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Start a Garden Journal Now

Inspiration, motivation and the ideal time to implement the plan do not always coincide. So what is a gardener to do? Start a garden journal.

I talk a lot about recording information on the plants, garden pests, gardening successes, and yes, even failures to help improve the garden’s beauty and your satisfaction. We start out the year or new season with dedication and as spring progresses the journal entries dwindle, the plant tags accumulate in a pot and our good intentions have disappeared.

Start now and make this a fun and easy process. Snap a few pictures or record a few notes on your cell phone, e-mail yourself updates or create a spreadsheet of things you really want to remember. Or add a notebook and pen to your tool bag and carry it with you to the garden. It doesn’t need to be fancy – just easy and convenient, so you’ll do it.

A bit more information: An avid gardener, Susan, shared this tip. She cut up her copy of one of my books, added her plant tags and notes to create her own garden reference and journal in one. 

My granddaughter loves notebooks and organizing, so we slip my tags in page protectors and add any notes or images, or ideas related to the plant. A scanner and electronic file is a high tech version of this technique.

Upcoming
Events & Webinars

Mar. 18, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Patio, Deck and Balcony Gardens

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March 21 & 28, 2026
REALTORS Home & Garden Show
West Allis, WI
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March 24, 2026
SC Johnson Golden Rondelle Theater
Community Program

Racine, WI
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March 26, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Getting Started Growing Vegetable and Flower Gardens
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April 1, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Growing a Bountiful Harvest 
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April 9, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
7 Steps to Managing Water on Your Property

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April 11, 2026
A Day in the Garden
Fond du Lac, WI
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April 18, 2026
3rd Annual Spring Rally
Oshkosh, WI
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April 19, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

April 23, 2026
Iowa State University
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April 25, 2026
Pasquesi Home & Gardens
Lake Bluff, IL

April 26, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

May 2, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

May 6, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Adding Native Plants
to Any Size Gardening Space

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May 7, 2026
Wauwatosa Public Library
Wauwatosa, WI

May 9, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

May 10, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

May 13, 2026
Roots & Branches
West Bend, WI
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May 16, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

May 17, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI

May 21, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Planting & Care of Your Rain Garden
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June 3, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Managing Your Landscape
with Pollinators in Mind

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Sept. 3, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Tree Planting and Care
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Sept. 12, 2026
Knowledge in Bloom Conference
Milwaukee, WI
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Sept. 17, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Fall Landscape Care and Planting

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