Tracking Houseplants: Clever Fox's Gardener's Journal (and an App)

[ninagobragh]

Not long ago, I mentioned I’d finally settled on the Clever Fox Gardener’s Journal to help keep track of my growing houseplant collection. I didn’t want to overthink it, so I went with something familiar because:

• I’ve used their planners before and genuinely liked them.
• Their journals are well-made and sturdy.
• The price was excellent—even with shipping.

I’ve now been using it for a few weeks to track my houseplants before the outdoor growing season really begins. So I thought I’d share a few thoughts on how it’s working and whether it’s maybe a little more than I need.

What's Inside the Clever Fox Gardener’s Journal

Short answer: a lot! This is a very detailed journal that covers everything from planting to harvesting to soil pH and pest control. Some of the standout features include:

• A full USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map (I’m in Zone 5!)
• A checklist for gardening tools and equipment
• A companion planting guide, so you know which plants like (and hate) each other
• Plant disease prevention and control tips
• A guide to soil pH preferences for different plants
• A full spread of planner stickers (because of course)

There are also dedicated sections for:

• Garden planning
• Seasonal task lists
• Pest and disease logs
• Expense tracking
• Harvest and bloom records
• Dot grid note pages

It’s a full toolkit in planner form. But the section I’ve been using the most so far is the plant log, where I write out everything I need to remember for each houseplant like its name, location in the house, how often it needs to be watered or fertilized, and any notes about its general care. (Lesson learned about some of them. May your memory be for a blessing, Boston fern.)

Maybe Too Much?

Honestly? Probably.

As helpful and thorough as this journal is, I don’t think I need all of it. The plant log section is the main course for me, and if that’s all I was after, I probably could have just made my own with a Field Notes Index Logbook (though I’d have needed several of them to fit everything).

That said, it’s nice to have everything in one place, especially since I'm about get serious with outdoor gardening this summer. And while the journal is great for a paper-based overview, I’ve been pairing it with an app that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting.

The Plant Parent App

Plant Parent is a gardening app that basically does everything I want the Clever Fox journal to do, but digitally.

It lets me:

• Record all my plants
• Learn about their water/light/fertilizer needs
• Schedule reminders for watering and feeding
• Flag which ones are toxic to humans and pets (Very helpful when you live with a cat with two brain cells who thinks he’s a vegetarian. C'mon, Walter.)

It’s smart, it’s intuitive, and it told me that my String of Pearls is mildly toxic—so now it lives safely in a greenhouse, out of reach of curious paws.

I could probably get by with just the app. But --


Final Thoughts: Por Que No Los Dos?

There’s something organic about writing down my plant care by hand. Even if the app sends me reminders, I like the act of recording things in the Clever Fox journal. It feel more connected to my plants and it’s satisfying to flip through the pages and see how far my collection (and confidence) has come.

I don’t know if I’ll stick with both tools forever, but for now? This combo works.