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#312008 Apr 6th, 2010 at 11:18 AM
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The PDCP needs a data base.... We've all collected lots of data in here as well as on our computers, in notebooks and on pieces of scratch paper. Unfortunately I never came up with a cohesive plan to bring all the data together in one database.
Since I have been fiddling with pages and especially with the directories and the navigation system I have been setting up little 'helps' to make it easier for me to do my work. My little 'helps' led me to set up the newer directory pages you have seen with the little 'care icons' for each plant. [Linked Image] [Linked Image]

I keep adding directories to cover different sets of criteria... annuals, alkaline soil, hummingbird flowers etc. and each set always had some of the same plants and some that are unique to the list.
I am working on setting up a standard of six columns that you will see in a minute. To save the trouble of searching 8 directories to see if a certain plant has already had its profile posted, I went and grabbed every plant profile from each directory and I slapped them onto a big long page.
I am working on editing out duplicate data entries and organizing this plant data base. I added new icons to indicate if the plant is suitable for as I progress.
[Linked Image] [Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

If anyone is interested in helping me work on this data set, I would sure appreciate the help.
There are many levels and ways of helping!
To help prevent duplicating our efforts I will post what I am up to on a regular basis.

Some of the things that can be done include:

Many plant profiles only have 2-4 columns filled (especially the annuals) If you would like, you could adopt a segment of the list and fill in the missing data. Start a topic to let others know that you plan on working on x,y and z, and then I will be able to add your plant data into the data base.

Anyone is welcome to add any (legal) plant profile they'd like to the database by starting a topic with the plant's name and the information needed to fill the six data columns. Accuracy is very important!

Another thing that could be added to the data base would a third row of icons indicating the colors possible with each plant. (I would probable limit the number of color choices to five before declaring "all colors" or 'many" or something. This would be another 'adopt a plant' and make a topic for it... i.e. "Dahlia flower colors"
idea uh... what else????

As I said, I will be cleaning up duplicates and making a few revisions and changes. As you'll see, the list is already extensive but we still have a few thousand plants that aren't in our data base yet!

BTW... I moved the PDCP forum to my log to make it easier to find

Have fun! wavy




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Feel free to collect and post data about anything that we don't have covered... We'll get it in the data base!
Possible Topic: Missing usda zones from chart?
Possible Topic: Easy plants for kids?
Possible Topic: Critter gardens... Tiger lily, butterfly bush, elephant ear, cranesbill?
Possible Topic: Fragrant flowers?
Possible Topic: Medicinal plants?
Possible Topic: Plants with texture?

Eventually I will need to figure out an attractive and functional method of displaying and utilizing our "Calendar of Bloom" we will be able to set up with the 'monthly what's bloomin' posts that you were all nice enough to keep track of! (I told you we'd use that information someday, but I never claimed that I did anything fast!)

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Wow Bill, great idea.



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Good idea Bill,

None of us claim to be born fast .....None lol


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dodge #312041 Apr 6th, 2010 at 04:14 PM
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great idea Bill. and nope I for one am not fast--not even maybe. rolz


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wavy
I did a bunch of organizing on the Plant Profile list this morning. Currently I am working on elaborating on the descriptions and adding the plant care icons to the ornamental grasses page. Then I will integrate those plant profiles into the PDCP master list. docs

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/grasstypes.html


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clap Good deal


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I thought I would complicate my life a little more, so I added one of these [Linked Image] to my 'to do' list... rolz

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Are you being 'over run' Willy?


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Originally Posted by tamara
Are you being 'over run' Willy?

To be honest, I didn't realize the magnitude of my brain fart when I came up with it. I will probably come up with another icon or two before I have my breakdown... zoink

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ohhhh...... the deer, blush no I never have trouble with them. I added the icon because there are so many deer resistant plants. When the data set is in place we will be able to use any icons as anchors to refine a search. I may hafta go back to school again before we get there though. idea

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Oh my, you have a lot of work ahead of you...

