Keeping Track of My Garden - Back-up Plan!

I forgot to show the back-up plan, in case all of my obsessive spreadsheeting and word processing failed.

As you can plainly see - it's very high-tech!  Just a wad (or is it a lump, clump, heap, chunk, or buttload) of tags in a plastic folder.

I try to never go in there, as it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But at least I know I can dig through there if needed!

Keeping Track of My Garden - OCD Addition

I know I'm a "little" crazy. But aren't all plant people just a little bit?!?

I have a system for keeping track of what plants I have in my garden.

I have an alphabetical  name list in a spreadsheet and a corresponding list of descriptions of the plants in a document.

I started both lists when I bought my home in 2006. There were barely any plants in the yard at the time, so I was starting with basically a blank slate. What few plants were there, I guessed on or made a generic entry for them.

Some might think I have an awful lot of free time on my hands for doing this. It does take some time, but I find that it is really worth it for me in the long run. 

My spreadsheet list has tabs for my categories (Annuals, Bulbs, Ferns, Grasses, Peony, Perennial, Shrubs, Succulents, Trees, Vines, Water, Tomatoes, Dead Stuff, etc.) and then each individual worksheet has the plant names in alphabetical order.

For some of my favorite plants (like Peonies), I also included what I paid for each plant.

I can print this list and keep a copy in my car in a 3-ring binder, so when I go shopping, I'm not accidentally buying a plant I already have. I tend towards "collecting", so I try to avoid buying duplicate plants.

My memory isn't what it used to be either, so a list is handy.

My document file is the same list of all my plants but with a description and photo for each plant.  Since Excel isn't the best for word processing, this document is done in Word.

Cover picture

 

Sample page

When I get a new plant, I pull the tag from the pot and add the plant's scientific and common name, the tag's description, zone, where I bought it, and the year purchased to my list. I include the provenance of my plant too if a friend gives it to me for example.

It's not perfect information, but it does give me an idea about the plant's general characteristics and what it will hopefully do in the garden. 

I take my own photos for the descriptions and since I have been keeping track since 2006, I will often include updated pictures to show how plants have grown over time. It would be WAY too crazy to do for everything. Even my crazy has limits! So I have only done this with the a few of the ornamental trees.

If the plant tag's information is insufficient, I just Google the plant name, read a few descriptions, and take an educated guess.

For the Peonies, I have also added a vague description of their actual planted location in the garden, when they are not blooming they all look alike and totally disappear when sleeping.

In the winter, I peruse my lists and descriptions. I update what I know has died or been removed for whatever reason. It also reminds me where certain plants are and often I will add a comment how a plant has done over time.

Should something ever happen to me that I need to sell my house, at least the future residents will know what's out there and know exactly what they are getting into plant-wise.

Last count there were 865 different plants in the yard. I hope they are plant people!  
 
I do my best to keep the lists current but even I don't know what some things are anymore.

I'm sure there are some things long since dead, but are still on my list.

Nobody's perfect.  

The Delinquent Gardener

This time of year is killing me.

It's like I am just in robot mode everyday, waking to darkness, driving to work in the dark, working all day and then driving home in the dark. I never get to see my garden. 

And it's ALWAYS raining anytime I am actually home and it is still light out.

There are still leaves to clean up and some plants to cut down.

But I have put gardening on hold. It's just going to have to wait a little longer. I feel like a neglectful parent.

I'm my younger days, I would throw on my rain gear and headed outside, but now I'd rather stay in with my hot toddy and watch the rain.

Thankfully the Winter Solstice just passed and Christmas and New Years are eminent. The days will now be getting longer.

This gives me hope. We're almost over the Winter hump. After the new year my mindset will change.

Also giving me hope is Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' (Yuletide Camellia). She's blooming like crazy. This winter so far has been good for her and she's really putting on a show.

'Yuletide' has beautiful blooms right at Christmas, hence the name. They are slightly oddly fragrant too.

I enjoy the bright red color and the simply petaled flowers that just disappear after blooming, instead of dropping huge dead flower bombs everywhere like other Camellias.

Pretty soon I will be looking for bulbs to poke their heads up.

Won't be long now!

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' (Yuletide Camellia)

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' (Yuletide Camellia)

With petals of crimson red with an orange cast, accented by a punch of gold stamens in the center, 

these large, cheerful, single blooms come just at the right time to add a spark of color to your winter holiday. 

The mid-season blooms are long-lasting, and the compact plant with its dark, glossy leaves,

 is great for containers, and a hard working shrub in the landscape.

Spiders Need Coffee Too!

Caught this adorable little guy sipping his/her morning coffee.

Just ignore those dirty dishes in the sink...

The Unbearable Heaviness of Raking

You don't know just how old you are until you have to rake leaves.

I think of myself as a young 43.  But I could stand to go to the gym. Actually, I drive by the gym all the time - I just never go in...

Towards the end of summer, when the garden is on autopilot and I get to sit back for a while and admire, I let the garden work fall to the wayside.
 
But then fall rudely comes.

The leaves fall and blow into the flowerbeds. The plants die back and need cleaning up.

I bust out the rake and heavy gloves and head out to rake the grass and fill up some yard debris bins. Thankfully I have neighbors that allow me to use their bins too, as I can fill up three in one swoop.

So many leaves, so little daylight to get them up.

Then it's obvious just how old I feel.

I've raked leaves and I can't get up!

Knees, back, neck, thighs and arms all hurt. Pain killers and a glass of wine are required.

Not to mention the recent cold weather, rain and terrible wind making everything worse.

To top it all off, the extreme cold weather now gives me eczema on my calves. I'm now like a little old lady predicting the weather based on my aches and pains... "Boy my legs are sure itchy, must be a nor'easter blowing in"...

For now, thank goodness there is left over Thanksgiving food, a visiting mom and shiny things indoors to distract me.

Oh look! Something shiny!