Hi,! Just curious how all of you keep track of your iris? I keep a "logbook", I print out a picture with description( usualy from the AIS wiki site) I note when I planted, and or replanted, where I got it, rebloom dates,etc. I mark each plant in the garden with an aluminum tag, engraved with name,"staked " down with a gutter spike. I need to invest in some nice display type plant markers, so name will be easier to see. I've "checked out" several, but I'm "procrastinating", mostly 'cause I'm too cheap! ...How do you do it?...Arlyn

I have a binders also with info and pictures for each one. But I gave up trying to track blooms, etc., when I got to over 300... But I like to have the pictures to remind me, especially over the winter months.

Well being commerical I have a planting chart, after we replant I go back to the first row and write down the name, inventory how many and on on until done.

D

When I plant, I take pics to remind me of where they were planted. I can see the names since sellers will print the names on the leaves. I should mark them but my markers are nearly all gone.

I also have a program called PlantStep Flower Software which I use mostly for all the daylilies I have but there is other sections in the program for Iris, Liliium, Roses, Hostas. I log in what I bought, who I got it from, stats and then add a pic of each - for my reference - of what the Iris will look like so when they bloom I'll have something to compare to. Nothing worse than buying a certain color and a different color blooms. You can make some adjustments for soil differences but when a red turns out blue or yellow, then you know, you got the wrong one.

I keep track of seedlings. Otherwise I just keep a garden log during bloomtime. Hate making lists etc. If I'm not sure of the hybridizer I look it up in the checklist. I do have a notebook where I keep track of wat I ordered (& if any come in as extras). I used to like that fact but now I have to count garden spaces so don't want them taking place of the ones I want. I see that I have 2 TB spaces for new & I already know that I wish 'Fire & Glitter' by Tom Parkhill.

Posted this previously on Cubits, but here it is again:

I use Microsoft Excel (any similar program would work) to create a map of my iris beds. Each year, I create two new "sheets" for each bed, one in the spring to just to track which varieties bloomed or didn't and another in the fall to track how they are doing. For example, the attached map (not the best quality image, but hopefully good enough) is one of the beds from fall 2010. The yellow shaded blocks indicate irises that I am concerned about how well they are growing, orange blocks are irises that are growing fine but have so far failed to bloom, red blocks indicate irises that aren't growing well and have never bloomed, green stripes indicate irises that were divided this summer.

This way I can easily keep track of where different varieties are, where they used to be, when they were divided, which years they bloomed, which years they didn't, a general idea of how well they grow, etc. The coding possibilities are almost endless.



I don't use markers as I don't like the way they look in the garden.

I also keep track of which varieties I've acquired, how much I paid, when, from which grower, etc. in a separate Excel file. It also serves as a wish list for the future.

I place high-quality markers in front of each single or group of rhizomes. My markers are printed out with the name of the Iris, where I acquired it, and the year of acquisition.

I also keep a hand-written diagram of my Iris beds, which indicates which Irises are planted where. And I take photos and keep a journal of each photograph.

That is more than I can handle, not trained in doing that stuff. Good luck with it all.

I use markers and plant them in rows in the commercial beds, then when they bloom I put them in the garden beds, and note in my notebook where they are and take a pic. 2 feet left of the pink astilbes says a lot. By then I know them by name, anyway.

Hi,! Yeah, I really need to get some nice markers, and I should make a "map" of the beds. I see several do that, and it's a good idea. My dad kept track of his with a map, or diagram, I guess is a better word, and until his beds"got away" from him,it worked well...Arlyn

I like Kent, keep a master list of my Iris in MS Excel. My list is in acquisition order, but it can be sorted by other means. My list was created when I had only 30 cultivars, all of which were unknown "Historics". So I have columns for Stands, Falls, Beard, & Haft marks. All four of these are no longer used. Then I have Hybridizer (with date) and then type(TB, BB, ect.). I should probably break out the date so I could sort by that, but as of yet there has been no need. The next column is quantity received. Then I have the season columns; my current document starts in 2009. I currently have three years of data in the spreadsheet with 2012 to be added. Then I have a "misc." column for things like "DM" (Dykes Medal Winner), PBF (Purple Base Foliage), or "RE" (Rebloomer). Lastly I have a notes column that contains where I got the rhizomes from. Overall, this gives a nice year by year look at my collection. I need to fix the issues with the spreadsheet, but it has been pretty good at keeping track. I currently do not have a "location" element in the spreadsheet. I do keep a bloom chart notebook for each year which does have the location in the yard. That could be a "Winter" project.

