Totally agree. I planted some anemone blanda and can't remember well.

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK - I sure hope you are not saying my response is spam. As for the original comment, maybe it is and maybe not. I personally wasn't bothered by it.

No, no, Maylingsmom. Of course no aspersions were being cast on your response. It's just that this company has placed several similar posts on various forums all of which are just bland assertions and in my opinion are just attempts at free advertising. As to being botherd by it, I don't care but the Forum rules do not allow advertising. If you click on the OP's name you are taken to a straight advertising spiel.

Educate me, floral. What is the objective? To latch on to Houzz Mail list? Use spyware o. Posters? I does look like a pointless comnent

You may be on to something, floral. I've encountered these posts as well (there's also a similar one in Heucheras) and wondered about their intent. They seem to be innocuous but pointless - they are just bland observations. There is no information provided relevant to the post, no questions asked, no advice given and no follow-up if any responses are made to the post. But then I don't expect much from a lawn care company to begin with :-) And maybe they are just bored with little work in winter to occupy them otherwise...........

I've had some misgivings about the PRO designation since GW joined Houzz. While most PRO members contribute to the gardening forums in the same manner as regular GW members, some seem to think this IS a viable venue for business self promotion and do so without apology. In the old days of GW, this would get you banned from the forums lickedy-split. Seems to be far less of an issue now.

You've gotta wonder at the logic of advertising what have to be local business services on a forum that draws from a global population. It's one thing if a prospective client seeks them out via Houzz - that was its intent originally - but to attempt to draw in new clients with spammy advertising attempts on the gardening forums doesn't seem very effective when the potential client base could be located anywhere from down the street to Timbuktu! How desperate are they for new business anyway?? And what does that say about their business? Makes you wonder.........:-))

As an aside, I am also a professional with my own business but declined to make use of the PRO profile. I'm not sure it adds any more credibility to the responses coming from these members (often quite the opposite!) and I have no need to advertise to generate business. Virtually all of mine comes from word of mouth and I am kept busy enough with that year round.

Have you all noticed how since changing to Houzz, many of the forums have just about died?

Yes, I noticed! What happened? I barely go on myself as there is so little to read.

I agree. I miss the old Gardenweb badly. I know it wouldn't exist now without Houzz, but I don't understand why so many people left. How did people find Gardenweb in the first place? Is it harder to find now?

I don't know exactly what caused it, but I wonder if some just didn't come back due to Facebook. I am on several groups on FB but I have never found anything quite like the old GW. Also, I had to re-sign up with Houzz after the changeover and that may have been a turnoff to some people. As for groups on Facebook, I have never been able to locate the many different types of forums that you can find on here.

I think FB has had a marked effect. I don't do FB. Don't like the way they operate.

My issue with FB plant groups is that often there is less of a discussion, and more often just pretty photos posted with a series of likes. Also, it's impossible to find things later, and I often return to older GW discussions when I am considering a plant purchase or have a question about a plant. I don't find FB to be anywhere as useful as GW.