Gardening Vivian | 15 Mar 2010 10:40 pm
Six Tips For Garden Journaling
Tending to the garden is just one aspect of gardening. Another aspect that can be focused on is the garden journal. Here are six tips to help your garden journaling.
1. Find the Right Journal
The right garden journal makes a difference. If you spend a lot of time in your garden journal, you might want something that appeals to you. It can be just a blank notebook, or it can be something grand such as a sketch pad. You can use a three-ringed binder to make your own garden journal. Add graph paper, blank copy paper and/or lined paper. You could decorate the covers to express your artistic or garden tastes. You could buy a journal that has a floral or garden design on it. The options are limited only by your imagination.
2. Date and Label Everything
Do you want to find out how something grew in your vegetable or flower garden last year or the previous years? The best way to keep track of that sort of information is by labeling and dating everything. Keep records of when, where and even what time you planted something. Be as specific as you can so that you will have a complete record to look back on for reference in later months or years.
3. Go Personal
A garden journal isn’t just for technical results such as when and how something was planted. It’s also for personal thoughts and feelings. By writing down your feelings in the journal, you can form a relationship with your vegetable or flower garden. You may be able to notice things to help you out in the garden like when you most feel like gardening, whether gardening helps you out when you are stressed and other such notions.
4. Work Out Those Creative Muscles
Just let the words be. Unless you are going to publish the journal, there doesn’t have to be perfect grammar and perfect descriptions. Let the thoughts flow out. You can add creativity like drawing pictures to go along with the journal entry. You can write poems that are inspired by the garden. You can add anything you like. Just let the creativity flow.
5. Don’t Forget the Adjectives
Description is important. It isn’t necessarily the number one important aspect of journaling but it helps. Use strong descriptions. Use active verbs instead of passive. Draw a picture with words. The more description you add, the more rewarding the garden journal will be.
6. Forget the Pens! Go for Color
Instead of using pen or pencil, try colored pencils or markers. These add a sense of reality. The garden is usually a place of color. Why not reflect that color in your garden journal!
It’s Your Garden Journal
Make your own journal. It should be a place to reflect you and your garden. You ultimately decide what to put or not put into it.
Katina Mooneyham was the contributing editor at Little Gardeners, a site for kid’s gardening. Now, she still turns to gardening for relaxation, a little extra income and inspiration for more writing.