A glimpse at how I keep track of plants
Hello all . . .
Here are some of the things I do to keep track. But first, a bit about me.
I like to use the computer, and was trying to learn the Access database
when I set up my garden records. Also, I have a Daily Journal program in
which I try to record such events as first blooms, planting and
transplanting, and the like. I also have some rough-sketch maps. Also, I
started this system when I began taking responsibility for the flowers
after I retired, and wanted to know what to reorder if it worked well, be
able to compare what I experience with what's in catalogs and articles, and
the like.
Well, here's how my database goes now, although it is always in a state of
flux, and some of the things I show here I probably will change soon.
Location (I have about 20 'zones' I refer to around the house and yard)
Common name
Genus
Species
Variety
Type of plant (flower, foliage, ground cover, etc.)
Annual, biennial, or perennial
Evergreen or deciduous
Ease of maintenance (from catalogs and articles more than my own experience)
Hardy (to what zone, or just whether it's hardy in Oklahoma City (both cold
and heat)
Whether I have it or it is on my "watch" list
Color of blooms (now, I have separate columns, but will make this one
column so I can nuance my description)
Type of foliage (strap, big leaves, colors, stripes, etc.)
Height
Width
When it starts to flower (starting with the catalogs, then inserting my own
experience)
Duration of flowering
Light preferences
Water preferences
Soil preferences (including lean, rich, etc.)
Reported problems
Source of acquisition
Date planted (or transplanted)
Sources that brag on the plant
My own evaluation of the plant for me (10-point scale, sort of)
Whether it is considered long-blooming
pH preferred
Three very wide fields for notes
Although this system is tedious at times, it can be easily sorted by
categories, which I like. It helps me keep in practice using the database.
And it often provides a historical record I can't easily locate anywhere
else. I have several Queries I use, such as
Plants I now have (vs. on my watch list)
Light preferences
Zones (of my yard, not national)
In these queries, I can omit unneeded fields for that purpose and shift
fields around to see things in relation to other things, so I don't have to
keep messing around with my main database.
Forrest
Oklahoma City (where we've had a very good spring in terms of weather)
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