“And if not for June I would not be able to reminisce, from so many experiences I could pick.  June seems to be the month I can do this. With a thankfulness I am still in the midst, of a year that appears to have just begun. With so much left to offer before it is done. And for me this happens only when June comes.” Lawrence S. Pertillar.

Documenting items of importance in the landscape is very critical as each season passes. This information will prove most helpful with each successive season to minimize potential problematic situations. Whether the information is about the placement of a bulb, the color of a flower, the much-wanted plant from across town or upstate, the amount of rainfall last week or last month, and so on, it is critical to realize and readily access such information to better improve the design and maintenance of landscape sites. If not recorded, then the potential for loss of such information through forgetfulness is greater and makes your landscaping efforts more difficult, sometimes confusing and very repetitive!

Landscape gardeners and plant novelists are no more forgetful than any other group of people. However, it’s almost impossible to keep track of minute details without recording and referencing precise notes and digital pictures. Therefore, developing and accessing a digital journal is absolutely priceless and most helpful to amateurs and professionals alike!

Digital camera: One of the best tools to assist you in documenting landscape information is the digital camera. This instrument is so useful and allows you to digitally document such information as taking pictures of bulbs, flower color so vivid this season on select plants, or photographing a plant or structure that you have seen elsewhere and want in your garden.

Also, taking pictures of weeds, insects or diseases for identification purposes or photographing a chemical label for your records can be priceless. Using the digital camera for recordkeeping anything and everything from A to Z is such an asset to the landscape gardener. Always transfer your pictures from the digital camera to an organized folder on your computer hard drive, as well as making a backup. Certain pictures may also be kept in your camera if you need to access them often for quick reference in other situations.

Also, keep additional charged batteries and memory cards on hand just in case you might need them at the least suspected time and place. Keep your digital camera with you at all times too (smart phones work just asefectively).

Flowering records: An accurate assessment of flowering will allow you to maintain color throughout each season of the year, not just a single season or part of a season. If weaknesses or deficiencies in color appear within a season, such notes will allow adjustment for the next season or year. If too much color and confusion (smorgasbord effect) distorts the image wanted at one time, then necessary corrections are in order and can also be implemented next season or year.

Information content: Any type of recordkeeping is an asset to the landscape gardener. The best system is the one that is most user-friendly and easy to access. Drawing sketches on graph paper and making written notes can also be digitally recorded and appropriately filed for future reference.

Planting records: Supplement these notes with plot diagrams and pictures indicating the variety and number of bulbs in each location. This exercise will assist you in estimating the success of each type and calculating the effects of the weather. If you planted twenty bulbs and ten of them survived and the weather was warm and humid, then you might conclude that ten of them rotted. Also, keep records for all herbaceous and woody planting activities.

Photograph records: Photographs make very effective records. Each photograph should include the date, time, location, special notations, etc. This type of information will become more valuable as you plan each successive season. Also, digital pictures can be circulated on social media to get answers to questions you might have voiced. If social media is your source of information, know your information providers and/or validate any responses with a professional before applying to your situation.

Pruning: You may digitally document a specific pruning style or technique on a particular plant or group of plants and share with your landscape contractor in order to achieve that shape and form in your landscape.

Pesticide records: Keep a record of all pesticides used in the landscape. Note the trade name, date, target pest, rate of application, and weather conditions at the time of application. Always follow label directions and file a copy of the label for future reference. Calculate and record the total square feet of lawn and bed areas.

Seasonal inspirations: In May you may observed an environment in your landscape that needs a splash of color such as provided by marigolds, but by the time you get around to shopping for them or your flower catalog arrives in September, the spot may be filled with late blooming plants. At this point you will be hard-pressed to remember such a spring inspiration without appropriate documentation, such as a digital journal.

Soil amendments and fertilizers: Record the date, rate of application, analysis, equipment used, liming information, soil tests, results and recommendations, etc. Also, record the weather conditions at the time of application. Calculate and record the total square feet of lawn and bed areas.

Weather: Record such weather information as the last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall each year, unusually warm or cold weather, storm information and damage, precipitation rates and dates, and very unusual weather phenomena. Properly place a rain gauge on your property for measuring and recording precipitation.

As you continue your sustainable plantscaping this spring and commit to this cost and effort, please also commit to providing the necessary care to keep your plants healthy and attractive.  And, as always, remember to feed and water the birds! Enjoy the month of June, day by day.

Many thanks to all who read this column which is an effort to provide each reader with timely and useful information which is a small contribution on my part in “paying it forward” to my readers. We are planning a mission trip to the Amazon Jungle in Peru this summer and accepting donations to assist in its funding. If you would like to donate to this cause, please make a check payable to Heritage Church and mail to Eddie Seagle, Peru Mission Team, 108 Tallokas Circle, Moultrie, GA 31788. We thank you and would appreciate your prayers for a safe journey for our team.

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11.