Hottest GardenRants of 2006

It's New Year's Eve day at GardenRant headquarters and the mood turns to nostalgia for our favorite posts over the last year and the riotous responses thereto from our readers.  So in the spirit of year-end reviews, let's all revisit our most popular posts - the ones with the most comments.  (And don't try to sneak in any last comments; the polls are closed.)

Since June 12, 2006, when GardenRant first burst onto the Internets, these have been our hottest posts:

6th - 11TH HOTTEST (all tied up at 15 comments each)

• A confession of envy over Rich People's Gardens prompted our first rash of thoughtful and revealing comments, including rants about rich "anti-gardeners." 
  

• Gardening Hurts chronicled Amy's encounters with rake handles, sharp instruments and flying weeds.  Then from the comments it turns out we're a frighteningly clumsy bunch.

• The Tree Lover's Lament by Julie Walton Shaver brought some readers to tears and others to anti-tree rants.  Big reactions for big plants.

• In Gardeners to Nurseries:  Fall's the New Spring, Amy voiced her own lament - the pitiful plant offerings at local nurseries in the fall -  and created our first survey.  Everyone joined in the nursery-bashing and our  California nurseryman calmly straightened us all out.

• Naturally any rant about leaf-blowers is bound to provoke collective outcry from readers and this one didn't disappoint.  It's called Let's All Go Hollywood

• Hoping to milk those leaf-blower passions, we asked Christopher C. if he had anything to add in defense of landscape workers and boy, did he.  The extraordinary comments included a defense of plumbers and somehow, the maligning and defending of Master Gardeners. Lively?  You could say.  Check out Who's Getting Blown Off Here? 

5th HOTTEST (20 comments)

• My mere mention of the now-infamous Garden Guy: Will Work for Heteros Only brought outpourings of outrage and some speculation about the guy's real motives.  Don't miss Christopher's howler of a comment about "homa sex yulls".

4th HOTTEST (22 comments)

• Kathy Jentz gave us a comprehensive report on the hot issues raised at the GWA convention in Garden Writers on Blogs: "Say What?" or "Steal from 'em".  Our commenters revealed themselves to be law-and-order types on issues of copyright.  Don't mess with gardenbloggers! 

3rd HOTTEST (27 comments)   

• In Top Ten Reasons Why I Hate Houseplants, Amy outed herself as a houseplant-hater and Michele and I immediately joined her in that camp.  Subject closed?  Hah! Who could have predicted the passions that are stirred by little plants in pots?

2nd HOTTEST (29 comments)

• In The Myth of Planning Michele got a lot off her chest, beginning with a quote by Donald Rumsfeld, followed by her defense of "whims" and the assertion that there's "no substitute for the actual experience of your terroir."  Christopher explained that it's all part of the "palpable antagonism between some avid and newbie gardeners and landscape designers."  Oh, yeah, and we were palpating, baby.

And the NUMBER 1 HOTTEST GARDENRANT OF 2006, with 33 comments is - drumroll, please:

• Stars and Stripes Run Amok, in which Elizabeth Licata revealed that she'd OD'd on the American flag as a garden ornament, especially after receiving emails "urging - nay, demanding - that I display a flag."  Trey weighed in on giant inflatables and the Halloween craze.  Jane from Scotland, where "the flag thing doesn't really apply," asked innocently:  "What are the flags to signify?"  Then we learned that many native Hawaiians fly the state flag upside down as a sign of distress.  Robert&Michael recalled a "big honkin' ass Lincoln" driving by with two tattered flags a'waving.  And it turns out we have sticklers for proper flag treatment in our crowd of rabble-rowsers - who knew? 

Congratulations, winners.  You can pick up your complimentary GardenRant T-shirt on the way out.

* * * *

Now some closing words before signing off for the year - our Thank-you's.

• To our readers, especially the ones who leave comments.  You're awesome.  We love your passion, your insights into the meaty issues of the day, and your civility toward us and each other.
• To our guest bloggers for your generosity, and of course for your talents as writers and ranters.  (Did you notice that 4 of our top posts of 2006 were authored by guests?)  We GET that it takes a village to create a great site, and you guys are amazing villagers. Keep those rants coming!
• To guest photographer Sandy Saunders for helping to brighten our ever-changing sidebar.
• Finally, taking advantage of my role as scribe here, a big thank-you and virtual hug to my partners in crime, Amy and Michele. Ladies, blogging with you has been the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on. 

Happy New Year from GardenRant!

Comments

[Pam/Digging]

It's been a half-year of fun, reading the Rant. Keep up the good work, and I'll see you next year!

[Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener]

Only a half-year? Seems like GardenRant has done so much in so little time! Can't wait to see what 2007 brings...

[Christopher C in Hawaii]

Now I am blushing! And to think I was permanently banned from another GardenWebbing site for being a provocommeteur.

Great job and great site ladies. Well done.

[JLB]

Happy New Year Garden Rant!

[Paige]

I have a question that I've been unable to find an answer. A friend suggested we try composting with worms with a plastic garbage can, drilled with holes. We now have two full cans. How do I havest the worm castings without worms? Will the worms live in dirt after continuous feasting in a worm bin?

[Wiggers]

Jolly good fun..