Greg thinks he can set up an Excel spreadsheet database, with a colored map of the new garden...this will be the first time I've ever had any control over what I'm actually planting & will know what is where! Since I'm starting from scratch, this will tell me exactly how many of each plant I need for each row - I'm planning an English cottagey garden, not haphazard like before - it'll have dates, names, place ordered etc. I'll do the planning & ordering, he'll do the grunt work!
Bec: Sounds like a great plan! I'll be interested in how your spreadsheet works for you. I have yet to find an electronic way to "map" my yard that is easy, but I really really want to find one.
Ok, I'll share if it works out how he's planning it
Just think of the different plants you will be able to grow. I use the DG Journal. I have a plants list where I post a pic of the plant and whatever info I have as well as where it is planted. Usually have a close up and on some a wider view to show it in the garden. I have also started one where I post pics of different beds at different times so I can see what they look like and what is blooming at certain times. I haven't quite kept up with that one but it is a work in progress.
I have several elaborate Excel spreadsheets that list all the plants I have acquired, with a lot of information about then. I haven't included photos, though I should -- that's a great idea -- though that might make an overly large file just unmanageably large.
But I can't figure out a good way to map -- especially since I want to be able to edit as plants die or I move them. And I want to keep the historical record so if a plant that I thought had died re-emerges I'll have a clue as to what it is. So for now I'm doing it with pen and paper -- just listing the Latin name with a little circle to indicate where each plant is. Sometimes I include height information because that is what I most often want to know. And I recopy the whole wretched thing periodically when my pencil scribblings become too illegible. I've only done this for my awful front hill project. The rest of the yard is so much a cottage garden that it would be hard to map what is there.
I'm planning a somewhat 'orderly' cottage garden, everyone here has orderly & pretty front/back areas, so I'll 'conform' a little bit :-) - I have room for 3 rows in one bed & 3/4 in the bigger one, flanked by a Japanes Maple on one side - hydrangea on other corner & all fragrant shrubs/roses on both back rows - I can't do typical cottage plants due to it being so hot, so I'm researching plants that will handle the summer heat - like Delphiniums & Lupines won't, but I'm thinking Echinacea & like plants will do just fine...doing the database map will ensure I'll know exactly what to order & how many to fit my 'organized' mess & allows Greg to be a part of planning & knowing where & what to plant - if this planned excel base pans out, I can then use it to plan the backyard treese & planting there - one of Greg's guys used to be a stone mason & is VERY good at designing hardscapes with brick etc. & I might get him to design & build a firepit in the back, with a seating area & 'roof' - then Jeremy help with landscaping & trees...so even if I'm 'disabled' from surgery right now, I can still have a blast planning & subsequently supervise the planting :-) I have a decent budget to work with & all summer/long fall to 'get 'er done' 😃
The plan is to measure tonite, then start the map with each foot of space being one cell, using color to indicate what it is with a legend underneath with corresponding color cell & name - then I'll do a separate list on sheet 2 with what, where I ordered, sizes, etc. etc
It sounds like a terrific plan. I'd find it hard to match the colors unless you have very few plants, but you could use some other code as well if you wanted to -- for example, if you keep track of the Latin names, you could use the first 3 letters of the genus and then the first 3 letters of the species, and then the first 3 letters of the cultivar if you have more than one of a particular species.
I'm sticking with purple, blue, white, pink & yellow - so it should be doable
I did something like that on graph paper a few years ago and just gave the plants numbers. You could mix the color with a number if you need too.
This might be helpful and it's not too expensive:
http://www.the-design-works.com/software/garden/
Roses -- thanks for finding that -- that's in the right direction -- but it only addresses very small gardens.
For example, it offers --
A layout manager to keep track of what is planted where: in up to 20 customizable garden blocks, shapes from 1'x1' up to 5'x15'.
•A seed sorter: to organize up to 68 different seeds, in four categories
•A shopping list: to keep track of up to 28 things to buy, in four categories
I wonder what they were thinking -- many of use have plots that are larger than 5'x15' -- how annoying it would have to be to patch together several spreadsheets to record the plantings. I'd get completely confused. Maybe they'll come up with a more robust version (should I say "cultivar") down the road....
Here's another one, although I'm sure you can find them on your own.
http://download.cnet.com/Garden-Planner/3000-18499_4-10285889.html
These programs are data base run instead of spreadsheet, which means they are programmed to handle the information in a much easier and more useful way.
I'll check out the last one for sure - here's a rough start Greg did...we measured last night & he'll work on it tonite
Looks great so far. Have fun with it tonight!
Thanks, Roses! I realize I'm sounding negative -- it is just that I have looked and looked for a decent program with a not-too-steep learning curve. The Garden Planner one was rated 2 stars out of 5 by CNET users -- not a rousing vote of confidence! For now I'm doing ok with an elaborate pencil drawing on graph paper.
Becky: Greg's Excel chart is gorgeous! I didn't know you could do those neat graphics on Excel.
He's really good with Excel & I know he'll set it up nicely for me and also teach me how to use the colors etc. I'll happily share the template!
I'm so disorganized with my garden that I really will need to find something to help me. I'll stick to it if I can use the computer rather than a pencil and paper.
My next try will be with this one:
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/nature-lovers/welcome-to-plan-a-garden/
Happy did all the work finding out what she didn't like about the other programs. Saved us all some grief, I'm sure.
LOL -- RRR, you are so tactful! If you like the BHG one, please let me know! I can't tell you how many different programs I've actually tried and given up on!
