Gardening season is now in full swing and my brain has been overflowing with all kinds of seemingly useless, but hopefully helpful, gardening tidbits. I’m still learning as I go; year after year. I have never, however, kept track of anything. Now that I’m homeschooling and keeping track of everything else in my life, I feel at a loss as to why I haven’t kept better track of my gardening.

A couple of months ago I went to Borders (which I don’t care for—and that’s putting it mildly) and found a gardening journal that wowed me. I waited too long to buy it and now it’s gone. So after looking at a few possibilities on Amazon last night, I got to thinking. I’m "bindering" (my new word) everything else in my life, why not gardening too?! I googled "homemade gardening journal" (or something to that effect) and this is what came up.

I’m excited to add another binder to my life and especially one that will be so helpful (and a lot cheaper than the $30 one I liked). So, I figure that’s three nice perennials I’ve saved for! Plus, I’m thinking I can get it caught up while we’re road-tripping it to Jamestown for the big 400 next week!  Add that to the packing list!

So now for the cool plant story….
I’ve always wanted a "Rose Campion". I had a friend that had them, and for five years I’ve fruitlessly searched for it. Found it! But first, after nearly giving up, I googled to see if I could find it in a gardening catalog or mail order. The only place that sold it turned out to be (of all places!)  Monticello! This would be Thee Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, 1000 miles from where I live and yet, where I will be in about a week! Come to find out it actually originated in his garden (at least in America). How cool is that?

A friend took me to a neat nursery last weekend, and there it was! Man ooooh man! So now it is lovingly planted in my front bed by my favorite chair. I’m feeling it! I’ll have to buy some official "Thomas Jefferson/Monticello" seeds though. I can’t hardly let that opportunity pass by!