What is The Garden Network, dubbed the facebook for Horticulture?

The Garden Network is a live, active and growing environment for all things gardening. It's 'social networking' technology tailored to meet the needs of the modern gardening industry, with 3 primary goals;

• A tool for homeowners to meet professionals to design, build and maintain their new garden
• A place for professionals and new businesses to network and find partners, suppliers, training and inspiration
• A home for like-minded gardeners, college students and enthusiasts to exchange ideas on all things gardening

"After teaming up with Homebase to provide their garden design service in 2006, it became apparent the sheer demand for inspiration from homeowners. I was inundated with requests for design and landscaping from across the UK, homeowners kept saying they 'did not trust business websites' and 'can I recommend anyone locally?' - so I set about creating a 'level playing field' for the industry and a focal-point for consumers to decide who's best for them, by making direct comparisons.

Seeing the explosion of Social Networks and listening to homeowners, it seemed obvious to use this technology to help them find local businesses and make informed decisions on who to employ. Already designers are meeting landscapers, homeowners are commissioning projects, students are meeting the industry, amateurs are helping beginners and businesses are forming valuable new connections, it's really refreshing to see!

We didn't want to create another faceless 'Quote Database', as industry professionals know how big a part trust, communication and examples of previous work play in securing commissions. Our poll to Homeowners (on what they rated as the most important factor when choosing contractors) confirmed this - 53% (overwhelming majority) said 'examples of previous work' was their 1st priority. It's just too big a decision for Homeowners to make by 'filing out a form' - hence the 1000's of portfolios, blogs, comments and messages on TGN.

It's still very new, and we have lots of fresh features and initiatives under development - so far both the trade and the public love it. Unlike many forum and networking sites out there, it's not meant to be a soapbox for one individual or company, but a tool for the whole industry and interested public to use - you can really lose yourself in there for hours!"

Linette Applegate, Head Gardener and Garden Designer - CLICK HERE for Linette's profile.

***UPDATE - 27/03/09***
With the imminent arrival of her second child, Linette has now officially handed the baton of running The Garden Network to Tim Matcham of Tim Matcham Garden Design, based in Wiltshire. Tim has taken ownership of the site, and will continue with the sites on-going management and development - CLICK HERE for Tim's profile...

The whole point of this website is our members, not us!
So with members from all corners of the Horticulture industry and the United Kingdom - what do members of The Garden Network think?
CLICK HERE to find out...

TGN receives a small commission from purchases you make through our affiliate partners websites. This never affects the price you pay for your goods, but each small commission received helps to keep The Garden Network FREE for all our members - CLICK HERE to browse the TGN Shop for online gardening shopping.

Join the fun now, everyone is welcome - you just need to register. CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP - it only takes a few seconds!