Long before I had this garden blog, I had a garden journal. In fact, I have several journals. I love to write in a journal. I can share my thoughts, my feelings, my frustrations and my wishes. My memory is not as good as it once was,so writing in a journal is a great way to document what worked, what didn't, and what I should have done.
This is my current garden journal. I like something easy to write in and pretty to look at.
As you can see, I add pictures...
I add foliage so I can remember what a certain seedling looks like..
I add seed packets and notes as to when the seeds were planted and when they started to come up...And
I sometimes add a souvenir from other places in my journal.
This was my first garden journal. My son and daughter-in-law gave it to me for Mother's Day many years ago. They knew I like to jot down notes about my gardening experiences and came up with the perfect gift for me.
I would sit out on the patio early Saturday mornings with coffee and write in my journal. I took scissors, 2 sided tape and all my garden pictures and spent an hour enjoying the garden and putting my gardening adventures in this book.
This is another garden journal I have. I use this one to jot down notes on plants, what I want to buy, what NOT to buy and anything else I might think of.
This is the book I take with me to garden centers and nurseries or on garden tours.
This is the journal I take when I take garden classes.
It's very easy to write in and I like the notebook style.
This is the journal my best friend gave me for Christmas last year. Isn't it beautiful. The quote on front says:"Life begins the day you start a garden."
The pages are empty in this journal. I will fill up my current book before I move on to this one. Although it remains empty for now, I envision lots of notes and lots of pictures of flowers yet to be planted. I hope you have a way you save your garden experiences. These books while probably only meaningful to me, hold special precious memories of gardens past and gardens yet to come.
"The trouble with gardening...is that is does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession!"
Phyllis McGinley
23 comments:
You sure do keep a lot of journals. I can see how your blog is just an extension of your journals. The main difference is that it is easier to share with the rest of us. Thanks:p I especially liked the quote at theend of your post.
hmmmmm - your garden journals look a lot like scrapbooks :D Love your memories!! Thanks for sharing.
mr--I know, I do have lots of journals. I used to be much better at writing than I am now, but with journals it doesn't matter as you are the only one that reads them! :)
jj--it is sort of like scrapbooking I guess, just no exciting bells and whistles with all the words. I really enjoy the quiet times with my journal.
Your journals are really beautiful! Lots of memories for you there -- the old fashioned way where they can be touched and viewed at leisure -- long after our electronic postings are purged from the systems of the future.
Great post!
Cameron
You have quite the system of specialized journals for different aspects of gardening. I like the idea of taking one to garden centres and tours to jot down notes. Adding leaf samples to your other journal is great for picturing the plant in another season, and makes it very personal.
love the fact you journal and in such pretty books. i too journal but mostly about my spiritual journey in this life with a hubby and lots of children. your new book is beautiful...have fun filling the pages.
Thanks Cameron--and you are so correct. I will always have these journals, they are something I can touch and see--so different from our electronic world. Thanks for the comment!
northernshade--I guess I like journals because you can make them so personal. Everyone can "do their own thing" and use any style they would like. And it really helps me remember years past!
marmee-actually I have 2 other journals that are not about gardens. One is a travel journal. My largest book is "the green book". It has everything in it (except gardening) about what goes on in my life. I would be lost without that one! :)
Your garden journals are a creative way to keep track of your gardening experiences Linda. I don't journal necessarily but I do keep records of plants I've purchased and where they are located. My blog has become my electronic journal now. :)
Thanks Racquel. I only write in the garden journal once a month, but do include lots of information. It's nice to look at last year's entry's to see what was blooming and what just didn't work.
Oh, I so regret that I don't have a journal of what I've tried in this yard over the past few years I've been gardening here. It would be so helpful. I keep telling myself I'm going to do this, but then tell myself (easy out) that that's what my blog does. Yet it would be so much more precious to me if I'd sit and do what you've obviously done.
Brenda
Brenda, I am really trying to be disciplined to write in the journal, but now that I am blogging, it's gotten harder. Time is hard to find for me...but I refuse to quit journaling! :)
Wow, I have 1 gardening journal, and 2 gardening bind. The journal I write about all different this like what plants I want, what plants reseed, and all sorts of things. The binder has everything else like Garden designs, bird house design, seed packet templates, articles on Gardening, and much more. I like the binder because I can organize it well. Nothing is set in stone and I can always move things around. I also have tabs that help the organization process.
Hi organic gardner! Sounds like you are VERY organized--much more so than me! A binder is a great idea. That way you have everything in one place! Hum....maybe I need a new binder journal! :)
I am totally in love with your garden journals !
They are beautiful on the outside and inside .. you have been so dedicated to keeping them so detailed and organized. I really wish I had stuck to doing this as well .. a blog is fun but a written journal about the weather and plants, how they do and what doesn't work on such a personal level is wonderful to go back and read about. That quote about how your life only begins when you start a garden .. so true !!
Thank you for stopping by my blog ! ... and this morning is another extreme cold morning .. Spring seems so far away ....
Linda, They ARE awesome. You are so good to keep a record to be able to look back upon. I don't have anything like this at all. It is such a lovely gift too.
I must've missed this post somehow. When I came to link to you this morning I saw it-sorry! I did add in the begonia picture. I had meant to but just didn't get a pic so I quickly snapped one this morning.
These journals are wonderful, such a resource, and such a treasure.
K
All of those journals are wonderful and quite pretty to look at. I think that is a great way to stay organized and have fun at the same time.
Garden4Joy--I am so glad you liked my journals. I love them so much. I just got some pictures back in the mail today I ordered for my next entry--I can't wait for Sat morning!
Sounds like you are in for quite a cold spell! Have you always lived there and are used to it? I understand the cold weather is much more severe than normal.
Stay warm!!
Thanks Tina! I thought you might like the journals. They are so special--I love to love back through the years and see what the temp was, what I planted, and what I wished I HAD planted! :)
I am off to check out that picture..begonias inside...ohhh, that is my quest!! :)
Hi Karen, thanks for visiting!
Treasure is a perfect way to describe how I feel about the journals. They are such a part of my gardening life!
Susie, they are a great way to record garden history. I have pictures and notes--sure helps this old brain of mine remember! :)
Linda I left you a fun tag on my blog. Come and check it out!
Beautiful journals. I've had a couple but no where near as many as you. It's good you have a place to keep track of what you want to buy at the garden centers ~ I scribble notes all over the place then scramble around and try to find them! Congrats on your son being cancer free too! That has to be a big relief.
I'm glad you like the journals Kathleen. I love all my journals--I know I probably have have too many, but I sure do enjoy them.
And thanks for the comment on my son. We are very blessed!
Thanks for stopping by Meadowview Thymes!
Great journals. I should be better about keeping one myself. I have a few planting maps but never seem to remember to keep up with everything like I probably need to. Hope you don't mind me stopping by. I just found you & I have so enjoyed it.
Debbie
Hi TexasDaisy!! So glad you stopped by.
I love my journals. It's probably silly to have so many, but it's just something I do! :) They are very helpful too!
Hope to visit your blog after work!
Have a great day!
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