You guys put me to shame. But I really don't need all of that information -- I'm not commercial, and I don't hybridize. I just want to know what I'm looking at, where I got it, and when. And when I can't remember what it looks like, I want to go to my database and see a picture. Pretty simple needs.

I do basically the same thing as the guys with Excel but I use Access. I have one main table with all the columns being info on each plant I want to keep track of. Then I just build reports that focus on things of interest like historic cost versus current cost, first blossom date (with a text box that contains all the dates so I can see variation of bloom time for each flower); reports for fun like color groups, heights, source. I used to have them all with little signs but that didn't work too well. I try to draw a schematic each year as I move things quite often and have added two new beds. And when I add new plants (which I do each year) I have to bring them up to date on the database with all the info I can find.

I used Excel until I purchased the Plantstep program. Now I keep everything in that program. The daylily section is more robust than the iris section, but the last few updates have added more functionality to the iris section. I can still export data to Excel if needed.

I use pen & paper, being elderly'

JuliaNY said:When I plant, I take pics to remind me of where they were planted. I can see the names since sellers will print the names on the leaves. I should mark them but my markers are nearly all gone.

I also have a program called PlantStep Flower Software which I use mostly for all the daylilies I have but there is other sections in the program for Iris, Liliium, Roses, Hostas. I log in what I bought, who I got it from, stats and then add a pic of each - for my reference - of what the Iris will look like so when they bloom I'll have something to compare to. Nothing worse than buying a certain color and a different color blooms. You can make some adjustments for soil differences but when a red turns out blue or yellow, then you know, you got the wrong one.

I love this software and it's not expensive! I have some information in the computer and other information in a notebook and other information like invoices are in a three ring binder, plus pictures, and the sticks front when planting. I really do love the idea of having all the information about each flower right in one place. Thanks for sharing. WhooHoo!

On the Plantstep can you upload your own pics?

PollyK said:On the Plantstep can you upload your own pics?

Yes, Polly. You can add, as many pics of each plant that you want. I try to upload my photos each winter (down time and stuck inside) of each plants blooms. The software also does alot of other things.
Here is the website http://www.plantstep.com/index... if your interested in seeing the features.

I have plantstep also. It can even be used to keep track of books or other collections.
On my older computers, I have excel programs full of lists, then on my laptop I have google spreadsheets. I like google spreadsheet the best because I can open it up on my phone while out in the yard. In the yard, every plant has a metal tag with p-touch label that has name, hybridizer and year hybridized.
In reality, what I have in the house is a stack of papers here and there, some in notebooks, some stuffed in catalogues, others in file cabinets, with notes scribbled on envelopes, that kind of recordkeeping. It's horrble. I can't read my handwriting half the time, and I forget to date my notes, and even my pictures don't indicate if the photo was taken in my yard of someone else's. I've lost track of how many iris i have, but it's way too many to keep track of with the system I've been using. (1200 plus iris?)
I save my orders and shipping lists, but I don't always write down where something is planted. If a deer comes through the yard and knocks over a plant tag, I have to try to catch the flower while in bloom to get the tag back on. I have a huge basket full of tags that need to be matched back up with plants.
The last few years, I've planted alphabetically, which helps in identification, but doesn't make for the prettiest display.
My winter project is to get myself organized! My roses, daylilies, photos, taxes, everything is in the same state of disarray and it's really frustrating, because I really like things organized.

There are things which I can do on the computer but I am somewhat limited in others. My records are all pen and notebook. Today I made lists of varieties in rows and maps of beds. All plants are clearly labeled. My memory is also pretty good after I have seen something in bloom in remembering it. I goofed up on something this year. When an order of medians came they had paper labels and I had the garden labels ready. I was planting them a few at a time and chose 8 varieties and the 8 garden labels. I removed the paper tags and went into the garden and realized I didn't know which was which. Luckily all 8 are distinctly different so I'll keep track and be able to sort them out next spring. I now always mark everything on a leaf with a marker.