Remember last spring when you purposefully planted those petunias and marigolds close together, thinking they'd fill the bed with a big splash of color? Now, as summer winds to an end, those annuals instead have grown together in one tangled mass.

Note to self: Next year, space them farther apart.

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While you have out paper and pen, take lots of notes and compile them in a garden journal. Journals can make even the most disorganized — or just plain forgetful — gardener efficient because records remind us of what worked and what didn't in the garden. Documenting successes and failures not only helps when planning next year's garden but also saves time and money (maybe you'll need only 18 annuals for that bed next spring instead of 36).

Garden journals need not be fancy. They can be a spiral notebook, legal pad or leather-bound binder. The contents can be as simple as a few generic reminders of do's and don'ts or as intricate as a weekly log of what bloomed when, with thumbnail sketches and photographs. Photos are especially helpful for reminding gardeners of sun and shade patterns as days grow longer and shorter from spring through summer and into fall.

JOURNAL POINTERS

• Record the last and first frost dates, rainfall levels and other weather conditions that, in retrospect, might help explain problems. Also note specific conditions as relevant.

•Record when you sow seeds and when they germinate.

• Keep track of when you fertilize, to avoid excessive applications.

• Include a sketch of where you plant bulbs so you won't harm them when digging in beds.

• Note bloom- and foliage-color combinations that worked and ones that didn't.

• Record names of specific varieties of plants you liked, especially if you plan to buy more.

• Make note of shrubs and perennials that need to be moved in fall and winter because they are crowding out other plants or too close to the sidewalk, for example.

• Document the bloom period of perennials. Since most flower for only a few weeks, records will help you coordinate their colors with companion plants.

• Include reminders of basic gardening tasks, such as the proper time to prune roses, plant bulbs or apply weed pre-emergents.

• Note when you last amended the soil in your beds and what was used.

• Include a count of the number of spring bulbs you planted in fall. In spring, the number that sprout will help determine how many make a good display — and how poor drainage may have caused others to rot.

• Note whether a plant continues to struggle year after year, with a reminder to move it in winter.

• Document your first and last vegetable harvests and their yields.

• Include plastic plant tags, landscape drawings, soil test reports, your county Extension Service office's phone number. (For a brief list of metro numbers, call 404-897-6261.)

PHOTO POINTERS

Photographs are one of the best ways to document changes in the garden — and to brag a little with friends about that awesome bloom. If you're an amateur photographer, here are some tips from two pros: Phil Skinner, an AJC photographer, and Jean Shifrin, an Atlanta freelance photographer and former staffer:

• Shoot both overall scenes and vignettes, as well as closeup details of plants. Some may be good enough for framing.

• Learn to see what the camera sees. Look for distracting elements, and step a little to the right or left to avoid including them in your frame.

• Use a tripod to help you compose shots more carefully.

• Avoid centering the subject, which creates static images.

• Fill the entire frame when shooting closeups, such as a single blossom. Isolate subjects against a solid backdrop, such as the sky, or make the background out of focus. Use a macro lens or a camera with closeup capabilities for better detail. Use a shallow depth of field to single out flowers or plants from others.

• Avoid the harsh light of midday and early afternoon, which gives a photo sharp contrasts and washes out color. Aim for the diffused light of early morning or late afternoon, or wait for an overcast day, when shadows are softer and colors are truer.

• Use angled light to bring out the textures of blooms and foliage.

• Try using a reflector (a white or gold card, or posterboard) to add fill light to shadows or inside flowers. Hold it on the shadow side and "catch" the sunlight for bouncing it onto your subject.

• Use flash fill to make colors pop, especially when subjects are lit from the back.

• Use the slowest film/digital setting you can for producing sharp images.

— Danny C. Flanders