My Garden Book

This is for all of us out there that need some organization. After living in Florida for three years, I knew where everything was in my garden because nothing ever went dormant. But once we moved to Minnesota, where everything disappears for six months, I figured the best strategy was to buy a notebook and log information about all my plants. There was no way I was going to remember where I planted all my bulbs.

I started by dividing the book into sections: Front Beds, Side Beds, and Rear Beds. Then I made a drawing of the bed, using symbols for plants. If the plants were of the same family, they got the same symbol. For example, the triangles in the photo are all Coneflowers, but each is a different variety. So the variety received a number, and I noted the numbers at the bottom of the page. I left a few pages after the map, so I could right down growth notes over the next coming years.

If something doesn't survive, I write it down on one of the last pages in the notebook so I have a list of plants that may not do too well in my soil. Oh, and one last thing, I always keep the flower info stakes that come with the plant, so I have quick access to the plants growth needs, not to mention remembering where I bought the plant from. (if too many plants die or don't make it through the winter, and they come from one garden center, then I know to not go back to that business).

The book has been wonderful to have this spring. Of course, I discovered that I forgot to note down where I planted some of my daffodils, so there have been about five surprise locations this spring. I have quickly written down these locations now!