Keeping Track of Plant Information

By

ahorrasi

I would write basic plant info on a popsicle or old venetian blind - but I like the idea of a photo sleeve allowing one to keep the original envelope! I have some old ones of those running around and now know what to do with them.

By

valleyrimgirl

When I buy a plant (perennials, shrubs and bulbs) I record all its information in a data base in the computer and then print out a hard copy of the whole list for me to take shopping. These are the things that I record:
-common name
-real name
-year I bought it
-where I bought it
-cost of plant
-interesting info like someone else who wants one when my plant gets big enough or the kind of lily it is...asiatic or LA.
-tetraploid or diploid
-height at maturity
-color of flower
-color of leaves
-sun or shade
-where in my yard I planted it
-whether I have a tag picture or a real picture of my own (makes a difference in selling my plants at my annual spring perennial sale if I have a real picture or not)

If the plant came with a tag I also slip the tag into the sleeve of a photo album. I have cut a few photo albums' sleeves up so that they are individual sleeves. I then put the sleeve with the tag in alphabetical order with the other sleeves I have tags/pictures inserted already. When I have my annual plant sale I take all the sleeves with pictures or tags that are applicable for that sale and use them and then refile them afterwards.

When I bring a new plant home, I also make a permanent name tag out of copper tooling for each plant and insert that into the ground behind the plant, at ground level so it is not noticable to everyone, but available to check so as to know the name of the plant.

Plant tags get brittle over time if left out beside the plant and taking them in and filing them keeps them like new. So many people leave them beside the plant and then they break and because the plant had no permanent name tag with it the name is forever lost.