Do you frequently forget the name of the rose you bought two years ago? Did you just fertilize last month or was it the month before? Whether you have half a dozen easy care roses or a hundred hybrid teas, keeping a rose garden journal can be an enjoyable way to simplify your life.

Your rose garden journal can encompass all the plants you have in your garden or just the roses. It isn’t necessary to write in your journal everyday or even every week. Simply taking notes after you’ve done something of importance in the garden can be very helpful for the future.

A great place to get started is by writing down the names of your roses and indentifying the beds in which they’re located. I’ve found it helpful to list the name of the rose, its size and color, along with any preferences or traits the rose has. A good example would be, “Don Juan, planted in March 2007, a red climber that reaches about 10 feet, it is mildly susceptible to black spot. Don Juan has been planted in the front of the NW flower bed next to the birdbath.” Keep your initial listing basic and uniform for each plant. This will make it easy to search for new plant listings once you’ve forgotten the name of that bountiful easy to grow rose or ground cover plant in five years.

Next add any details you might find helpful in the future. You could include plans to build a trellis in your writing or pruning details. Information about the weather or a rose’s growth habits can also be helpful. If a particular plant is doing very well or very poorly in a location, make a note of it. It really doesn’t matter what you write, any information you feel might be helpful in the future should be noted.

Many gardeners also make notes of fertilizing, spraying and watering schedules. Keeping this information in your rose garden journal is an excellent way of staying organized by having all your information in one place. Some styles of journals or organizers also include a calendar; this approach could be an excellent choice if you feel you’d benefit from a more structured journal.

If you like to write an extra paragraph each time you make an entry, enjoy adding elaborate descriptions or discussing future rose bed plans, a traditional lined notebook could be best for you. Any thing from a discount store spiral bound notebook for a dollar to a lined decorative journal you find attractive is an excellent choice.

There is no right or wrong way to keep your rose garden journal. Feel free to include or leave out anything you choose. You’re most likely to derive enjoyment from your garden journal and stick with it, if it’s done in a method you’ll enjoy and find helpful. Your garden journal can either be just for you and your gardening plans or you can share it with your spouse or other household members. This method works wonderfully for everything from an overflowing crazy English style garden to a regimented bed of vegetables. Gardeners have kept journals for centuries on every topic from bulbs and veggies to roses.

Why not get started with your rose garden journal today? Perhaps you started one years ago and it’s buried under a stack of bills in the office, now is a great time to dig it out and start writing. Before you know it you’ll be enjoying gardening on a whole different level, plus you’ll have the added benefit of knowing all your plant’s names!


See these offerings at Amazon:
Alphonse Mucha Seasons: Summer Lined Journal

Roses Address Book (Paperstyle Large Address Books)