I once wrote out a map of all the seeds I had planted. Then I couldn't find the darned thing. Didn't bother to do that again.

I endeavor to keep plant tags, but often forget which dark red rose is which (five tags for dark red roses), etc. Somehow I often manage to misplace a few plant tags--cannot find them in the tag drawer. I do keep a list on the computer of the native plants which I have come up with names for. The plants are new to me, have odd names, and I may not remember otherwise. I keep the empty seed packets from seeds planted. I'm rather hit'n miss about it, but I do make somewhat of an effort to keep track.

Lorna

I keep a meticulous record of all my plants. For some strange reason, I love making lists, lol. I have a table set up on my documents with four categories: Latin name(with both Genus and Species), Common name, Cultivar name, and then info on bloom color (and foliage color if it has it). I dont usually need much more info than that, but you could always add other categories like bloom time, height, growing conditions, and even a note about where you planted it. Then once a year or so I go through it and delete plants that didnt make it. I do keep other documents, like "Plants to Get" (which is reeeealy long), "Plants to Move", and then general notes about where to plant things, design/combo ideas, etc. Hope this helps you!
CMK

I keep computer records for every-year seeds like veggies where I want a handle on how many might germinate.

For ornamentals, a sketch works better for me. Have a binder with sections for each bed, I stick the shipping lists or tags in there, organize records as therapy in January.

My tip: save anything you do on computer to some removable media, or at minimum, print it out. Common advice, somehow thought I'd be able to re-create the garden. And I did, but took a lonnnnnnnng time.

Ana

I take constant photos throughout the growing season and I label every single plant in the picture with full Latin name, including cultivar and the date. I refuse to buy plants that aren't fully labeled, I'm a little crazy that way.

I am hit or miss with the record thingy - I love setting up the records but then never seem to follow through. My husband is great at taking pictures the beginning of every month of overall views of gardens and I tend to reference them from year to year. I do have the perennials pretty much all taged in the different garden beds. I start so many of them from seed that by the time I get them in the ground I have the names memorized so have the common name on the tag.

As for a list of plants I want - that is endless - lol

The big thing for me is I don't want any part of gardening to become a chore so if I forget to take notes, keep records, ect - I don't sweat it.....

Lynne

I keep an Excel workbook with a spreadsheet for each bed as well as one labeled Trees/Shrubs, To Be Planted and Wish List. Each sheet has a column for botanical name, common name, a hyperlink to the web for cultural info on that plant and a column for notes. It's easy to transfer the plant to a new sheet if it gets moved. As in everything, the trick is keeping up with it...which I'm still working on. ;)

I just keep a runnng garden journal - nothing fancy, just a "composition" notebook to log daily garden activities, what I planted - Latin names, common names, dates of bloom, what's in bloom at the same time and for how long. I'll keep track of what did well, what can be eliminated, can paste or simply enclose pictures or plant tags between the pages, list things to research that might be interesting to try next season.

I've tried the Excel spreadsheets, but find I pay more attention if I take the time to sit down and do a longhand journal.

I tried the Excel worksheet, but wasn't faithful, and, as convenient as a computer journal is (quick, searchable, all kinds of good features), I just don't "connect" with it as well as when writing by hand.

What has worked for me is a binder full of page protectors: I slip tags for new plants into the pockets, basically in alphabetical order. I suppose it would handy to date them.

My garden journal is a desk-type calendar with a view of a week at a time, a large square for each day and the 8th square for "Quicknotes". This allows me to write in what I've planted or done on a given day, enter reminders for things that need to be done on a given day in the future, and the "Quicknotes" to keep track of what's in bud, blooming, done.

It's bare-bones, but it works for me.

Oh my, what timing. As I quickly fall into that category of "I can't remember the name, let me think about it for a minute," I decided to start a database of the different plants I have...right now I am up to 260 different types of plants...how in the world did I get so many?

Here is a link that might be useful: My gardens

I have experienced a number of mislabelings when I buy plants that are seedlings from a couple of local retailers. Too many mistakes that inevitably end up being a different color than labeled. Color matters a lot and I really find this mislabeling to be quite frustrating.

I have mixed up my orange coneflowers! Partly because I had a lot of help from DS1 in planting -- he's 10 times faster than me, so I can turn around and he'll have an entire area planted!

