A World of Plant Labels

By on June 16, 2012 in Projects
I am sure that many gardeners are in possession of a mountain of plastic plant pots somewhere in the garden shed, under the greenhouse bench or gathering cobwebs on a shelf at the back of the garage. It’s inevitable, we buy a plant but can’t quite bring ourselves to discard or giveaway the plant pot – whatever it’s shape or size. It’s just too valuable an item to let go of – even if it’s got really obscure dimensions and a vivid colour scheme it will be carefully added to the growing and toppling  plant pot collection, and will probably never get used. As well as an expanding plant pot collection I also collect plant labels. Not just a few, but hundreds of the things. They are scattered through my life and possessions like confetti at a wedding. I find them in every nook and cranny in the pick-up truck, I use them as book marks and seem to gather mounds of them up on my desk. There is a reason for this – they are very interesting pieces of information – almost like a snapshot of an RHS Encyclopedia entry.
Since all the plants I buy come from exactly the same places that supply garden centres, the plants are obviously all neatly labelled to garden centre standards and ready for popping on the benches for the customers to buy. Except I’m planting them straight into planting schemes by the hundred – so an abundance of labels are just beckoning to be collected and saved – I have labels going back many years. I am awash with them! One thing that is obvious is that plant labels have developed enormously over the last decade. No longer are they just identification labels but have developed into mini-marketing tools with big bold labels in full glorious colour. Generally plant label photographs give an incredibly accurate image of the plant and flowers, and the photographs add to the plant display and draw us in to have a better look. Also labels are excellent at giving specific information about that particular plant so that the customer can get the very best results – the information is always good. Want a plant for a shady site? Then there’ll be a plant out there with a big label shouting that it is suitable for shade, or under trees. Plants for a roasting hot border? Then there will be sun loving plants and plants for dry or well-drained sites just waiting to be admired and bought. Apart from being good at the point of sale, the labels have one other good use, that is they remind us through the cold winter months what the garden will look like once the warmer weather returns. So keep the plant labels not only for their helpful  instructions but also as a reminder of what all those plants look like and the potential they have. Note: Today I have collected and planted 150 Buxus hedging plants. I am now in possession of 150 plant pots plus matching trays – I can’t believe my luck. Also 150 plant labels with instructions on growing Buxus – the label collection increases.
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