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Four Reasons It’s Fun to Keep a Garden Journal By Janice F. Booth Have you, like me, wandered through your garden and paused over a lovely plant, blooming courageously in the summer sun, and wondered what it could possibly be? It has a name; it’s vaguely familiar, but what is it called? Have you, like me, visited a friend’s garden, admired his glorious flora, jotted down names on the back of your grocery receipt, gotten home, and found you’d lost that wrinkled paper? Have you leafed through a magazine or nursery catalog and come upon the absolutely perfect flower or shrub for that problem corner of the garden—then misplaced the magazine or lost the catalogue page you’d torn out? I have! Well, dear Reader, I have a solution to these perennial problems— keep a Garden Journal. They can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. There’s no need to feel stressed about writing in it with any specific consistency. You can use it when and where you choose, and it will last as long as the pages hold out—then you can begin Volume Two. Perhaps you’ve seen copies of the Victorian Ladies’ Garden Journals. They are charming collections of poems about gardens and
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What’s Up? Eastern Shore | September 2021 | whatsupmag.com
weather (some copied and some original to the lady) and sweet watercolors of the flowers, birds, and fountains. They sometimes hold dried specimens—pressed flowers and leaves. Friends’ comments and quotes. They’re quite original and fun. You may find it useful and satisfying to begin your own journal about gardening in general and your own garden specifically. You have very little to do to get started. Select a type of blank book that has sturdy covers and fairly roomy pages. You’ll want paper that is not too flimsy—you can expect the odd glob of mud and rain drop on the pages. You could design some type of cover that pleases you—a collage of pictures from your garden or a simple label with your journal’s title and date. There are lots of uses to which you can put this sturdy book. You needn’t limit your journal to one focus only. Think of the journal as your companion in gardening. Whether you do most of the work yourself or supervise the gardener or gardeners, there are lots of details and even broad concepts to keep track of. Let me talk about just some of them.
