchini.

Joni: If you need to know more, check out the basic gardening glossary where you can learn the difference between annuals and biennials and the real meaning of a deadhead.

Peggy: Here's FAQs for gardeners. FAQs are frequently asked questions. You see this term a lot on the Internet. This site also suggests books and Web sites for beginners. It also helps you know your soil type and advises you to get dirty. So much for that manicure, Joni.

Joni: In addition to gardening terms, here are Internet acronyms. These are common in chat rooms.

Peggy: LOL, laugh out loud; TTFN, ta ta for now; BTW, by the way; BRB, be right back -- you get the idea.

Joni: I want to know when you use ROFL, rolling on the floor laughing -- only when talking with our Webmaster, Saket, I suppose.

Peggy: You can participate in real time chat, about zucchini or other vegetables. Cape Girardeau is the City of Roses. So let's visit the American Rose Society.

www.ars.org

Joni: If you are a member, instead of Rotarian, you're a Rosarian. They've had 69,000 visitors since March.

Peggy: Here you can ask the experts about the best roses, flower arranging, climate and what to do when roses get sick. Here's information on Old Garden Roses. Some of these have been around since the mid-1800s.

Joni: Here's a rose FAQ, which sends you to a newslist and links to old roses, modern roses, English roses and lots of rose pages on the World Wide Web. The Internet has many advantages, but you still can't smell these beautiful roses. What do you think? Scratch-n-sniff computer screens?

Peggy: Maybe not. Let's head to Garden Living at

www.gardenliving.com

Joni: Here's an interesting quote: "I shall be content if because of me there shall be better fruits and fairer flowers." I always say that.

Peggy: I've never heard you say that. This site also has practical suggestions on how to make your garden better. Here's one: Transplant or die. Or you can read about the weekend warrior known as the Samurai Gardener. Here's a beginner's guide to growing bulbs.

Joni: Here you can look at a garden in progress. They have before and after pictures so you can admire the transformation. More information can be found at Country Living Gardener.

www.homearts.com/clg/toc/00cghpc1.htm

Peggy: The spotlight is on summer window boxes. In addition to the story, you can click on the picture for an interactive window box map.

Joni: This would be good if you don't have a lot of space for gardening. It says these plants will bloom with a riot of color. Here's information on rosescaping instead of landscaping. This place uses more than 300 varieties of roses. Wow.

Peggy: It is pretty amazing and includes very lovely pictures.

Joni: You can also learn about herbs and shady gardens. Here's an interactive tour of a cool weather vegetable plot.

Peggy: Do they have zucchini? Parsley, kale, spinach, snap peas, but no zucchini. It does say the plot can be modified to fit your family's tastes.

Joni: Here's something called garden smarts. You can read a little then take a test. How do you fair in the cabbage patch? Let's test our garden smarts.

Peggy: Oh no. You got stewed -- only one of the five questions right.

Joni: But at least they told me the answers in a nice way. I am obviously not a cabbage expert. How about you, Peggy. Try this quiz on dill.

Peggy: I got four of six right, so I'm "dill-igent."

Joni: Show off. Let's look at their gallery of gardens. Basically, it's a look at stories from the past, like rose gardens, Zinnias, patio gardens, potted plants. This might be a nice respite from a busy day at the computer.

Peggy: It looks just like my yard -- yeah right. Here's the GardenWeb, the Internet's garden community. Find it at

www.gardenweb.com

Joni: You can find more than 40 forums on different gardening topics.

Peggy: If you really want to show off, try the Mystery Plant Contest. You get six written clues. Then you fill in the blank.

Joni: Forget it. We want multiple choice quizzes. The GardenWeb has an international flavor, with links to GardenWeb Australia and GardenWeb Europe.

Peggy: Here's a calendar of events and a glossary of over 2,300 terms relating to gardening. The glossary is easily searchable.

Joni: You can read about some of the most interesting botanical gardens from around the world. It links up to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which they call the greenest site on the web.

www.bbg.org

Peggy: The page is very pretty with lots of botanical icons. It blooms in one of the largest cities in the world. It is also known for its gardening publications. Here's a contest to name a bird. The best moniker wins you a special plant.

Joni: The GardenWeb also links us to Missouri's Botanical Garden. Or you can go directly there at

www.mobot.org

Peggy: You can learn about the largest cactus show in the Midwest, which opened this past weekend and continues through Aug. 2. You can see over 1,500 species of cacti and succulents.

Joni: In the kid's section, you can take a virtual tour of the botanical garden. You need Quicktime. The tour includes 360-degrees photographs of the garden. Very nice.

Peggy: What's your favorite gardening site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.