Advice on keeping track of your plants?

I'm a newbie who's buying plants faster than I can keep track of them. Does anybody have an easy system for keeping track of what you have? I know that keeping track of named plants is important for trading.

Thanks, Mary Ann

*sigh*
If anyone has a system that really works, I'd like to know it, too. (please)
:)
The journal here helps, and home made plant tags (where's my sharpie?). And diligence. (which I lack, which is why I may never know the identity of one of my hostas)

Cheri'

Start a journal, either the notebook-and-pencil kind, or one here (I'm biased, but I think our online journal tool here is VERY cool.)

Plant tags, either nice, permanent ones, or cut-up mini blinds help in the garden. But I don't use Sharpies because they fade - I write it in pencil, and I usually write in on the "top" of one side, and the "bottom" of the other side of the stake. That way, if the top gets worn/faded beyond legibility, I can always pull it up and read it from the other end.

I have a name for each garden and a master list of what is in each one. I also keep a diagram that I am way behind on updating! Sigh. I usually use 'The Garden Marker' but have started using pencil now myself.

Being sort of a techie (about 40 years of playing with computers), I keep a list on a computer spreadsheet (excel, quattro pro, microsoft works,etc.) Most computers come with some spreadsheet program, if not there are some free ones like http://www.ds.unifi.it/~stefanin/AGR_2001/SH/sssheet.htm out there. In that way I can sort the list of what I have by common name or scientific name or where I got them or any thing I put in the spreadsheet. If you don't know how to use a spread sheet, check out http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/excel/1.html on excel presented by the Univ of S. Dakota. For a garden spreadsheet you do not need any math!

I also try to maintain a "my pictures" gallery of photos of each of the plants and/or flowers with the proper name on each photo.

Great ideas! Thanks!

I just have a master list on WordPerfect, that I update every few months, but I also keep all of my tags in a shoebox, just in case. I've just started using the journal here, but I've always kept garden journals, to note bloom dates, growth habits, garden chores, etc. My master plant list is just a list though.

However, for trading you've also gotta know which plant is located where too, to go dig it up, right?! I map everything. I make simple pencil drawings with labeled circles (which are usually lopsided, lol), and they surely aren't to scale, but they work!

I use the journal here at Daves. But, at this time of year I'm finding myself way behind on updating, even though I try to work on it as often as I can.

So, I have a 2 gallon baggie that I'm throwing all the plant tags into, the notes I take while I'm planting, the disks from digital photos I take (note with plant id's and date attached with a rubber band), online printouts of plants I ordered this year....absolutely everything goes in this bag until it's journaled. This isn't the best system, but for this year it will work and I'll try to figure out a better method next winter. Unless I can figure out a way to make the summer longer???? That's what I really need, 'cuz then I wouldn't be so far behind in my planting and journaling.

I'm like George, I use a spreadsheet, and have columns for botanical name, common name, size, color, light requirements, water req., etc. Every year I start a new section on the same sheet, under last years list. Then, I have a column to make notes about which plants died or did poorly.

The problem is that I get busy and forget to make entries, so maybe I'll start a box for saving plant tags.

I have one of those accordian file folders. I keep the original plant tags files by latin name. I mark the ones in the ground with either an extra tag, popsicle stick, whatever I have to mark it with. Also, if I can get nice pictures I catalog them all on my web site. After a while you remember the names of the plants.

This year I really slacked. I did a lot of trading and I put the names in my file folder but I did not label the individual plants. When they start to bloom, I'll be scrambling to match name with plant, lol.

I have all my plants staked and named (if I know it) in the garden. I keep a daily written journal of everything going on in my life and it's color coded. If it's written in green, it's something I did in the garden that day. If it's blue, it's something I did in the water garden. I also keep a recipe box with all my plants listed alpabetically. On each card, I keep all the info the plant needs as far as light, height, etc...

More great ideas! I love it! Keep 'em comin'!

When we first bought the house I got a really nice neat gardening book and kept that up for a couple of years. Also each winter I would draw out the backyard on large graft paper (mainly because I enjoyed this). But probably for the last 4 years I have just taken out an old notebook that I write everything in. I start with a drawing of where I'm going to plant what, then a wish list from the magazines. Then once I order, I keep track of planting times, and germination dates and then when I plant I draw them in as I go. Then all through the year I make notes. The notebook is looking really beatup and this last year it rained as I was planting so it got kind of muddy, but it is almost full and I'm going to get another just like it.

Thes are all great tips!I like naming each garden!!love that one.. I bought a couple little 3x5, 5x6 photo albums and put each tag I got, in the with a pic and instrutions, the label they nursury gave me and label them in the garden. so if it wont grow I look in the albums labeled front yard backyard, I'm changing the names now. Im going to cut up my mini blind today, Terry, Do they fade in the weather?
Lori :)

Great tips...I really need to start a journal. Love the mini blind name tag idea. Thanks everyone.