Journals, worksheets, keeping track????

OK, I am new to keeping up with names of things I have planted in the garden. I have always known what I have planted, either the real name or what someone called it but NOW, I am getting into hoya's and daylilies. I have purchased named plants from "real" businesses. I want to keep a record of these and take proper notes on these. I have the DL's marked with plant tags in the flower gardens. i would also like to keep a journal of sorts for other things I do in the garden or with my plants in general. any suggestions on what to do or how to get started sure would be appreciated. When I start thinking about where/how to start, my mind goes blank!
Thank you,
Dawn

Dawn,

You have a couple of options and can use all of them or one. For the daylilies, since I have so many, I keep them tagged in the garden with metal markers. I also have a diagram with them written on it. Then I keep a spreadsheet of the name, who I got them from, how many fans are on them, who hybridized them, color, form, height and width, etc. I go a bit over board with labelling on those because I collect, trade and sell them.

I also keep metal tags on my Lilies, Heuchera, Hosta and I did on my iris before I let them freeze to death last year. :( WHOOPS! All other perennials are marked with the tags they came with or mini blind markers.

In addition, I keep a notebook with a list of other things I have gotten into collecting. I have a section for Heuchera, Hosta, Lilies, other bulbs, etc. It might sound like a lot of work but it isn't. Once you set them up, you just have to add the other stuff as you go. I have one other notebook that I keep and that one is for bogs and water gardens (as well as info on rain gardens, rain barrels, etc.).

My desk tends to get buried during the growing season so I go through all my notes and papers on rainy days and when the weather cools and I get them all in the right place.

Before I had much to keep track of, I just kept a picture of each garden with the plants written in.

I have a digital camera - I keep my garden organized by year and month on the computer. This way I can look at December 2004 and see - oh, yes that plant is deciduous, not to worry! Or look at June 2001 and see if the lilies are on schedule, and how big they were then. I also see some that did not make it... :(

Also I can see where something was too crowded or I didn't like the color combos and can make changes in the fall or spring.

It is easy to do this way... I also keep the plant tags in zip lock bags marked by year, if I need to go back and get info. This would probably be better done in a notebook, but I am too lazy.

I like using the old mini-blinds as plant markers and I usually put them in deep enough not to see them - just to check if I can't remember something's name or if it is a special variety.

Argh! The infamous empty spot! :( That is always a dreaded surprise in pics huh?

I have a very haphazard "system". I put the tags with the plant but inevitably, they break apart over the
winter or the plant dies and I'm left with a tag w/o plant. I use the pictures by date method that Guy mentions -
all my pictures are filed by date so I can tell when things bloomed. I also can see the growth over the
years (though I'm only two years into this system. A few pictures from '04 but mostly '05 & '06). I keep all
receipts and tags in a big pile. For seeds, I have an excel spreadsheet of what I've ordered, the germination
instructions (researched on the web) and then notes on how I did w/germination. The latter is pretty poor.
I have a paper record of seed germination in my greenhouse & don't get them transcribed often. But at least
I know what seeds I've tried, where they came from & how to germinate them.

For bigger plants/trees or nicer perennials, I use zinc plant labels. But even these aren't as permanent as I'd
like.

BTW - the date-based picture system works well if you are trying to time simulataneous bloom! I can tell when
my one area is full of yellow buttercup bloom or another has the peak of pink rose blooms. Nice when adding
something new to the area.

Tam

Dawn,

My method isn't quite as sophisticated as Chele's.

I keep a notebook in my plant room/office/my space!

In the spring, as I order plants, bulbs, etc I jot it down, journal style, along with any comments.

It's kept more as a daily journal, with daily plant chores- planting dates-succeses, failures, etc

As I start spring spruce up outdoors, whether it be renovating beds, clean up, whatever-I make notes in daily style

As I'm planting, same thing.

Summer, I get a little lax, as the main thing is care and maintanence, but as summer wanes, I make a section called Summer Overview.

In this section, I go around the garden and list specific successes, as well as problems and suggestions to myself for the following year(things I will do differently)

One thing I can't stress enough (and only because I DIDN'T do it for 30 years or so) is to get it in print, the botanical names, varieties, etc. of your individual plants. Before DG, I knew all the common names of my myriad lovelies, but now I hesitate to trade them with this great bunch of gardeners, since so many are looking for specific varieties.

Wintertime is a good time for me to transfer these notes to the computer-or not- which ever you are most comfortable with.

Deanna
I also use my digital camera, as mentioned by tammy andothers, as its an invaluable tool for referencing and sharing!


This message was edited Oct 14, 2006 9:19 AM

I did forget the digital method. LOL I have a file on my computer for daylilies A-M and another for daylilies N-Z. As I take pics, I write down the names of specific plants and rename the pics before I forget or lose the paper. Even if I have nothing else, the picture will have the right name on it and can be compared to the garden pic or paper listings.

Thanks all for the info. i am doing the journal thing. When I ordered my DL from the Maryott co-op. I printed pics of all the ones I ordered so I was sure to have the correct names. i have also used the zinc lables when i planted them. Going forward when I get something I plan to use a zinc lable so that everything is named. I also plan to keep the lable that somethimes is with or in the pot (when I can) when I buy too. I also am taking pics with the digital camera. So I guess I am doing some things right. Just a matter of organizing it all. I know i have learned a lot here at DG.Thanks all!
Dawn