I'm finally getting around to it. I have just about finished entering data of the plants that I repotted this fall into my laptop. It was sooo much fun. I started out writing the info down in just a spiral notebook, the cheap kind. I kept up with these notebooks and wrote everything down as I actually did the repotting. White I was still outside I wrote down all the info on every pot that I repotted including how many pots I used as I did each pot,,the size and number of fans in each new pot. I use a generic form of Microsoft Office, called Open Office. It's free and it's easy to download. It also is very compatable with MS Office. I entered all of my repots into a spreadsheet using the pot numbers then the cross, # of fans, # of pots and quanity and size of each fan in that new pot or pots. I did size of fan and quantity so I'd know how much the fans grew since being repotted. Also I wanted to know the quantity so I'd know if they had multiplied any.

I need a few options for starting a new numbering system. When I originally started I used the row number and the position of the pot in the row: R1P4 would be row # one the fourth pot. This was fine when I had only about 400 pots. Now, each of those 400 pots have grown, thank goodness. So, R1P4 used to be one pot but now, it has been repotted into 5 pots having 4 fans per pot. So I need to take r1p4 and add 4 more too it. Right now, I have all of the repotted daylilies stretched out in neat little groups where I may have 4 pots of r1p4, that's fine. They are grouped by the date that they were redone. So having 4 pots with the same number is ok. It will not be this way when I start organizing them really soon.

So, I'm thinking about for all the older seedling that I now have, keeping the number they are now and just adding a letter of the alphabet to it. It'll work ok until I can get a new system started with all of my new plants that I'll be getting and the seeds I'm about to plant.

One thing I want is to have a name for a group of plants, like a bed name. This is where I thought about grouping my pots by color. This would work great with the hybrids but what about the seedlings? I thought that making crosses might be easier this way. I walk myself to death now with them spread out all over the place.

All ideas are welcome. Especially the ones that seem so simple that you think I already know it. I probably don't, so go ahead and give it a shot.

I'm also going to try some new labels that I read about earlier. They are supposed to be water resistant and will work with any type printer. It's address labels. I thought about putting my name and email on them and sticking them to one side of my mini blind label and having the plant info on the other side. I'll keep my old mini blind pencil written labels as the permanent labels until I see how long these new ones will last. I use the metal ones with the TZ Brother labels on them for the named hybrids. They are really nice for show, but the old mini blinds has so much more info. I've started adding the mini blind labels to all my pots even if I have a metal label in it so I can write any fan info one them and if the metal labels get pulled out, I'll still have the other. I have nightmares about grankids pulling out all those pretty white sticks out of my pots!!!

Blessings to all, Mona

I love the Plantstep program. It has been down recently, but a great software program for those of us that are multifloral lol.

For my seedlings I am going with simplicity - I give each cross a letter name, along with a year the seed was acquired. Then a number as to which seedling it is in the cross. Dips also have an * after them. So in my records Unbridled Spirit X Blackberry Dragon is C. The seedlings are now numbered 11C-1, 11C-2 and 11C-3.

Snake in the Grass X Candy Cane Dreams seedlings are 11A-1*, 11A-2*, and 11A-3*

I keep a spreadsheet with all the cross info.

For my NOIDS that are heirloom daylilies brought back from the family cottage (part of our family cottage property used to be a daylily farm back in the 1960's - no ID's and everything has been self hybridizing and growing "wild" since then) I designated them similarly- the ones brought back in 2008 are Cottage 8A*, Cottage 8B*. The ones brought back in 2010, are similarly designated as Cottage 10A*, Cottage 10B* (they are all dips)

I know others have different ways of identifying things.

Initially I was trying to document everything, and in peak blooming season it just got to be too much for me. For 2012, now I have a basic sheet with my beds identified and the flowers numbered on the front. On the back, the names of the plants. Each day, I can just go out and document (highlight) which ones are blooming, and if I decide to take measurements I can write them down. Although I have every flower identified with some type of tag, I am still experimenting with the tags - so I have master sheets drawn up. and each spot in the bed is numbered

My beds at this point are simply identified - "Eagle bed" (there is a steel eagle sculpture in that bed). The seedling bed (of which there is 1 raised bed right now) is 2011 with magic marker on the side. Circle bed, volleyball bed (built around an old cemented volleyball post), etc

Even though I keep my data on a spreadsheet, I also have a flower program - www.plantstep.com which is a really nice program - and each time I use it, I figure out more stuff with it.

