Having a garden is a bit like having a child that is reborn every year.  You wait and wait for the "firsts"--the child's first tooth or the garden's first daffodil of the season.  Then, time seems to speed up as everything happens at once.  In the garden that first daffodil is followed in quick succession by all the other spring flowers, not to mention the thousands of spring weeds.  Before you know it, it's early summer and the lilies are blooming.  About ten minutes later--or so it seems--you are at the garden center picking out fall chrysanthemums.

Knowing that life in the garden moves as fast as life everywhere else, it makes sense to think about organization and memory aids now.  Here are a few suggestions:

-- Keep a plant "wish list" on the family bulletin board or stuck on the refrigerator with a magnet.  If your tulip display looks a little sparse a few weeks from now, for example, write "tulips" on your list and make a note about colors and locations.  You won't forget them when fall rolls around.

--Make a master plan for the growing season.  This allows you to chart out large and small tasks month by month.

--Use your digital camera to record images of your garden beds or containers at various times during the growing season.  This will help you remember great plant combinations, not to mention reminding you of the locations of all those spring-flowering bulbs.