Community Guidelines

Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with our community rules.

 
 
By becoming a member of this Community, you are acknowledging and accepting all of our Group Rules & Guidelines.
 
Contents
  1. The group’s mission
  2. Rules and Guidelines to ensure you enjoy the group
  3. Can’t find your post or your post has been deleted
  4. Etiquette to ensure everyone enjoys the Group
  5. How to contact a Group Admin to report anything
  6. Find out how you can support the Group, the Admin and your fellow members
  7. If you can’t find the answer here, here is a list of alternative Groups you might find useful
  8. Ideas we hope to implement for the Group in the future
  9. Want to make sure as many people as possible see your post? Here are some tips on posting
  10. Want to ensure as many people answer your question as possible? Here are some pointers
  11. Find out more about the group and what we’re all about
  12. Need to leave the group for any reason, here is how
  13. Check out our other Groups
 
1 The Group’s Mission
  1. Assist individuals in resolving their plant-related issues
  2. Ignite creativity with captivating images and innovative ideas
  3. Discover the healing power of plants
  4. Foster a warm and welcoming community of individuals who share a love for plants.
  5. Inspire and encourage individuals to embrace the outdoors and cultivate their own gardens.
  6. Discover the wonders of the plant world with our educational resources.
 
2 Rules & Guidelines
  1. Treat all topics and members with mutual respect. You are not always going to agree, but you can disagree respectfully. Friendly debate is fine, but please keep it civil and informative. Basically, treat others as you would like to be treated.
  2. No self-promotion, selling, links, other FB Groups or Pages etc. We want to maintain the positive atmosphere within this Group. There are plenty of buy and sell groups online. We are working on something for next year, we will keep you posted. These are the posts we delete, and we reserve the right to define those terms however we see fit.
  3. Please do not ask for piece trade cutting, swap underneath peoples post. No selling, swapping or trading anything in the community. It just cause drama. There are lots of Buy/Sell Groups already on FB. Anyone caught breaking this rule will be immediately removed from the Group. If you see these sort of posts in the forum, please report then to admin.
  4. We appreciate all our members but please note with lots of members being added daily we are getting swamped with "thanks for the add" posts. Feel free to introduce yourself along with a pic of your plants babies but please refrain from posting single text posts such as "thanks" or "thanks for the add"
  5. Please do not gang up on other Group members. Anyone can make a mistake. Anyone found to be doing this will be removed immediately.
  6. Any snide, snooty unnecessary remarks will get you removed
  7. Do not share other Groups or share pics directly from other Groups.
  8. Please do NOT privately message admin unless absolutely necessary and group related. Please report posts/members that need to be attended to and be patient.
  9. Posts which (will) cause disruption to the group, encourage dangerous behaviors or are antagonistic will be deleted
  10. Banned topics include Marijuana, Politics, Religion, crass sexual innuendo (we have younger members in this group making it inappropriate)
  11. Please do not ask for or give out personal details such as phone numbers to anyone.
  12. Group administrators will not be responsible for any posting/sharing/commenting of stolen/fake/doctored photos/offensive videos/divisive or factually incorrect content/offensive words/personal advertisements/promotion/propaganda by any member/members. All liabilities goes to all member/members/stock-images sites/social-networks/web photo media and they are fully/solely responsibilities for posting/sharing/commenting for their own activities in the group and future public debts/legal hazards/personal losses/damage of personal property/ abuse of National or International Laws/any kind of financial loss.