Lastly, I will just forget! Like my columbine. Duh. I don't remember which one it is!

So, my records are far from complete. It really only seems to matter when I try to tell someone the name of a plant in my garden! :-)

The funny thing is, I'm a computer geek but refuse to keep track of my plants on my computer. Go figure!

I have a large binder that I keep my order slips in. Then I also have information on the growing conditions of each plant, and sometimes will write notes on that sheet if I've learned something crucial that wasn't there before.

It's pretty basic but it's worked for me.

Tracy

Not really - I do have an AutoCAD drawing of the yard, which I try to update as I move things around, but it isn't entirely accurate, and it doesn't have full names for everything. I do refer back to my Bluestone orders every so often - I probably ought to print them and file them somewhere, since that is the main source of my plants, at least the perennials. Of course, I never *will* know the iris variety that I got from my former neighbor, and stuff like that, lol.

Some years, I keep a garden journal. I also ought to be better about keeping track of which veggie varieties I plant and which turn out better. Dh bought me an "Illinois Gardening Month by Month" sort of book that you are supposed to write in each year to say what is blooming, etc, but I haven't started noting in it - it feels weird to write in a book, I guess. Plus, I think I would run out of space pretty quickly! But, this was supposed to be a substitute for annual garden journals, so I don't have one this year.

Every year I do something different, it seems. I've done the spreadsheets, the journals, and the binders but have found what works best for me is picture taking.

For instance, I sometimes forget how big, or how sprawling, some of my perennials get. Lantana is a good example. When I'm getting ready to plant seeds in the fall or early spring I go back to reference prior pictures to remind myself not to plant close too that Lantana.

I don't stress over keeping records. I like some unexpected surprises in the garden!

Marilyn

I have spiral-bound sketchpads that I keep drawings of my beds, lists of the plants there and on adjacent pages a journal of how those plants have grown each year. It's very helpful with the roses, because A rose that fails to thrive four years in a row has to find a new home.

It's also helpful when I have something that needs to go in the ground to know that there are bulbs already planted in a particular spot because I can't remember DIDDLY!! I'm on the second sketchpad, I filled the first one up after four years. Some of the info in the first one had to be transposed into the new one, like the layout of the rose garden. But most of the other flower beds had changed so much that they just had to be resketched.

I keep the original tags from my plants and also some photos, descriptions of growth, and sometimes the pressed blooms. I'm not manic about keeping them current, I get to them when I can. Sometimes I go for months without making an entry, because I'm just to busy or don't feel like getting into it. But my sketch books are functional, informative, interesting, personal and pretty to look at. If they were'nt all those things I wouldn't enjoy keeping them. Cheryl

I keep a photo-journal. I'm a Mac-addict so all the pics are in iPhoto along with brief descriptions. I like keeping things simple so with just a couple of clicks of the mouse I can find anything I need along with a visual. This is a great way to keep track of growth and seasonal changes in a plant. I have a web page too that I try to keep updated.

I also have a small photo album with plastic photo sleeves in which I keep plant tags and seed packets until I take pics of the plants/seedlings and put them into iPhoto. I really lucked out with this album. I found it years ago at Michael's - it is about 8"x10" with two-sectioned plastic sleeves inside for the pics and the outside is covered in pretty flowers & butterflies with a small green check background - there's no mistaking it's for the garden. And the sectioned sleeves inside are the perfect size for tags and seed packets.

As for plants I find interesting and may want to purchase at a later date, I usually find a website with info on it and bookmark it. These bookmarks are kept in a gardening "folder" so again just a click of the mouse to find it.

I'm all about the KISS principle when it comes to gardening, which is one reason why I love cottage gardening. : )

I haven't really done enough gardening to have had things to keep track of yet. I know my rose is a Carefree Beauty, my vareigated hostas were just labeled as that, variegated hosta, and my other hosta was King Hosta (or something royal like that). In the rain garden, I had loosetrife, Joe Pye weed, and spiderwort, and the loosetrife is the only thing that survived to this year.

Now this year, I'm going crazy putting in lots of new perennials, so I have been saving the tags. I haven't quite decided what I will do with them. LOL