Comment

Contributing Gardener Comment by Willis L. Johnson from GA Z8A on January 22, 2012 at 7:30am

Gladys I'd recommend not doing it, unless you like the cemetery look or to look like a public botanical garden where you need to. I've done it a couple of times and because of the myriads of plants...just shy of 6900 species and an untold number of cultivars/varieties - it just ends up looking bad. Folks enjoy coming so they can read what the plants are but it's there for you 24x7. I find it looking like a huge cemetery. On special tours I'll use stakes with cardboard (like Chemlawn uses in peoples lawns) and write down info on selective plants that are unique and different and of interest at the time, or for all the conifers on a conifer tour...etc. But most of the time I'll just have a printout for folks of what's in bloom, key and unusual plants and that way they can mark them on their copy of what they want/like. Or, I just use my memory and give a tour..some times I have to come in and search my computer as each garden bed area is uniquely named with all the plant info and then I get that back to the person who asked (or as my wife says - some times I just make up the answer). It's good for a senior citizen like me to use my memory and force myself. Hard to do...for example I have 13 species of Mahonia alone with 17 different cultivars across those species. Some times I just say it's a unique species or cultivar of Mahonia...unless someone is adament of wanting to know that particular plant. Now I have to admit - I enjoy the tags - but in other people's gardens. I don't mind visiting cemeteries, just not living in them. For what it is worth.

Comment by Marlene Ruderman on January 21, 2012 at 12:39pm

Hi Gladys, I used some ceramic tiles that a friend gave me leftover from one of his projects. They were small, about 1x3 inches, and I used a permanent marker to write the name of the plant. I never did come up with a way to attach a backing on them so I could stick them in the ground, but most of my stuff is in pots, so I just lay the tile on top of the soil. The only problem is that the sun will bleach the writing off, so I had to go back and write on the tiles again. It looked good, and was a great way to reuse these tiles.

 

Comment by Gladys Hutson -NC7b on January 21, 2012 at 11:50am

I have a New Years Resolution to make plant markers for all my plants out in my garden beds.  As they come up this spring, I will place a plant marker there with the plant name.  Now my question is to all you experienced gardeners....what is the best plant marker that will last and where to buy to get the best price?

Contributing Gardener Comment by Willis L. Johnson from GA Z8A on December 22, 2011 at 7:36am

I planted them in driveway borders...purchased plants from a local nursery. They performed well, just didn't come back.

Comment by Gladys Hutson -NC7b on December 21, 2011 at 7:54am

Bummer!!  I will have to be diligent and get cuttings in the greenhouse each year.  Where did you plant them and did you start them from seed?  Are they pretty easy to grow?

Contributing Gardener Comment by Willis L. Johnson from GA Z8A on December 17, 2011 at 7:57am

Gladys, I'm south of you on Lake Oconee Georgia and they are annuals for us here. I haven't had any come back from seed so far.

Comment by Gladys Hutson -NC7b on December 16, 2011 at 2:11pm

I have a cutting of Cat's Whiskers , Orthosiphon aristatus and was wondering if anyone in the North Carolina area has grown this here.  I got the cutting from a warmer climate, but have heard that you can push the limits on this one.  If you have grown it in the NC area where did you plant it and does it survive our winters (come back as perennial of from seed?)

Comment by Randy Anderson zn.5/Il. USA on September 22, 2011 at 11:14am

Cathy, you might want to try using a fertilizer with a blend of 10-30-10. From what you described earlier you are already getting enough nitrogen. It sounds like your a little low on Potash fertilizer. Which you could buy by itself but just by one with a higher number in the middle and you'll be getting it any way. The other thing is you could add some epson salt and that might trigger the plant to start processing the minerals that are already in the soil for the plant. Good Luck, sounded like your plant was in a cooler part of your garden already. I'm farther north so my garden is already a lot cooler then yours so I don't need to take some of the care that you would have to take.

Comment by Carol McIntyre/Zn5/WI on September 22, 2011 at 10:46am

That should make the plant happy...   ;-)

 

Comment by Cathy Anderson on September 22, 2011 at 10:43am

I bought this plant at a local nursery, but I don't remember the name of the plant.  It gets morning sun.  I amended the clay soil with sand, horse manure, and compost.

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