Path to Organization

For those that would like to see the kind of plant documentation I use, I've attached an example.
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The blank form, part of a PC program I use, can have any of the printed words changed to suit my needs.
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At the top, I always put the "general category." In this case, it's "Daylily."
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The "Common Name" is the one I would generally use when describing the plant or when researching.
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The "Latin Name" defines the plant more in depth. The Latin name shows the family and that is important for understanding some plants. In parenthesis is the person who hybridized and registered the plant and the year. I especially like to have that information for daylilies because each breeder has specializations and trends.
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The "Date of Purchase" helps me remember how long it's been in the ground and compare how healthy and hardy it should be by the current date.
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"Obtained from" helps me compare what vendor and merchant has healthy long lived plants. This is also where I record how much I paid for the plant. I find that fun when I look back on how prices are increasing or was it a bargain or how bad did I really want the plant. This is also the place I record gifts from friends and family. That is a sweet reminder.
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When you have a large collection of certain plants, it always good to have a current photo. Since plants can look different under different conditions, it gives a baseline visual description.
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"Information" is the portion where I pretty much take the catalog or tag description and add that to the facts. Later, as I find or observe additional information, I simply write the note.
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"Growing Notes" allows me to compare each year's growth to the norm. The norm is an average set by growers/catalogs. It may be very different in my yard, in it's current location, and etc.
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My other little notes include:

• The "sticker" represents the fact I have an identification tag in the ground by the plant.
• The N43 represents the location. I have my beds diagrammed. That would be "Bed N" and "Plant number 43". Since the plant has been divided, I have also written "H18" and another note indicates the bed is south.
• "Picture Book" simply means I have additional photos in my garden picture albums.

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All of these identification sheets are in plastic three-ring covers, filed alphabetically by common name, and in books representing general terms. The book for this particular sheet is "Daylilies."

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On the back of each plastic sheet I insert a sheet of lined paper where I record the year and things like bloom time, problems, conditions, if I moved the plant, and etc. I, also, throw pictures in this jacket during the year and sometime during the winter months, I move them to albums. This is also where I store the catalog picture or the tag that was included with the plant. Sometimes it's amazing the difference in my plant and these items.
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Daylilies are my garden passion and my other books are more general, such as:

• Trees and Bushes
• Roses and Iris
• Perennials (A-H) (I-Z)
• Birds, Insects and Critters
• Lilies
• Garden General

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It does take awhile to set up a system like this but it's worth it to someone who enjoys the process and benefits. For those of you who are shaking your head and going "is she crazy or what!", it's probably not worth the effort.
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If you have many plants, start with one kind and work out the kinks. Make it useful to you. Make it a part of the joy of gardening. It can be a large project, so take your time and don't set deadlines.
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Forms such as this can be from formal programs, such as mine, or can be developed by you on your computer or by hand. My first effort was on sheets of steno pad paper with a pen. Not particularly pretty but it was my start more than twenty years ago.