  13. Post only images that belong to you, not someone else. If you found the image on the Internet, and you haven’t acquired a license for it, don’t post it here. It will be removed, without notice.
  14. Please limit your posts to 2 per day.
  15. We will not allow posts that bash a grower or company or similar topic, or points out something someone did wrong. This is a positive place only and will remain that way. Be kind-hearted and compassionate and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. There is lots of review sites, this is not one.
  16. Racist or Sexist comments and/or posts will absolutely not be tolerated.
  17. Please back your claims up. You are responsible for monitoring your post. If you aren't and/or it is going off the rails the admin team reserves the right to either shut down comments, delete the post entirely, remove people from the community.
  18. Admins will delete a post that has been posted numerous times before. It’s nothing personal, just trying to keep fresh information available to you all.
  19. Unfortunately we do not allow donation sites I.e. GoFundMe, YouCaring, etc. This also goes for contest posts.
  20. All links and/or videos must be from reputable sites only. We will also delete anything that shows up as "attachment unavailable".
  21. If your post gets out of control, the admin team reserves the right to step in and shut down comments or delete it.
  22. Please do not block a member of the admin team. This only hinders communication. If we see that you have blocked one of us, you will be removed from the group until the block has been removed. You can’t see us, but we can still see you.
  23. Our rules are ever evolving and may change from time to time. Please keep an eye out for updates. We reserve the right to change the rules at any time. Inappropriate posts will be removed, and members may be banned at admins’ discretion.
  24. Do not post content that involves mistreatment or abuse of an animal.
  25. Do not post about issues with the group or other members. If you have an issue, contact an admin.
  26. Do not post about taking plants or cuttings without permission.
  27. We can’t be everywhere at once, and posts/comments aren’t actively approved by admins before they appear. So just because a junk post or an offensive comment made it past us doesn’t mean we actively approved of it, and it doesn’t mean we won’t delete it or similar posts and comments in the future. Please help by reporting.
  28. Our group is for all levels of gardener from all walks of life. Anyone found to be ridiculing, talking down, mansplaining to fellow members will be removed.
  29. We have a large amount of older members who are not always tech savvy. Please be courteous, patient and understanding.
  30. Please keep the posts relevant to the topic of the Group
  31. The community is not here to answer every little question you have. Please do your research, search through previous posts for answers. Ask not what the community can do for you but what you can do for the community.
  32. Unfortunately due to span we are not allowing any businesses/growers into the group at present.
  33. Admins get friend requests all the time from community members but unfortunately we cannot accept them all.
  34. We do not censor posts or use manual post approval. We trust people to post and share kindly and responsibly. If you break this trust you will be removed from all our communities.
  35. If you have any questions about the rules please contact us here - @theonlinegardencenter.
  36. All the rules/terms & conditions are applicable to all new and existing members. By remaining in this group you agree to be bound by the Groups guidelines.
  37. Sometimes we close entries to the group temporarily (for example over Winter) Please be patient and we will get you in as soon as we can.
  38. By posting your pics on the group we reserve the right to re-share these images on our Social media.
 
