Plant Heritage North East – why WordPress rocks

Plant Heritage North East was a full site rewrite.

First of all, I have to declare a vested interest: I’ve been a member of PHNE for several years now, and their original website was the very first one that I did.

I built the original site using a template builder and it took me just ten hours to do, which is the big advantage of using a template builder.  But it looked out of date as soon as I’d finished it, and it was a nightmare to maintain.

What’s wrong with template website builders?

Creating a news post item took forever, and I had no control over things like the size of images.  I tried at one point to make a members’ area but gave up in disgust.  And all of that is so easy with WordPress!

That was the one and only site I have ever done using a template builder.  As soon as I discovered WordPress I knew that I would have to rewrite the PHNE site at the first opportunity, and happily the committee agreed with me.

How long did it take to build the site?

Not very long once I started on it – just a couple of weeks, which is one of the joys of WordPress.  But having said that, I’ve been mulling over what I want it to look like, and what I want it to do, for about the last two years, so every garden I’ve visited or holiday I’ve been on has been just another excuse to take some photos for the new website.

Is a website ever finished?

The site is pretty much as I envisaged it, though there is still more to do.  At some point soon I’ll create that members’ area, and maybe add online payments for trips and talks.  I’d also like to get lots  more gardening societies on board so that the Events page becomes a comprehensive listing of all things garden-y in North East England.  Oh, and maybe a page of North East gardens worth a visit.

So much to do and so little time!