Labels planting plans lists could be subtitled “This is a … umm … I’ll remember what it is in a minute … I’m sure there’s a label somewhere…”.
We all of us know that feeling when a visitor asks about a plant in our garden and we can’t remember its name or where we bought it. Or even whether the lonely label sticking in out of the winter soil really does have a plant underneath!
But knowing what plants are growing in our garden is not just an exercise for plantaholics. Nor is it only essential for beginner gardeners who may not yet know their Geums from their Geraniums.
Now, whilst you yourself may know your Geum from your Geranium, can you remember which Geum it is when they’re not in flower? Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’ and Geum ‘Lady Stratheden’ look very similar when they’re clumps of foliage. But it may be critical to know which is which if you’re moving one of them to a new place in the garden where you need yellow flowers. That would mean Lady S is needed. Mrs B with her red-orange blooms would look out of place.
Of course, that may not bother you too much. You’ll just dig them up and swop them over in the autumn. Whilst they’re still flowering so you know which is which.
But what about another scenario. You’re digging the border in autumn so you can plant some different Narcissus. You’re fairly sure there aren’t any bulbs in this spot (well, you don’t think that there are). Then your spade discovers a clump of bulbs that you recognise as Narcissus…
Labels Planting Plans Lists
Having come to the conclusion that making and keeping some form of record of which plants are where in your garden is needed, how do you work out what is the best way for you? This is one of the topics we explore in Plews gardening courses, and I have loosely based this blog around the discussions we have. Everyone is different, the mixture of plants they have and will want to have in their garden is different, so how you record these is personal choice. But I’m hoping you’ll find these tips and hints helpful in finding the method or combination of methods that suits you.
There are links to other Plews blogs below covering related topics. And also links to some of Plews free gardening printables that you might like too.
Let’s start with a brief explanation of each, because you might be totally new to this whole gardening thing. If you already know, then of course, skip down to the next bit.
Labels – are fairly obvious, you’ll generally find that plants bought at a garden centre or plant nursery are labelled. This could be in the pot, stuck to the side, or possibly a label above a tray of the same plants. But there is more to them than this, as we shall see.
Planting Plans – range from the simple to the complex. Many garden design clients find them confusing when there are lots of plants marked, but there are ways to make plans ‘user friendly’.
Lists – we all know what lists are! But like lables, lists have many uses. For example, you may have a list of plants you need or would like and have ticked off the ones you’ve already bought.
Labels and their Many Uses
Using labels to keep track of what plants you ‘ve bought and which ones they are in the garden is a fairly easy method. Its popular too. Think of visits to botanic gardens and arboretum – they all have labels attached to or next to plants.
In fact plant labels are so useful that I’ll be looking at them in more detail another time, including how to make your own. A quick ‘why and where’ list would be useful here though.
Why and where do we use plant labels?
The three main uses, the ‘why’, are: –
- as a record of a particular plant’s name
- when sowing seeds and growing on seedlings
- as a reminder that bulbs are planted underneath
With the exception of bulbs, the plants could be annual, biennial or perennial. However, the labels for perennials need to be more durable so we’ll consider these first..
Let’s take a couple of scenarios for ornamental border plants such as herbaceous perennials or small shrubs.
Scenario #1
You’ve returned home with a car boot full of plants. They all have labels stuck into the pots, these have pictures of the plant’s flower. You place the labels into the soil next to the correct plants as you dig the holes.
A few weeks later you see the kids’ football has broken some of the labels (they were only thin plastic). You go round, tucking the broken bit into the soil next to the plants.
Maybe a couple of years later, you’re trying to remember (in early spring) which had pink flowers and which white. Looking for the labels you can only some of them, and not all of those are complete.
Scenario #2
Having had the experience above, the next time you buy plants, you decide to do it differently. You put the labels into a used mushroom punnet and stick a label on that with the date of when you bought the plants.
Someone else clears out the shed and throws the labels away, thinking they’re rubbish. You don’t realise until a visitor asks you what a particular plant is and you remember the labels in the shed…
Given the issues with the above, how can I help you to use labels to record those plants you’ve been buying?
One trick is to bury an extra label underneath the plant, or under the soil right next to it. This is useful as a secondary reminder, especially where you don’t like the look of labels in the ground.
Use attractive labels that add to your enjoyment of the planted up border. For example, copper, slate and pottery plant labels are all decorative and durable.
Garden Teacher Tip
Wooden labels last longer if you varnish them after you’ve written the plant name on. Use a water based varnish so as not to harm the plants
Labels for annual plants
For ornamental annual flowers you may not be too bothered about labelling them. If you’ve sown a circle of Nigella seeds it should be sufficient reminder as the seedlings pop up that they’re wanted and not weeds.
