Rhodyman, it takes a little getting used to but with some practice, if can function close to the way it did previously.

When you click the forum subject to open the Azalea and Rhododendron forum, before you've clicked on any posts contained there you will see (today) "2,653 Garden Web Discussions | Azalea & Rhododendron".

To the right of that, a box where you can change your sort preference, i.e. Latest Activity, Unanswered Questions etc. Setting it to Latest Activity should put newest at the top. If you would wish to change it to look for unanswered questions, you could change it, see if there are any, change it back to Latest Activity again to stay with current posts.

Please give it some time and don't give up, we don't want you and your valuable experience to leave us....

I'm hardly what I'd call completely efficient here yet myself. But if there are things you're finding uncomfortable or awkward, please say so and chances are someone can tell you how to overcome them.

I see one problem I had, my browser window was too narrow. I couldn't see the dates on the right side that list when the last activity occurred on each thread. When I use a wider window and sort on Latest Activity, the only thing that is missing is the nickname of the person making the latest post on each thread. That was helpful in GardenWeb. The one thing that I like is that unanswered threads don't automatically float to the top like they did in GardenWeb even if you didn't want them to. One step forward and one step backward.

Great, I'd call that one step forward. Period ;)

If I could make another suggestion, at your own discretion of course and maybe you have set up your profile that way intentionally, I'm noticing your gardening zone location is missing with your name when it once was there. Houzz has now added that feature back in for us (they did seem to listen to some cries of dismay those first days), so we know for what area we are giving advice, and from what area advice has been given if that matters. Optional, but I know yours had been included previously. I don't mean to sound pushy.

If you click Your Houzz at the top right, Edit Profile, Advanced Settings from the list on the left. Scrolling down leads one to the box in which to enter a Climate Zone, approximate location. Clicking 'Update' at the bottom will set it in place.

Hopefully you've been on that page already and checked all your email notification choices to 'Never' like many of us did - after finding our email inboxes filled with clutter. ;)

Thank morz8 for the pointers. I don't know if I did it right; I put my location and zone in the same field. I have been lurking, looking for new posts, and missed all of the pros and cons on the change to houzz. They brought a lot to the table including easy ways to add photos, videos, and links. Their integration with social networks should bring more people to this forum.

I try to check this forum for new posts online once every day or two and keep it out of my email box. The yahoo! rhododendron and azalea forums are much more active but are fairly intense and don't attract many novices. For several months they have been into polyploids which probably drives some of the regulars away.

I agree, I can't imagine this forum w/o rhodyman! Please stay!

I am another one who appreciates your willingness to share your expertise, rhodyman.

Thanks for the kind words. I have been following garden groups specializing in rhododendrons and azaleas for a long time, even before the internet when it was called Usenet and was being used by the universities and AT&T. I eventually created a website (http://rhodyman.net/rhodyn.php) where I could post the answers to questions on rhododendrons and azaleas that I had researched. The website serves two purposes: 1) It is there for anyone who wants a source of basic knowledge about rhododendrons and azaleas; 2) It also gives me a place where I can retrieve the answers to many of the questions that I have already researched. If you see the same answer, that is because I am copying answers from my website. I am constantly updating the website to keep up with new varieties and evolution of knowledge about rhododendrons and azaleas.

I am originally from Western Oregon and have spent the bulk of my life in Eastern Pennsylvania, so I understand some of the significant differences in the two major regions of the US where rhododendrons and azaleas are grown. For starters, lawns are green in the winter and brown in the summer in Western Oregon. On the other hand, lawns are brown in the winter and green in the summer in Eastern Pennsylvania.

The area between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains has a Mediterranean Climate, i.e. hot dry summers with cool nights and temperate wet winters. It normally only rains 9-months of the year, not in summer. Annual rainfall varies significantly on different sides of mountains and irrigation is common. On the other hand, the Mid-Atlantic States normally have a hot humid summer with warm nights and cold winters. We normally get 3 inches of rain every month. Several weeks without rain is called a drought. Irrigation is uncommon.

Hi Rhodyman -- I'm so glad you're finding your way around. You had mentioned earlier that you wanted to be able to see more information about the latest activity to a post. When you are on the listing page, you can choose to display more or less information about the posts. If you click the second box (see screenshot below), it will allow you to see who posted the last comment. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks, that helps a lot.