Realize that my systems may change in the future, this is just what I have started with. I like the word "flexibility" in my vocabulary, and as I figure out what works, and doesn't work for me, I change things ~Jan

I also use mini blinds for my seedling labels. All the seedlings from one cross have the same # as yours do Mona. My crosses are labeled like 11-01, 11-02, 11-03 and so on. 11 is the year they are planted and the other numbers are the cross number. I record the cross and the number just like you do. (11-01 pod parent x pollen parent) in a spiral notebook, I never put this in the computer because I don't trust computers not to crash, and I also need the notebook in my hand when I go to the seedling beds.
If I have 10 seedlings of one cross they will all have the same # until I decide I will keep one then I will add an A to the last two numbers on a mini blind (11-01A), take a photo and put that new # (11-01A) on the photo name. If I see a second seedling from the same cross it will be (11-01B) on the mini blind, take a photo and put the new # on the photo. The # in the note book never changes you only use the notebook to identify the cross. All my seedlings are in the ground but the same system will work for pots.

I use abreviations of the names of the crosses plus the year and number of the seedling. For instance, a cross of Lady Neva x Northwind Dancer would be LNND011-1. Sexy Sally x Dallas Star would be SSDS011-1. Anyway is fine really. Just use a system that you like and can easily identify your crosses.

When I had different flower beds at my old place the beds had nicknames like Jan has. There was the carport bed, crape myrtle bed (by a crape myrtle tree of course and where I had cut down the other two); the others where around the house so they were side bed, front bed, and then when they were by the kitchen window it was kitchen bed. I was going to number them, but when I talked to Kim or fiance (ex) they had no clue where bed # 3 was so I would just say in the carport bed or crape mrytle bed and they knew exactly where I was talking about. I didn't have seedlings planted just named cultivars so I didn't worry about that, but each row had a letter and then numbers

A1-5 B1-5 and so on. Each row had 5 daylilies in it so when I put the info on a garden map or in plant step I knew what daylily was where in case the garden markers got lost.

Now the seedlings I do the way Fred does with a mini blind and then the year and seedling number 11-01 11-02 11-03 and so on and writer the info in a notebook. I would put the info in the computer, but I feel that is just an extra step I don't need to do since I will need the notebook outside anyway. Now the keeper seedlings may go into the plantstep program since I put all my daylilies in there, but not every single seedling since they won't be here that long anyway.

I probably do this the hard way. Don't trust computers either, but have a copy in the computer. I also print out a hard copy to take with me to the garden. Also place in the external hard drive just in case. Also the way I do this gives me a map of each bed.

Each document of crosses is in alphabetical order so they can be planted in same way.
This document is used mainly for the planting process. It also gives me a quick view of
how many of the same crosses I make, the number of seeds each generated and the percentage of germination.

Each bed is labeled by year, as 2009-bed 1,2,3, etc. Same with each following years. Directions at which I begin to put in rows is listed as south to north, east to west, etc., and where the entire bed is located, such as near roses, or whatever reminds me. Each row is labeled with a mini blind as 1,2,3 etc. at beginning of each row.

I found it much easier for me to glance at the paper copy for a particular cross and locate them when the rows are numbered.

Also a mini blind with the cross for each one in the row. So a lot of mini blinds in use, just
in case winter heave of soil happens or the wild critters decide to move them. Plus I have the list, again just in case. I know, I kinda do overkill with this, after experiencing several
mishaps.

On the documents, I list each cross separately in the way they are planted.
A cross in Bed 1, Row 1, plant 1 will look on paper like B1R1-1 with cross written out in short version instead of numbers and letters as (linda x bella) for linda beck x bella sera.

With space on paper after each entry, I can list size and other details out from the name,
as I look at their details, take photos, and measure. I wear an apron with many pockets to
place camera, measuring tape, etc. in, or a cleaning bucket with dividers if I have more
tools to work with.

The one thing that is a problem is the tags are short, about 4 inches in the ground, and when they get their two year growth it is hard to see them, so now I am going to take the
excellent idea from those of you who suggested the pvc pipes that are taller, with the mini
blinds inside.

I have recently been going through the process of choosing which crosses to make
next season. I love spending time doing this. It keeps the daylily interest ongoing
during the cold winter months.

I see there are many different methods of doing this. Whatever fits or works best for each.