Have you
ever thought about keeping a gardener's diary to
record what you plant and where you plant it? Keeping a
diary
will help you plan next year's garden by recording which
plants
grew well and which ones didn't. You can also note which
colors
do or don't look good together, or which plants overwhelm
one
another. Keep a record of how long the sun shines in
different
areas of your yard so you can find plants that require
the
appropriate amount of sunlight. In our yard, the soil is
not the
same everywhere. We have made do by planting different
kinds of
plants in different types of soil.
We have a big patch of very sandy soil that turned out to
be
adequate to grow a good crop of zucchini and pumpkins
last year,
as long as we kept it well watered. Our tulips did really
well
last year. We have them scattered here and there
throughout the
yard, but their favorite place is in a very sandy shady
spot next
to the front porch. Those tulips were twice as big as the
ones
that got more sunshine. This year, however, we got a
little warm
weather in early spring and then a cold spell. The poor
tulips
never recovered from the cold and didn't bloom at all!
One plant
that doesn't seem to care where it is planted is our
rhubarb. It
has been moved from house to house several times, it has
grown in
different types of soil, and it has been watered
inconsistently.
I then cut it all off and it grows right back again! This
plant
seems impossible to harm.
We're experimenting with daisies this year. I wanted to
add
some more color to our yard. I planted them in different
places
and will watch to see where they do best.
I love looking at my yard and looking at all the
different
plants that people have given me. Who would have thought
that
plants could be keepsakes. You can make notes in your
diary as to
who gave you what plants and what meaning they have to
you. Our
rhubarb plant is the same one that we had at our home
when I was
a child, and my mom gave me some of the chrysanthemums
that were
given to me and planted in her yard when my daughter was
born
almost twelve years ago. Walking around the yard I see
flowers
from my aunt, rosemary from my husband's grandmother, and
the
young maple tree my daughter grew from a seed several
years ago.
There are many memories in our small surroundings.
Planting
seedlings from other people's gardens is also a great way
to save
money - plants are so expensive these days. Why pay for
them at
the store when you can get them for free? I also buy a
lot of
plants at the end of the season. A lot of stores have
two-for-one
sales and practically give away their leftover plants.
Even a
half wilted annual will perk right up when you give it a
little
tender-loving care. It will be back good as new next
year.
Your diary can be as simple as a spiral notebook or as
fancy
as a bound diary you can buy at the store. If you are
good at
drawing, you can also make sketches of your plants in
your diary.
If you end up living in the same place for many years,
your
gardening diary can be a little piece of history for your
family.
Your family will cherish those memories for a lifetime.
