Hi all - just wondering what "tool" you all use to track your hosta purchases... and what kind of information do you track?

I just use a spreadsheet. Have several pages of info. One is my wish list with priority numbers (by groups 1-4) and a description including size, colour, etc.

One page lists the acquisitions from each year BY year.
Name, Size, Description, Price, Comments - arranged alphabetically, but within the year.

Another page is alphabetical listing:
Name, Year Acquired, Location in the garden

And I add more pages as needed for specific reasons - such as a check list of all the hostas to help make sure I photograph all of them each week, etc.

Ann

I use the Garden Journal tool at Dave's Garden. I believe you have to be a paid member to use it, though. It's actually fairly convenient (and complex), and all the information on various plants is at your fingertips, which is helpful, but...there's the cost factor. I'm thinking of changing it up and going the spreadsheet route, myself.

Ann, your system sounds pretty intricate. You photograph all of your hostas each week? Wow! I've seen your hosta list, and that must keep you busy.

I was thinking of creating an access database -- but then wanted to link pics to it -- and of course I wanted to use something to help me "draw" the layout of my garden and indicate where the plant is planted.
So far a piece of paper and a pencil are my tools... then all the Hosta's I plant get a letter/number and waaaa laaa!
OKay -- not really a waa laa but it sounded good.
I want some thing on-line.

I keep an Excel spreadsheet with the following columns:

NAME BED(s) DESCRIPTION

I started (haven't completed) a seperate sketch of sections of my gardens with Bed numbers assigned. A sketch of my front yard may have bed numbers 1-4 and show their "shape" and location relative to the house.

The description field starts with the size (always with a semicolon after, and always spelled out the same way), then descriptions I get from various sources (catalogs)

An entry may look like this:
NAME BED(s) DESCRIPTION
Lemon Lime 2, 4 Dwarf; chartreuse-gold wavy leaves; vigorous; average substance; fast growth rate; purple flowers midsummer.

I have programmed my Brother P-Touch to use the spreadsheet and pick up the name(s) I select to produce labels. If I move the size into a seperate column, I can have the size on the label (plan to fix this, too). Right now, the label would be printed on a 3/4 size tape and say:
Lemon Lime
Hosta

Later will say:
Lemon Lime
Hosta - Dwarf

Umm, we're supposed to keep track of what we have? LOL I have a list somewhere, but don't be like me. I keep really lousy records of what I have..... Someday I'll get more organized.

Kayly - my system is pretty easy, but I the capability of opening new pages to sort the basic list or manipulate it in any way which I wish. I know most of you use Excel, but I use QuattroPro, still being firmly in the WORDPERFECT camp.

My hat goes off to anyone who was able to figure out the DG Journals. I tried with absolutely no success.

Yeah, the DG journals were a mystery to me too. I liked WordPerfect when I used it, but as with all things we migrated away from that platform and was swallowed alive by Microsoft. I have developed a fondness for Excel, tho.

The DG journals are pretty complex, but I'm pretty savvy when it comes to that sort of thing. I'm sure there are still things I haven't realized I could do with them, but I do like that I can keep pictures, track milestones, etc.

I use the DG garden blog, it seems to be the easiest way for me to keep things updated. I list the hosta I have, mature size estimate and year I added it to my garden. I have a looooooong wanted list, but I try to prioritize the list and I include at least a few words about the plant so when I look at a name I can see WHY I added it to the list.