It would be very helpful when trying to answer garden questions if one knew where the asker lived.?

Question

As different regions require different answers

Answer 1

I completely agree. Zone and even country is very important when trying to help with a gardening question. For instance if someone from Australia asks about planting something and they don't indicate their origin then I would naturally assume their seasons are like mine here in the U.S. Knowing where someone is can make a big difference in the information they receive. Not only zone, but regarding identification of flowers, plants, and insects, as much description as possible is also very helpful. Sometimes description and information is very limited. Also, photo quality is equally as important. A fuzzy or out of focus photo is no help.

Answer 2

John I am going to star you on this question.
I agree it is difficult for non-locals to answer questions. Also when asked to identify plants a short written description just does not do it for me. We have many plants (800+ and still counting) in KZN and there are so many of them that "look the same in writing". A least one photo of the inflorescence, plant stem and possibly the bulb or root system. Is the leaf in pairs, trifoliate, palmate etc would also help.

Thanks.

Answer 3

I totally agree with the others. Zone and country are crucial to being able to provide an informed answer, and identifying plants is impossible without a photo.

Answer 4

Absolutely! I usually tell them where I'm at so that they can judge by that. Or I just give a planting hardiness zone map and suggest they look to see what zone they are in.

Answer 5

Agreed completely.