Sorry I got confused...but then you know by now, I confuse very easily. haha


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Think my plant care icons would look OK if I made them a little smaller? why

[Linked Image] [Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][img]http://www.thegardenhelper.com/graphic2/partshade.gif[/img]

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well in my opinion smaller would beOK if you could still tell waht they are.

I say give us a few samples & see which size is the smallest we can recognize???


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Originally Posted by Wild Willy
Think my plant care icons would look OK if I made them a little smaller? why

[Linked Image] [Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][img]http://www.thegardenhelper.com/graphic2/partshade.gif[/img]


Let them that size , we wont have to put our glasses on to see..LOL

dodge


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dodge #312561 Apr 10th, 2010 at 11:21 AM
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How is that? why

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Well bigger is easier to c...........


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dodge #312669 Apr 11th, 2010 at 08:17 AM
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Bill I would like to help with this but I'm not sure I understand what you need done. If someone would show me how, I have plenty of time for working on things....



I like your icons by the way!


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Loving the data base page. The icons make it so easy. The flower icons are great.



Bestofour #313261 Apr 15th, 2010 at 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Bestofour
Loving the data base page. The icons make it so easy. The flower icons are great.
Thank you! It keeps growing every day.I am pondering adding two more features to each data base... A photo icon that gives a quick view of the plant, and a small '12 month bar' showing bloom period directly below the flower icons. Such things will take time though.

I added the information from everyone's 'Blue flower Profiles' today. In a couple cases I combined the profile with other data from the sites to make the data page entry. Thank you all for your help here, and a big thanks to Merme for researching flower colors for me.

I won't even try to guess how many profile entries are left to do. I still have a few lists of lists to get through though.
My next batch will finish off the last of the flowers listed on the Hummingbird Page. After that will be birds or butterfly flowers or some such list...
Here's the list I'll be working on now...

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Originally Posted by dodge
Originally Posted by Wild Willy
Think my plant care icons would look OK if I made them a little smaller? why

[Linked Image] [Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][img]http://www.thegardenhelper.com/graphic2/partshade.gif[/img]


Let them that size , we wont have to put our glasses on to see..LOL

dodge


I like that size ,, any smaller and us older folks couldn't see them very well :wink:


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Originally Posted by angelblossom
Originally Posted by dodge
Originally Posted by Wild Willy
Think my plant care icons would look OK if I made them a little smaller? why

[Linked Image] [Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image][img]http://www.thegardenhelper.com/graphic2/partshade.gif[/img]


Let them that size , we wont have to put our glasses on to see..LOL

dodge


I like that size ,, any smaller and us older folks couldn't see them very well :wink:
lol OK! Since that is the 'already reduced by 20%' size you are seeing now! :wink:

Its not done yet, but here is an example of how the data base will help...

The Hummingbird page as it is now...
I will split the page and move the little table of plants from the old page and put it onto a new page, and it will look something like this

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I like the changes very much, Bill! It is so much easier to read and to find wanted information quickly!!

Way to go!



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Merme #313818 Apr 20th, 2010 at 04:19 AM
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Wow, that is amazing.


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docs Statistically, these numbers mean nothing because they are just numbers that my program spit out when I added a snip of 'on_mouseover' coding to the plant icons. This is not a count of how many plants in each group... only a count of how many times each icon appears as of today (8 pages)

Anyway, I just thought I'd post these numbers just for the fun of it...
teach
Icons and how many times each one appeared today.

Sun 959
p. shade 274
shade 208
toxic 78
low water 264
med. " 922
high " 548


Hummers 234
bfly 133
birds 68
no deer 157

vines 90
annual 114
biennial 5
house pl 36

white 458
red 304
pink 377
yellow 326
blue 222
purple 299
orange 140
burgundy 30
green 22
brown 14
silver 9
touched

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Oh my gosh Yes! I love the hummingbird flower page. The icons are a wonderful addition.



Bestofour #313848 Apr 20th, 2010 at 12:58 PM
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These statistics are fascinating and fun, Bill. Thanks for sharing them!


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We were given two hands to hold, two eyes to see, two ears to listen & two legs to walk. But why were we given only one heart?
The other heart was given to another for us to find.

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