Take time to reflect on your garden this year

Now that it’s puffy-coat time, assess the past growing season in the garden so you’ll be better prepared next spring.

“Before you forget, make some notes,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Make a record of what worked well and what didn’t, and what you’d like to try next year. “When you start planning in the winter or when you’re at the garden center next April, you’ll be glad you did.”

Use whatever format you like — a notebook, a file on your computer or phone, an album of photos, or some combination.

“Photos can be useful reminders and records,” Campbell said. “If you take photos all season long, in your own garden and others you admire, it will spark your recollections later on.”

Here are some advice for things to jot down before you’re swept away by the holiday whirl.

“Anything you can record will be useful, even if you can’t remember everything,” he said.

What you planted. The date and species of the new tree you installed in the front yard or the varieties of tomatoes you tried in 2023 can be crucial information. Try to make a habit of saving the labels from plants you buy, or photographing them.

Successes. Note anything you particularly enjoyed for its blooms, its form, its fragrance, or its crop yield. Include the dates when the plant was at its height. Did a new amendment help your soil? Did you find a good brand of potting mix? “Recall anything you’d like to repeat,” Campbell said.

Best and worst areas. If there are places in your yard where bloom or growth was especially lush or especially thin, make a note. “Then you can figure out whether it’s a lack of sun, a soil issue or another cause,” he said.

Problem plants. Think about plants that had disease symptoms, or were eaten by deer, or spread aggressively, or had other issues. “For plant diseases, it’s especially useful to take photos,” Campbell said. “If you don’t have photos, make a note to take some next near if the same problem comes back.” Think about vegetables that didn’t yield well or that your family just didn’t care for.

Mysteries. Are there any plants in your yard that you don’t know the names of? Look for photos that can help you seek an identification. If you don’t have photos, make a note to take some next season.

Projects and disruptions. Did you lay a new front sidewalk? Replace a sewer pipe? Build an addition on the house? Was there utility work on the parkway? Note those projects in your garden record. “Any big soil disturbance can have effects on trees and shrubs that show up years later,” Campbell said. “When you’re searching for causes, a note you make now can be the important clue.”

Tools and equipment. Did your hose keep kinking? Maybe it’s time for a new rubber one. Is your lawn mower a stinky old gas model that doesn’t mulch grass clippings? Consider budgeting for a new rechargeable electric mulching mower. Do your hands hurt after pruning? Maybe you need to sharpen your pruners.

Views. When you drank your morning coffee in the kitchen or sat on the patio in the evening, what did you see? Are there places where you could improve the view from inside the house? “Some of the most consistent views of our gardens are from inside the house,” Campbell said. “But we often forget to plan for them.”

Inspiration. If you visited a public garden, or a friend’s, and saw a plant or a design effect that you liked, make a note of it or search for the photo. “Over the winter, you can research whether it would work in your own garden’s space and conditions,” he said.

Desires. What did you wish for when you were out in the yard this year? It might be a nicer place to sit, more shade, an enclosure for the dog, a less muddy way to get to the garage, a greenhouse, or a better sense of privacy.

“Remembering what you wished for is the first step toward getting it,” Campbell said.

For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.