I actually bought one about 8 years ago. It came on 2 disks and I loaded them onto my computer before we moved here. I remember it being great to work with. My computer went down years later and I couldn't find the disks after we moved. "Sierra Landscape" was the name of the program. I'm not even sure it would run with the newer computers even if I could find the disks. Now that I think of it, I may have given them to my daughter. If she has them, I'll try to install them and see what happens.
That was one of the ones I tried but didn't like. I must be too fussy! I'm used to the flexibility of Excel -- the landscape programs I tried just didn't give me the flexibility I wanted. But pencil is working ok.
My plan is coming along nicely & I've found nurseries online that sells (& have in stock) what I'm looking for...find out today what definite continued treatment plan is & when it starts, that'll give me a better timeframe for knowing when I can order (Greg will do the digging & planting) I'll just supervise!!
Praying for perfect timing.
Looks like I'll have a few more weeks of healing before any treatments, doc must have said "I'm very happy" at least three times, always good when an gyn/onc says that!! 😃 Mapping & planning coming up & I'll start chemorads the minute I'm deemed healed enough!
Great news, dear!! Heal well and have fun plannin!
thanks for the links, Roses. I need something like this. I've been using excel just to keep track of what I have and help me organize info about everything, but it doesn't allow me to visualize anything. I've been using paper and pencil for that, but not very effectively! :-D Very cool to be able to use software for this.
Catmint
Okay, I spent time last night browsing around under gardening programs, and Happy I think I'm sadly going to have to agree with you--none of them seem very satisfactory. :-( They seem either very limited in their choices, or meant for the professional landscaper as opposed to me, puttering away in my backyard. Back to paper, pencil, and my excel file...
Catmint
I did find a vendor that's willing to consider 'bulk rates', depending on what I order & want 😝
Woohoo!!, Bec! Glad you found that source.
Catmint -- that's where I'm stuck. What I have been doing is making a huge graph of my yard in pencil and penciling in the names of the plants (with little circles for each plant). Then I periodically scan it into the computer so I have a permanent record. For example, this morning on my awful front hill I saw two plants that I think are incredibly healthy weeds. I'll look over what I have planted in that area historically on prior versions of my graph to see if instead of being weeds, those could be something I planted "way back when" and forgot about....
Oh my! I just ordered an insane amount of plants!! Poor Greg - he got the deer in the headlights look! I see a repeating of whites, yellows, pinks and blue/purples here :)
Aster Woods Purple
Coreopsis Full Moon
Delphinium grandiflora Summer Blues
Dianthus gratianopolitanus Baths Pink
Gaura lindheimeri Whirling Butterflies
Achillea millefolium Summer Pastels
Agastache barberi Tutti Frutti
Buddleia Buzz Lavender
Buddleia Buzz Purple
Coreopsis verticillata Zagreb
Cortaderia selloana White
Digitalis purpurea Dalmatian Creme
Digitalis purpurea Dalmatian Purple
Gaura lindheimeri Pink Lady
Leucanthemum Becky
Penstemon barbatus Riding Hood Purple
Platycodon grandiflorus Sentimental Blue
Mount Atlas Daisy & Wooly Veronica
Lavandula angustifolia Hidcote
Happy, I have been doing something similar with paper and pencil. I like the idea of scanning so it becomes a record I can look back on once I've forgotten what I planted! :-)
Bec, sounds like you got some great stuff!!
Bec, What a nice list plenty of color.
CatMint -- that's all I've been able to figure out that works for me, because it is especially important for me to see the history of what I've done so that when an unexpected plant shows up I can assess whether it has been reborn, Phoenix-like, from what I planted and given up for dead!
Nice list, Bec!!! Your yarden will be a show stopper for sure!!
I really like the look of gaura.
Just heard back from them, shipping next week & should have them all by nxt Friday - they charged me $7.99 for shipping....for all 180 of them! This gives me a week to get supplies & getting the beds ready - they are coming from FL Panhandle, Santa Rosa Gardens, so not a huge distance - excellent prices! $2.49 per plant, in 4" pots! By using my Excel sheet I was able to work out the Sq ft & an aprox number of how many plants I needed...I went below that number, so I can add more plants as they become available - I'll have this week to decide where I want to plant them & get the 'map' set up...the tiny Daisies & Veronica's for the border is coming from Jeepers Creepers in CO....that's another 96 - Poor Greg! 😝😝😝
Becky--
I would gladly send you some Brug cuttings in the fall. Are they perennial there?
What else would last all winter outside where you are that does not here?
I have such an abundance of plants--just ask and you shall receive......:o)
Happy for you for not having to go through another Chemo---once was enough, I am sure.
Gita
Becky: Sounds great. I've ordered a lot from Santa Rosa and the quality is very good -- do be careful to watch for any signs that the plants are "cooked" on arrival since it is so hot out, and do give them a day or two to get used to your weather conditions (don't put them directly out in the full sun) before you plant them out. Santa Rosa is good about honoring their 12-month guarantee.
They just emailed me that none are 'heat-sensitive'...I'll put them out after shade sets in on that side & water really well...Gita, I'm not sure if Brugs are perennial here or not to be honest, my Meyer Lemon is going in garage when it gets cold...we're listed as 7b & do get frost in "winter"...I'm also pleased to announce I did NOT kill my Gardenias! They are reblooming! The Mock Orange just blessed me with blooms, so not bad for first year plants! Same with Hydrangea, that was pruned all the way down, blooming already! The Hansa bloomed & I'm chuffed it smells as good as I remember from childhood!! ❤
I'll have to look into Santa Rosa--sounds like a good company to order from. And what an amazing price for shipping!
So glad to hear they'll be arriving quickly, so you'll be out soon enjoying them! :-)
