I have been stuffing plant information tags into that manilla envelope since 1989.
Is it any wonder it finally split its sides?
I have been thinking about organizing these things for the past couple of years, but just never got around to it.
Often when posting to this blog I need to go through old tags to find the name of a plant.
This weekend I was looking for the name of the orange Asiatic lilies in the post below. I think they look very much like the tango lilies I just ordered from Breck's.
While searching, I became so frustrated with this mess that I decided the time had come to straighten it out.
I took a binder and some plastic sheets. I sorted the tags by type of flower and made a label with each flower, i.e. Daylilies, Herbs, Annuals, Shrubs, etc.
Now I can find the label so much faster.
I never did find the label for the orange lilies. Now I am wondering if I have another envelope someplace else.
Looks very neat and tidy. Seems like a good system...
ReplyDeleteI've only been doing this since 2003, and I started with a system from scratch. I took a photo album and slipped the tags inside the pockets meant for photos. This means that my album is organized by date planted rather than type of plant -- but I can also rearrange it all later if necessary.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do have a manila envelope stuffed with cash register tapes, invoices, and all those "guarantees" that the nurseries staple to them. If I have to return a plant I know where to find what I need. Pretty soon I'll have to organize that too, though.
This is a good idea! You could even use one of those smaller photo albums that hold 100-4x6s. I usually keep mine next to the plant or in an old strawberry jar. That's not a good idea. I did have a gardening journal book last year, but it's missing in action this year-bummer!
ReplyDeleteA photo album would work great and be less expensive than buying all the plastic inserts.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
Great idea!! Right now I have all my tags and empty packets in a ziploc bag...I think I'll follow your idea, it will be so much easier to remember what is what!!
ReplyDelete