As I was writing my last post I became a little curious as to what type of camera, if any, do other gardeners use to record their flowers and changes in landscape.

Do most have a point-and-shoot? Or, are more gardeners moving over to digital SLR's? Perhaps, some are still talking photographs on film and getting it produced?

So, it seemed logical to introduce the poll for this week asking gardeners for the preference in garden imagery. Cast your vote and I'll report the results next Saturday.

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After being caught out on our camping trip in severe windy conditions, I commented to Deb that I could easily camp in all other weather conditions except strong winds.

My reasoning was that if it were cold, I could add a layer of clothes or sit closer to the fire. If I were hot, I could reduce my clothing layers or go for a swim etc. However, wind was one weather condition that you couldn't escape from and remain outdoors.

What about gardening though? We all have to deal with varying weather patterns as we enjoy our gardens and unless we garden indoors we have had to face some of these conditions. So, add your vote to the poll on the right-side bar and even share some of your worst gardening experiences brought about by inclement weather.

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From our last Garden Poll where I asked readers to vote on their favourite gardening seasons, it seems that the milder seasons won out. Hardly surprising I know, but what I did find interesting was that Autumn was tied with Spring with 40% of the vote each. I assumed that Spring would win out convincingly.

Thanks to all those who participated and those who voted for Autumn let us know your reasons.

This week's question is, "What size property would be your ideal garden size?". Some people prefer large properties that can accomodate multiple tall spreading trees while some may prefer an inner-city allotment. Is the garden size you're working with now your ideal or do you one day dream of having something larger, or perhaps smaller?

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A few weeks ago I wrote a post called A Group Of Gardeners that tried to encourage us garden bloggers come up with a collective noun for this hobby. I had a mere 4 suggestions and then sorted them into a poll that stayed on my blog for nearly 3 weeks.

The results from the poll; 1person voted for "a weed of gardeners", another for "a show of gardeners" and then four decided that it should be "something else".

Yes, I'm a little dismayed that the four who voted to have something else had little to say when it came to providing some suggestions initially. Needless to say, there is not enough votes to pick a clear winner and I shall put this on the back-burner for a later date.

Anyhow, let's move on. This week's poll is for something a little less straining on the brain as I ask gardeners what their favourite gardening season is. Do we all enjoy spring and the optimism that comes with this period? Or are we more focused on winter or summer when chores in the garden slow down a little? Perhaps autumn (fall) is your preferred season as you enjoy the changing structure of your garden.

Now it's over to you. If you had to choose the perfect season, what would it be?

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Opening our gardens to the public seems to be something we, as gardeners, may be something we would contemplate. Susan over at Garden Rant even started her own post along the same lines and gave some great ideas for "Visitor Etiquette". The comments added some extra ideas and I think in the main most people are happy to show their gardens off.

Our weekly poll (that ran for two weeks) showed that 67% responded positively to showing their gardens to the public, 17% might consider it while another 17% flatly refused.

This week's poll is, as previously mentioned, on selecting a collective noun for a group of gardeners. I really liked these ones so I thought we could add these as the ones to vote on.

1. A weed of gardeners - [Oldroses]
2. A bed of gardeners - [Blackswamp_girl]
3. A show of gardeners - [Greenhouse Girl]

Thanks for those who offered up suggestions. I hope you enjoy voting for one on this list.

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It seems that most gardeners are fairly shy and retiring and use their gardens as an escape to pamper their introvert personalities. But, I have a theory that if given the chance most gardeners would love to show other people through their gardens.

So, now is your opportunity to come clean and set the world straight. Do you want to be left alone to fossick in your garden with a company of one? Or would you love to see the world turn up on your doorstep aghast at the effort you've invested into your small piece of the world?

Don't be shy now...this won't hurt a bit...

Last week we asked the question, "Do I consider myself to be a GREEN gardener?" and most people considered themselves to be above average but weren't prepared to commit to being a 'hard-core' greenie. The results are illustrated below.