Keeping track of the annual flowers, vegetables and salads you’re growing from seeds is easier with labels. Homemade recycled ones are just as useful as shop bought.
Labels Planting Plans Lists
Let’s continue with the topic of vegetables and other edibles that you’ve grown from seed. Depending on the cultivation method you’re using, you will probably need to know from one year to the next which annual plants have grown where. I won’t go into details here, but suffice to say that, especially if you’re using a crop rotation system, you’re likely to need more than just labels to keep track of your garden.
Check out the links below for more help, but what you will need is a planting plan of some sort. Even where you’re using a different growing method – 3 sisters perhaps – how well those plants cropped compared to a previous year is useful information.
Planting Plans for Ornamental Borders
Perennial plantings are by definition longer term arrangements than an annual display. Whether they remain in the same place, or whether you move them around until you find the right place for them, its useful to know which plant is where.
Let’s consider a few key points to explain their uses and reassure you that the ability to use computer generated drawings is not essential.
- planting plans do not need to be complicated
- they do not even need to incorporate your whole garden
- plans can be temporary, whilst you’re deciding on final placements
- they can be used alongside or instead of labels and lists
- simple planting plans are rather nice to leave for new owners when you’re moving house
For most domestic gardens, the planting plan can be as simple as a rough sketch, not to scale. Making a 3D model is not necesssary. It only needs to be a record for you the gardener, so make it something you’re comfortable with drawing in the first place and amending when needed. Of course if you prefer, you can create one on the computer. But if you’re recording what is already in the ground, then you’ll probably find it easier to go out into the garden with pencil and paper first. (Unless you’re a whizz with an iPad 😉).
Depending on the size of your garden you may find it simpler to concentrate on just one border at a time. With large borders, or with dense planting, breaking this down into sections makes it more manageable.
Garden Teacher Tip – and Garden Designer Tip too, really
For most people, their main garden is behind the house. To make planting plans easier to read and remember, stand with your back to the house and work with Lefthand border (LH) and Righthand (RH). You can add other descriptive elements, for example ‘RH border lower’ if there’s a level change on the RH border, which divides it up.
You may prefer to call the borders by another name, such as east facing. That is fine. The important thing is to decide what works for you so that there’s no confusion between the border names.
The plan doesn’t have to be to scale, but it is helpful to first mark in existing trees that are staying, garden shed, etc. We also mark the North point on.
Here’s an example of a rough sketch planting plan to show what I mean. It’s based on ones by students during a gardening lesson, sketched out in the garden in their notebook. Some re-draw it to be neater, others dont bother as this is all they need.
Plant Lists and Planting Lists
We’ve now reached the lists section of our labels planting plans lists blog. And we’re focussing on a list which will be a record of which plants are planted where. This may be ornamental shrubs and herbaceous perennials in any given border. Or it could be in which raised bed you’ve planted particular annual vegetables. There are links below for help with edible crops, so we’ll focus on the ornamental border.
Your lists will be more manageable if you have one per border and head the page with which border the list refers to. The sort of information you may like to include could be some or all of the following: –
- botanical Latin name of plant, ie the binomial name of Genus and species, plus cultivar, etc if relevant
- common name/s of the plant
- whether the plant was there when you moved into the house
- where you bought the plant
- when you bought the plant (year, month)
- whether it was container grown, root ball, bare root, plug plant
- if it was a present or has family memories, etc
How you keep this information is again up to you. In Plews gardening lessons we look at different methods of record keeping so the student can find the one they like best and suits their needs. For example, a ring binder is easily updated and can be carried into the garden. Below is an example of a printable we might use. I always recommend starting with a simple method as you’re more likely to keep it up if it’s easy to use.
Plus having a list of the plants also means that you can minimise the information you need to put on the planting plan. This should make the plan easier to read.
Moving plants and Dividing plants
If you to move a plant from one border to another, make a note on the ‘old’ border where it’s been moved to rather than just crossing it out. Remember to add the name in its new location. Save crossing out for plants that die, adding a date.
When you divide herbaceous perennials, there will still be a clump in the same place as you originally marked it. But add the divided piece onto the relevant list and planting plan.
Labels Planting Plans Lists – and finally
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that keeping a simple record of what plants are where in your garden is not difficult. This info will help you to remember not just the name of the plant, but also how well it grows and flowers. Or doesn’t thrive, as the case may be. This learning makes us better gardeners and enables us to get even more pleasure from our gardening.
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet – You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.
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