3 Can’t find my post or post deleted
  1. Your post was against a rule. If you suspect this might have been the reason, check the rules above
  2. Your post contained an unavailable attachment. Check the security settings of the post you tried to share. It may not be publicly shareable and will not show up here, therefore we won’t approve it.
  3. Your post contained a care question that has appeared several times before
  4. Your post contained a meme, image, or video we’ve seen in the group many times before.
  5. We are always happy to help, but investigating or giving out detailed explanation for denied posts is above and beyond what we do to keep the group running smoothly, and we may or may not be able to tell you the reason due to the sheer volume of posts we get every day.
  6. If your post is still pending rather than denied or approved, please do not message us.
  7. Photos posted in this public group must have a “public” privacy setting so all group members can see them. Note that if you’re sharing a photo from your page, that photo must also have a “public” setting on your page or we won’t be able to see it here. If we can’t see the photo, we don't know what it is and the post will be removed.
  8. Post only images that belong to you, not someone else. If you found the image on the Internet, and you haven’t acquired a license for it, don’t post it here. It will be removed, without notice.
  9. If you have repeatedly broken the rules Admin may turn on Post Approval for your future posts.
  10. Thank you for your understanding ❤
 
4 Etiquette when posting in the group
  1. If someone helps you with a tip or idea please be sure to thanks them or compliment them.
  2. Please try to help out our new members. Often, I find teaching others is the best way to learn.
  3. Be sure to chat and get to know your fellow community members and make lots of awesome Plant Friends 🙂
  4. Treat all topics and members with mutual respect. You are not always going to agree, but you can disagree respectfully. Basically, treat others as you would like to be treated.
  5. Please do not make fun of any posts, people’s questions. We come from all age groups, walks of life and experience levels so every question is valid.
  6. Help Less Experienced Members
  7. Please search the group for keywords to find relevant information for common issues before posting
  8. Our group is for all levels of gardener from all walks of life. Anyone found to be ridiculing, talking down, mansplaining to fellow members will be removed.
  9. We have a large amount of older members who are not always tech savvy. Please be courteous, patient and understanding. Also some people are dyslexic, don’t speak English very well, issues with eyesight. Please be patient and understanding.
  10. As we all know posting online can be tricky and sometimes posts can be misinterpreted. One tip I like to use is emoji’s. A little heart or X at the end of your comment never hurt anybody J
  11. We wholly recommend and encourage the use of organic/environmentally friendly methods but if you must post about chemical methods do so in a courteous, thoughtful manner.
  12. Editing posts. If you have an update on a posts please update post.
  13. Anyone that answers your query is trying there best to help you. Please be respectful of this even if the answer is incorrect.
  14. No one owes you an anaswer. The more you help fellow community members and the more active you ae in the community the more likely you are to get an answer to your question
  15. Please so not take offence to people’s answers. People come from all different walks of life and a lot of members are older, they’re not used to interacting on forums such as this. There’s bound to be mix-ups and misunderstanding. So give people the benefit of the doubt.
  16. Please put as much detail in posts as possible. The better the question, better chance you will receive a good answer and the more interaction you will get and the more people will see your post. Tell us about the pic, a little about yourself, any interesting back stories. People are keen to know more about You and your garden.
  17. We only accept positivity and encouragement. If you must critique please do it in a positive manner.
 
5 How to Contact Admin or report something
  1. Please do NOT privately message admin unless absolutely necessary and group related. Please report posts/members that need to be attended to and be patient.
  2. If you believe a post or comment from another group member isn't following our group's standards, you can report it.
  3. Click Report post/comment to group admins on the top right hand corner
  4. Select a reason and then click Send to admins to confirm.
  5. Or if absolutely nessecary message us here @theonlinegardencenter
  6. Messages to private Admin Accounts will not be read
  7. If anyone messages you privately trying to sell to you please report them to Admin
  8. Admins will not be available at the weekend.
 
6 Support the Group, Admin and your fellow members
  1. Please be active and get involved in the community. Unfortunately, if you are not active in the Group, Facebook will not show it on your Newsfeed so be sure to Like, Comment & Post as much as possible.
  2. Please be sure to change your settings at the top of the page so you see all the posts from the group.
  3. We protect our community and want to keep it squeaky clean! So please report any posts you think are out of line.
  4. FB has a shiny new feature allowing you to add "Topics" to your posts. Use this to increase your visibility, get questions/discussions going faster, and help people find your content!
  5. .If you see these sort of posts in the forum which you don’t think belong here, please report it or message us here - @theonlinegardencenter
  6. Help Less Experienced Members
  7. There is no need to privately message admin, please respect our privacy. Message @theonlinegardencenter if you would like to report anything
  8. If anyone messages you privately trying to seel you please report them to Admin
  9. Everyone has different backgrounds and ages come from different walks of life. We all have different size gardens, Different experience and different plant knowledge. Please be cognisant of this. Please help and support every member in equal measure.
  10. Invite your friends to join our communities
  11. Admins will not be available at the weekend
  12. When you post a picture of your plants, Say something about them. Tell us about your experience with it, what you like about it. How long you've had it, etc...The pretty pictures are nice, but there are many members that are just starting out with their plant collecting, and may not know what it is. If you are not sure what it is... Ask! We are all here to help, learn, teach, and proudly show off our plants.
 
7 If you can’t find the answer here, here is a list of alternative Groups you might find useful
  12. We only periodically accept members into these groups so please be patient.
 
8 Plans for the Group
  1. Mentorship - Experienced members mentoring new gardeners
  2. We have big plan for our communities including courses, resources,competitions, giveaways and much more.
  3. Buy, Sell, Swap & Trade group
  4. If you write articles, make videos or blogs and have content that would help our Community Members please contact me directly about collaborating.
 
