Help in finding information on this website

Karens Garden Tips web site contains hundreds of pages of information. To enable users to located specific pages of gardening topics there are five methods of quickly finding information, each provides a different method and gives more specific results as you move down the list.

A full-text search engine is available using the “Search Karen’s Garden Tips” button located on the right side of every page. This search includes both text and keywords for everything on the web site. Use of capitol letters in the search does not make a difference and a search using a term with multiple words will identify all posts containing any, or all words in the search string unless it’s enclosed with quotation marks (e.g., “acer griseum”, “flowering cherry”) or linked with an underline (acer_griseum, flowering_cherry). This is the most general method of finding information and will result in the largest number of pages.

The Category Search, located on the right side of every page (below the Search Button), provides access using a hierichy of categories. Clicking on the categories will provide a listing of all the pages in that category. Remember the categories are broad subject groupings, not keywords, and every daily article is only listed in one category. This search method can also result in a large number of pages, but great many less than the full-text search.

The Keywork Index, provides an alphabetical listing of all Keywords attached to the articles. Using this index gives a more refined result than the broad categories. In addition, a Cloud index of the most used keywords is also available at the right of every page. The type size in this list corrisponds to the number of articles taged with that keyword. Each article can have many keywords, but they are more specific than the Categories.

The Site Index provides easy access to all the materials using a traditional alphabetical listing of article titles. Every daily post title is included in this index and in some cases multiple times under major headings.

The Botanical Name Index lists the Latin names, in alphabethical order, of all plants included in the Plant Profiles. The Plant Profiles describe important information and tips for successfully growing these plants. A Common Name Index of all the Plant Profile plants is also available under Plant Profiles in the Site Index.

For example, if you were interested in gardening tips about bulbs you could search in the following order to get all pages discussing bulbs, to very specific information about one type of bulb:

A full-text search to find all pages containing the word bulbs.

The Category Index to get the pages that are principally about growing bulbs (from selection of varieties to arranging them in a vaise).

The Keyword index to get all pages identified by Karen that contain substantive information about bulbs (this would include pages in categories other than bulbs, but contain bulb growing tips), or

The Site Index index (common name) or Botanical Name Index (Latin name) to find information about growing specific bulb plants.

In addition, a Glossary of Botanical Terms is also available. These terms are used mostly in pages posted under the heading Botany For Gardeners and the Plant Profiles. The botanical terms used on these pages are highlighted and when clicked-on, take the reader directly to the glossary.

If you have problems finding information or need additional help you can also contact Karen using an email message addressed to her at karen@karensgardentips.com

Note: This web site is best viewed with a Google Chrome browser.