Do you remember playing hangman as a child? Here is the two-player paper-and-pencil guessing game adapted to the Internet, and filled with container-gardening words for you to deduce before the number of incorrect guesses builds a complete stick figure.

The words in this game can be found throughout the various articles on the container gardening site, and anything is fair game! Insect names, plants, terminology: any of these and more may be the solution to the puzzle! (I have refrained from using scientific names, however, since not too many of us know Latin all that well.)

The game randomly selects a word from the list, and I'll be modifying the list from time-to-time so come back often! If you have any questions or concerns about the game please e-mail and I will try to address them. Also, feel free to suggest additional words to include! I love to get your feedback and suggestions.

The mechanics of the game here are very simple. Click the link below to be taken to the game page. Once there, click on the 'Click to Start a New Game' link. You'll be taken to a page displaying a dashed line – one dash for each letter in the randomly chosen word. Use your mouse to click on the circle to the left of a letter you'd like to try, then click the 'Make My Guess' button. The page will refresh. If you chose a letter contained in the word, the letter will be displayed in its proper location on the dashed line. If, however, you chose a letter not in the word, a circle will be drawn; the head of your stick-figure. Continue guessing letters and trying to deduce the word. Each correct letter will be displayed in its proper location in the word; each incorrect letter will add another part to the stick figure. If you can complete the word before the stick figure is completed you win! And if not, you still win because it's fun! (Besides, you'll also be building your gardening vocabulary.) After you've finished, click 'Try Another Hangman' and then the 'Click to Start a New Game' link again for a new word to guess. Be careful, it can be addicting!

Strategy
OK, I'm giving you some hints here. Seasoned players will often select first from the most common letters in the English language (remember, I didn't include any Latin names). These are a, e, i, o, u, d, h, l, n, r, s, t. Then, once they have an idea what the word may be, select letters from that word to test the theory. Of course, knowing this I may very well have selected words using very few of these letters. Remember, I said anything is fair game!

Good luck and have fun!

Container Gardening Hangman