y, Dec ae i Jeti eeping records helps make gardening easier Drawing diagrams, learning Latin names for plants can ease the work of the home gardener SOME 30 years ago as a young homeowner faced with the task of maintaining my first suburban garden, } realized the job would be easier if E kept some files or records, Roy Jonsson SOW IT GR Since that time | have perfected “ my system and have gone far beyond the needs of most home ~ gardeners, . There are several ways you can _cecord garden information. The “o., first area to develop is an overall " garden plan using guarter-inch graph paper, Depending on the size of your property you may wish to tape several picces of paper together or make two drawings. A simple scale of a quarter-inch to one foot makes for easy calcu- lations. In the garden, using a steel measuring tape or a simple pacing method, calculate the size of all beds, sidewalks, kuwn areas and buildings. Draw these on your basie plan and then begin drawing in the specilic bushes and trees, Use a soft pencil for easy eras- ing and keep alt plant sizes pro- portioniate. Each plant should be named using both the common and Latin hanies (species, variety and enluver) where possiile, Many gardeners are frightened by the use of Latin names, but onee you record the proper name of a plant and look at ita few times itis no harder to remember than the names of people you know, Ic is far casier to learn the names through usage and farmil- iarity than by memorizing. Latin names are valuable because their use allows you to lok up any plant in standard reference bovks or know which plants are being referred 10 when you are reading garden books. Doing the plan in pencil allows for corrections and changes of renovations in the future, ft is far easier to lay out new beds and proposed changes on paper than by trial and error in the garden. A second suggestion for re- _ cording your garden plants is to establish a two-inch loose-leaf binder with a sheet of paper for each type ef plant in the garden. This will be a place where you can record the named varieties and asummuary of propagation and culture techniques. Diseases and page references in other books where more detailed information is available can also be noted. New plunt aquisitions and dates can be recorded to Keep track of plant performance over the years, There is no poini in wasting tine and space on a plant that is 4 poor producer. Another form of garden record is a sinall garden diary where you can make a simple dated entry after each day's work. The chiel benefit of a diary ts that it allows compitvisons from year to year, le helps you develop planting schedules for your owa micro-clinate and remember whit you should be doing cach season, The diary can also be used lo record weather conditions, blooming times (tore valtutble than fixed calendar dates) aud disease patierns. Smart gardeners will work the weather adjustinent into their planting and maintenance sched- ules, Another type of record is the filing of old secd packages, I write the date on the front of the package wher | open it and then cut the front off the package so i can file the single thickness of paper ina small seed company box. This allows me to go back and quickly check on the variety, date of planting or my added note on performance. tf you have not established one of these record systems, why not get started this winter when there is less to do in the garden? Roy Jonsson is a horticultural consultant and gardening instruc- tor on the North Shore. THE MANAGEMENT 1887 MARINE DRIVE _ NORTH VANCOUVER 980-8567 SEND YOU THEIR BEST WISHES FOR A PROSPEROUS AND HAPPY NEW Y R. FOR YOUR FREE HOME EVALUATION PLEASE CALL 980-8567 FOR DETAILS AND APPOINTMENT TIME NEWS photo Afixe Wakefleld NEW PLANT acquisitions and dates can be recorded to keap track of plant performance over the yaars. A computer can keep the paperwork to a minimum. . STOREWIDE SALE 20” ro 50” or — ano WG GST Made in Germany and Italy MAIN STORE (CLOSED JAN. 1 & 2, 1994) VANCOUVER ~ 1148 Homer St., Tel: 682-1483 (CLOSED ONLY ON NEW YEAR'S DAY) RICHMOND — 4411 No. 3 Road, Tel: 276-2252 HOURS: Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday 12:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. (CLOSED ONLY ON NEW YEAR'S DAY) PARKER PLACE, RICHMOND 4380 No. 3 Road, Tel: 224-0888 ; HOURS: Sunday - Thursday, 11 a.m - 8 p.m, Friday & Saturday 11 am. -9 p.m.