9 Want to make sure as many people as possible see your post, here are some tips on posting
  1. Try to ensure it's something the whole group will enjoy or learn from
  2. Quality over quantity, we much prefer a single pretty picture over an entire album. You don't have to show-off your entire garden in one go, you can post again anytime in the future.
  3. You don't need to show the same plant from every angle, just pick the best image and upload that one.
  4. Make sure the shot is well focused, blurry pics will not be deleted.
  5. Make sure the subject is well framed. Of course this depends entirely on the shot but close up shots of the plant/flower are usually much better than showing the entire garden.
  6. Relevant
  7. Please post an approximate location so members can relate to your post better.
  8. Try to be informative as possible with your post, list plant names, age, any relevant details.
  9. Also, we'd love to get to know you and your plants better so please be sure to tell us about yourself ad that way we get to know our community members better and build a better connection amongst our members.
  10. If you are using somebody else's image please give rightful credit to original owner.
  11. No advertising - no links, promo material of any sort in the caption or on the image
  12. Sometimes, I get attachment unavailable if you share an album to the Group. I cannot post these to the page as I don't know what they are. To avoid disappointment, please upload images directly to the Group.
  13. We also have small niche Facebook Groups dedicated to specific plants such as the Sempervivum group or the Aloe Group where you can post whatever you like. You can find a comprehensive list of them all here;
  14. We advise you to put content NATIVELY in the group. That means taking the content (video, text, image) and posting directly (without a pitch of course!) You’ll get more engagement anyways!
  15. Photos posted in this public group must have a “public” privacy setting so all group members can see them. Note that if you’re sharing a photo from your page, that photo must also have a “public” setting on your page or we won’t be able to see it here. If we can’t see the photo, we don't know what it is and the post will be removed.
 
10 Want to ensure as many people answer your question as possible? Here are some pointers
  1. Ask good Questions. A lot of times, basic questions get met with basic answers - the more specific you can be with asking about a problem you have, the better the community will respond with higher quality information. Be as specific as possible when explaining your problems, goals, and questions, and you’ll be helped even more.
  2. Settings, locations, stories, help, and advice are welcome so others can learn from you. And, if you are asking for help in identifying any flora or fauna, please include where and when the photo was taken.
  3. Don’t post too often. The more you post the less people will see your posts. Quality over quantity.
  4. If you start asking questions without contributing anything to the Group FB will not show your post to many people ❤
 
11 Find out more about the group and what we’re all about
  1. Yes this group is about plants and gardening but it’s predominately about creating a community and a safe happy place for people to come and share their love of plants ❤
  2. Safe space for people to chat about their passions
  3. We cater to gardeners and plant lovers from everywhere but our membership the vast majority of our members are middle aged to older ladies so just bear this in mind when joining 
  4. A group for lovers of all …….. Share your collections, tips and tricks for growing and connect with like minded collectors. Meh
  5. I set up this community so we could create a kind, welcoming space for gardeners to learn from fellow gardeners and to share in the joy of gardening. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, all are welcome.
  6. My name is Mark and I'm a Horticulturist with over 20 years experience. (If you have any questions and the experts on the community here can't answer them, please feel free to send me a message, I'll try my best to answer).
  7. I used to own my own brick & mortar Garden Center. I loved all our regular customers, coming in chatting about their plants, sharing news & ideas and how their garden was doing. I wanted to replicate that same spirit with these communities.
  8. We want our Facebook Communities to create a movement around plants, mental health, plant therapy connection and community. We have some awesome projects planned. More on that to follow.
  9. I believe gardening is therapeutic, a great work-out & good for the planet and we want to encourage as many people as possible so feel free to invite your friends to join the community, the more the merrier 🙂.
  10. I'm a Horticulturist.I set up this community to create a kind, welcoming space for gardeners to share with & learn from fellow gardeners. I wanted to create a movement around the therapeutic effect of plants, mental health and community.
  11. Unfortunately due to span we are not allowing any business’s/growers into the group at present.
 
12 How to leave the group
  1. Click the 3 … at the top right hand corner of the Group.
  2. A window will then pop up.
  3. At the bottom of that window you will see a button “Leave group”.
 
13 Here are our most popular Facebook Groups

  1. Our most popular communities