Retail nurseries generally have an inventory software attached to their POS system so numbers get updated automatically. I've been away from it too long to remember the name but that's probably way more than you need for your purposes.

An Excel spreadsheet would work as well as any other data base and you can customize to fit your needs - date of acquisition, source/supplier, previous propagation efforts, location, etc.

What is the subject area involved? Personal collection or business activity like garden center, production nursery or something landscape related? Because different products are offered for each. With the business oriented ones wandering into the territory of costing tens of thousands of dollars - for instance when I asked at a nursery trades show booth some years ago the nursery program that the one outfit was pushing cost something like $16,000.

Otherwise at the other end of the pricing spectrum if it's still being included Microsoft Access had a ready to go personal plant collection database coming with it when I used to fiddle with the program some years ago.

This is somewhere between a business and a personal collection. I'm small enough that for now and the next few years a simple database where I can keep track of botanical name, common name and some cultural info and a photo. Mostly so I can confidently say to a customer ( all 7 of them I expect over the next few years) what the name of the plant is. I have been very lax with plants in my own garden, which will be the main supply of plants for sale, as far as keeping track of specific varietal names. Yes it's a hosta, but if I don't document I won't remember in a few years (Ok could be a few months :o) ) which it is.

I have Office 2007. Excel is good for the text, but not so great for adding the photo. I looked at the templates for Access, but didn't see one for plants. It may be I need a newer version to get access to those.

Actually, adding photos to an Excel spreadsheet is not that tricky. I am not overly computer savvy but I figured it out :-) There can be some issues as to how the photos are presented. If imbedded in a cell, then they only really show up if you click on that cell. There are other ways of inserting photos but I didn't find them to be as efficient for my needs.

Here's a tutorial that could be helpful: How to insert photos in Excel

https://www.primasoft.com/database_templates/garden_plant_database_1077.htm

Thank you both. I am fairly adept with computers, I am a software tester in my day job, but while I can make my way around Excel I am no wizard. I started creating a spreadsheet, and while you can insert photos it is cumbersome and I didn't like the amount of real estate each one took up. I do want them visible.

I also ran across the Organizer site. I was at first put off, but see they have a trial and will check them out soon.

Thanks again.

Embothrium,

I have been playing the the Garden Organizer and while functional, it's interface is clunky and non standard. You can't install it to the Program Files folder. It must be installed in it's default folder off the root of the drive. If you don't, you get runtime errors when you try to start it. Very odd for a piece of software these days. It doesn't inspire me to be confidant in the skill of the programmer, and makes me hesitant to send them money. That said it is functional, and there aren't a lot of choices out there. Have you ever dealt with this company?

Thanks.