Gardeners Dig PRACTICAL GARDENING INSTITUTE’S Interactive Forum and Janet Macunovich’s Weekly Advice Column, “Growing Concerns™

Livonia, MI -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/3/2005 -- “MEXICAN BAMBOO!! Sorry. Didn't mean to get so excited, but you have no idea how long I've been trying to identify this critter. I'd take people down the quarter mile stretch of a certain road I know (it lines both sides like a solid wall for that distance) and point it out. What is it? Everyone would just shrug. I tried to find it in books. Could never track it down. I even dragged leaves and branches (but luckily not plants) home to try and ID it with some dichotomous keys. Always dead ends and wrong answers.” Letters like this have been flooding into the Practical Gardening Institute (www.practicalgardeninginstitute.com) since its launch this fall.

The Practical Gardening Institute’s website was designed exclusively to help people who love to garden expand their knowledge and gain the skills and confidence to design and grow fabulous gardens. 24 hours a day, seven days a week gardeners can get the answers to gardening problems and questions that have even the most experienced of master gardeners stumped.

The Practical Gardening Institute’s Gardeners’ Forum is loaded with gardening information including thousands of postings in 31 gardening Forums on topics ranging from “Annuals” to “Wildlife Gardening”. The Gardeners’ Forum, moderated by 20 recognized gardening professionals including former PBS Victory Garden host Roger Swain, rose expert Nancy Lindley, and Your Personal Gardening Trainer™, author, educator and professional gardener Janet Macunovich. Subscribers receive Notification of New Posts including automatic email notification of new Topics and/or Posts in individual areas of interest. Subscribers also have the ability to include attachments with their Posts which might include everything ranging from a university bulletin or a photo of their troubled plant. The Gardener’s Forum also includes a robust search engine, allowing subscribers to search on keywords.

Subscribers also have the capability to keep their own gardening calendar to track gardening classes and upcoming events they would like to attend. Subscribers will also have the option to vote in polls or add their own poll. Additionally, subscribers will have access to a photo gallery where they can upload, store and reference photos and images pertinent to their forum gardening discussions.
The Practical Gardening Institute is also the new home to Janet Macunovich’s "Growing Concerns," "Green Thumbs Up™" and "Green Thumbs Down™" columns, which provided advice to Detroit News readers for over 12 years, and is emailed weekly to Practical Gardening Institute subscribers.

The "Growing Concerns" column is offered exclusively to members of the Practical Gardening Institute, which was co-founded by Macunovich. In addition to publishing the “Growing Concerns” column, the Practical Gardening Institute plans to include a new signature series of practical books written by Janet and other experts; conferences and other learning opportunities. Members of the institute will also be able to browse and search the archives of 12 years of "Growing Concerns" to get great advice for each season.

Charter memberships are available at a special price of $25, go to the Practical Gardening Institute’s website at www.PracticalGardeningInstitute.com or call (248) 4-GARDEN.

Janet Macunovich is well known and much loved in the gardening community An author and educator in landscape and garden design, Janet has been designing, planting and maintaining gardens and landscapes for more than 20 years. Janet has developed and presented garden and landscape seminars and workshops to meet the specific needs of prestigious organizations throughout the nation. She is a founder of the Michigan School of Gardening and the Practical Gardening Institute. She has authored eight books currently available throughout the U.S., Canada and England. Janet’s popular newspaper column, “Growing Concerns,” appeared weekly in the Detroit News for 12 years and in now available on-line at www.PracticalGardeningInstitute.com

The Practical Gardening Institute was established to help people who love to garden expand their knowledge and gain the skills and confidence to design and grow fabulous gardens. Based on the positive feedback of students of the Michigan School of Gardening, and the constant craving by gardeners everywhere for expert, practical advice, founders Janet Macunovich and Mary co-founded the Practical Gardening Institute. The Practical Gardening Institute members gain skills and new-found confidence through books and exciting programs, national and local hands-on learning opportunities with gardening experts, a discussion forum that includes incredibly valuable tips and advice, access to gardening professionals and teachers—plus a lot more. More information is available at the web site, www.PracticalGardeningInstitute.com or by calling (248) 4-GARDEN.