Whether you are a brand new gardener or a seasoned veteran one of the best ideas we can offer is to start keeping a plant journal!
How many times have you added plants to your garden and a year or two later you need to know the variety because a question or issue has come up. Like many of us who can’t remember what we had for breakfast, we are at a loss! Keeping a plant journal can be a life saver!
There are plenty of fancy journals out there but you can create your own very simple and inexpensive version that’s custom to the information you want.
Simply start with a 3 ring binder, top loading sheet protectors and loose leaf paper and a simple drawing of your garden or your yard.
Every time you add a plant, tape the information tag onto the paper and give the plant a number. Draw a small circle on your garden plan where it’s been planted and place the number in the circle.
On your paper you can keep notes such as when it was planted, how it’s performing in the space, when it should be pruned and fertilized and if it had any particular pest or disease problems etc.
Keeping these types of notes not only help you learn from your mistakes but also document the successes that can be repeated in gardens of the future.
If you’re a photography enthusiast, take pictures during the plants peak time and add them to your journal for inspiration!