The response options were;

1. I would rather die than use pesticide (13%)
2. I compost most of my garden waste (87%)
3. I sometimes use organic fertilizers (0%)
4. I rarely think organically (0%)
5. I wouldn't compost if you paid me (0%)

Thanks for all your responses.

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This week Gardening 4 Dummies is posing the question "Do I consider myself to be a green gardener?" This comes on the back of a couple of recent posts; this one published on this blog, and another recent post at Garden Rant.

I guess we all have a bias, as gardeners, to be as green as possible because that's just what gardeners do. But if it came to the crunch would we put results ahead of organic gardening?

Just to recap last week's question "Where do you source most of your plants?" the results are in. Caren White (aka Old Roses) pointed out that I had missed "Catalogues" as a feasible source and had therefore tainted the results. So for those who wanted to vote for this and missed my post comment, I am truly sorry.

For the rest of us, it seems that small nurseries (67%) were far more popular than large gardening stores (33%) while grocery stores, friends/family, and propagating plants yourself weren't even listed as the main source for getting our plants.

It's interesting that small nurseries were far more popular than the large gardening stores and there are many reasons for this. If I were to hazard a guess (and it's purely my own theories - correct me if you think I'm wrong) I would say that most gardeners prefer the intimacy, personal service and better plant selection of small nurseries. Large gardening stores have a way of making a gardener feel like they're buying straight of the production line and the plants you take home are probably what your neighbour is taking home as well.

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This past week we've been asking our readers how much time they actually spend in the garden with surprising results. The vast majority (44%) said they spend more than 10 hours per week in their garden. 22% said they only garden 1-3 hours per week and the other categories each took out 11% of the vote.

It would be interesting to gauge the difference between the climatic seasons but also the seasons of life. Most of my gardening is relegated to the weekend and is confined even further by Saturday morning sport and church on Sunday. So, on a good weekend I might find 5 or 6 hours but when summer rolls around I will probably be spending in the order of 12+ on the weekend alone. With extra daylight when I come home from work, I might also add a couple of hours before dusk.

Thanks to all those who took the time to vote.

This week's poll question is "Where do you mostly source plants for the garden?" I'm sure that Trey would be very interested in the results but I'm just keen to find out your preferences.

Is the gardening world a sharing place where most of our friends exchange plants, or do we find propagating from our own plants is the best way to increase our stock. Are small nurseries preferred over the large gardening or grocery stores or is it more convenient to find what you're looking for in the one place?

Let us know by casting your vote.

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This week we're asking the question, "How much time do you spend gardening per week?" I know this is a fairly subjective question and can depend on many variables such as; the busyness of life, the current season and even what counts as "gardening"?

So, taking all those variables into consideration if you had to calculcate an average number of hours per week over a whole year how many would you spend in the garden? It may give us an interesting snapshot of how different gardeners enjoy their hobby as well.

If you want to explain your answer to us, leave a comment at the end of this post.

Last Week's Poll Results

Last week we asked the question "Are Australian gardener's the best in the world?" Please understand that this was a very tongue in cheek poll. I certainly don't ascribe to this position and I think Alice summed up the best response to the question. [Read the comments at the introduction of last week's poll]

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This past week we've been asking readers to vote to the question "Would you have a Gnome in your garden?". The results are finally in and to say I'm a little dismayed is an exaggerated understatement. It appears that 47% of respondents would happily share their garden with a gnome or two, while 35% said they wouldn't. Another 6% were undecided and 12% said they would if they recieved them as a present.

Please bear in mind though that the poll only attracted 14 voters so the results are not conclusive by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure there were many who wanted to vote "No" but were fearful of reprisals. Alas, I will concede (for the time being) that they're not OUT as I had first presumed.

This week we have a new poll for you to share your views on and this one should get your patriotism running high. During the past few weeks I've made mention that Australia won Gold at Chelsea and that West Australian botanist Stephen Hopper has just been appointed the new Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London. So the question is "Are Australian gardeners the best in the world?"

It appears that the news stories are certainly pointing in this direction but its the views of the readers of this blog that we really want to hear.

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