This page is meant to help explain how the GardenWeb search engine works and how to interpret the results.

General Information about the Search Engine   |   Formating Your Query   |   Key to Results

General Information about the Search Engine

This search engine allows you to search most pages of content at this site as well as selected documents at other sites. The index is updated every 24-48 hours, so there may be content currently located at the site, particularly forum messages, which haven't made it into the index yet.

Formating Your Query

To find records which contain all of your search terms:

This is the deafult and requires no formating on your part. If you search for red roses all records that contain both the word red and the word roses, in any order, will be returned.

To find records which contain any of your search terms:

If you separate your terms with or, all records containing either term will be retuurned. For example, if you search for red or roses all records that contain either the word red or the word roses will be returned.

To find records which match an exact phrase:

If you surround your search terms in double quotes, only those records containing that exact phrase will be returned. For example, if you search for "red roses" all records that contain the word red followed immediately by the word roses will be returned.

To exclude a word:

If you precede a word with not, only those records which don't contain that word will be returned. For example, if you search for red not roses all records that contain the word red but do not contain the word roses will be returned.

Nesting

You can combine search terms and phrases within parentheses to further refine your search.

Here are some examples:

(roses or shrubs) pruning

Will match records which contain either the word roses or the word shrubs, and the word pruning.

(blackspot or "black spot") roses

Will match records which contain either the word blackspot or the phrase "black spot", and the word roses.

(blackspot or "black spot") (roses or shrubs)

Will match records which contain either the word blackspot or the phrase "black spot", and the word roses or the word shrubs.

(blackspot or "black spot") (roses not shrubs)

Will match records which contain either the word blackspot or the phrase "black spot", and the word roses, but excluding those that contain the word shrubs.

Key to Results

Results are returned ranked according to a hierarchy that attempts to provide the most succinct matches first.

These are the rankings:

Glossary Terms	Terms from the GardenWeb Glossary of Botanical Terms
Frequently Asked Questions	Questions from the GardenWeb FAQ Pages
Business Listings	Businesses listed at GardenWeb's Garden Bazaar
Directory Entries	Organizations listed at the GardenWeb Directory
Forum Message Lists	These are the main pages for the various GardenWeb Forums
Forum Messages	These are the individual messages, or threads, posted to the GardenWeb Forums
External Documents	These are pages located at other Web sites, such as state extension services