I had a hard drive fail once, but it started making all kinds of rack-it for about a week before it died. So I got lucky and got to pull all my pics and most important files out of it before it did. I now use Carbonite online. It automatically backs up whenever something new is added, I don't have to even think about it. But it does cost $55.00 a year. But I look at it as a cheap price for piece of mind.
I don't own stocks or anything in this company. Just sharing what I use.

Joy

I have an external drive and a back up online, too.

Back when I had a lot of named cultivars, open garden hours for sales, and once a year mailing, I had all my daylilies in a database that I set up using Filemaker Pro. I could generate all sorts of lists from it. I had photos of each one, bloom times, if I used as a parent, number of fans, where I bought it - a lot of info.

Then, when I got the nerve disease I have, I sold off almost all of mine. Went from hundreds to less than 100 - probably more like 50 named and another 25 seedlings -- I didn't need the database anymore.

Now, I can keep a list on one sheet, two columns of a legal pad.

I used to make maps of where each one was planted. That way if tags were missing, I knew what they were. I had a customer try swapping tags on me. I could not believe it. They swapped the tag of an expensive one with a cheap one... then tried to buy it. I guess they didn't think I would realize it. When they told me which one they wanted - I said this is not the right tag, I can show you on my map. I also told them that I had a marker buried underground just incase tags were lost - so one way or another I could prove to them that it was the expensive one not the cheap one.

.. they high tailed it out of the garden lickity split. They were not "regular" daylily people... I never saw them before that day, and have not since. Thank goodness!

I still have all my old maps - just can't bring myself to throw them away.

Now I use the AAA markers and I don't have to worry about the tags being knocked over by my cats, or deer, etc.

now if I could just find the gumption to put all my photos in some sort of real, organized fashion - I'd be all set.

I am currently using the updated Flower program.
I love it and Kent is extremely helpful. I collect dayliles,hosta and iris. So it helps to keep things more organized. It also has a hybridizing section.

Hi Teresa!!
What creeps people can be. Luckily they are the minority. I still have my maps from both of my gardens before this!

Here is the place I ordered Plantstep from.

www.plantstep.com

I am in the catalog as

Teresa Barrow
Quality, KY

I couldn't do this without the Plantstep program. It is worth many times the price. It's nice to be able to type in a name and have all the rest of the information fill in automatically, on nearly all of the ones I have. A few I've had to hand enter, but it's just "fill in the blanks".
blpender

For those that I have had to fill in myself, being able to go to the AHS database really makes that easy too. I just copy the info and fill in from it.

That is a very nice feature. I first got the program before that feature was added, so I had to look up everything at the AHS or Tinker's site. It's so much easier to add a plant now. I love it, and I too think it's worth much more than I paid for it. Truly a bargain.

Joy

Ditchlily and Joy, We have started filling in our PlantStep Program from our Excel list. I am curious about what you were talking about above. Is there a feature that makes it easier than having to go to AHS or Tinkers to find the information about those daylilies not in the PS Program? It goes very quickly when the daylily is in the PS Program, but the newer ones are not in it yet.

Doris

Mine are in notebooks, hard copy only. I learned my lesson the hard way>

Doris, I don't think there's an easier way for the newest plants. I don't grow the newest so everything I've entered has been in the plantsteps database. I know Kent is wanting to add the newer plants and may be working on that. But until he does, probably the way you're doing it is the best way.

Kathy, I have Carbonite backing up everything on my computer. It even backed up my Plantstep program or I'd have to have a hard copy too. I haven't lost anything from a hard drive failure, but my husband did on his computer. We learned our lesson from that experience and everything gets backed up now. :smily:

Joy

Doris, I usually only have to cut and paste from the AHS info if it is one of the very newest ones. (But then you probably buy more newer ones than I do.)

There are a few things that I would try.

Select "Update" and then select "Update Daylily name list from Internet" to see if the name database your version has is completely up to date. It might help.

There is also a feature under Update that lets you import data from other programs. If you select that, one of the choices is to import data from an Excel..xls file. I have not personally tried that, but if you already have things in Excel it should work. If you have problems, Email Kent. He is extremely responsive and tries to help.

Laura

Kent sent the 2010 update last night while we were working on this. We are not sure if we properly installed it or not. That is a good idea to contact him to see if there is a better way to do this. We'll try your suggestions, Laura. Thank you both!

Laura, I forgot all about the things you suggested. This program does so much, I'm sure there's a lot of things I'm forgetting about that would be helpful.

Joy

I also bought it to store my hosta and iris info. It is a wonderful program. Love it !!!

While I love the Plantstep program and enter all my daylilies there, I also use Excel sheets. I like to have all the plants that I buy in a season (Spring or Fall) in one file that I can print out that includes stats: name of plant, height, season and ploidy. This makes it much easier to plan where I want to plant them. I also assign letter and number combinations that designate height: A's are the tallest (72" is the tallest I have) and Z's are the shortest (currently 12"). I write this designation on the label the seller includes. Each plant gets a unique designation. It is easier to write E11 than Westbourne Peaches Pickled on the stake that gets buried under the plant!

Laura, have you ever been to the Nashville L and Garden Show? I drive 2 hrs to attend. I would love to meet you in person. Here is a link :http://www.nashvillelawnandgardenshow.com/

I have not. Thanks for the link, I will check it out and see if the timing works.

Hope you two can work it out and then post pics. I have met such great folks here.