Plant label frustrations – and solutions

As a self-confessed plantsman actively cultivating around 3,000 different plant varieties in his garden, you can be sure I’ve come across every type of plant label imaginable. Yet, for all that, I haven’t come across one that’s really up to the task of providing the would-be purchaser with all the information they need.

On the face of it, you’d think it’s a simple task for the nursery grower – to provide the proper cultivation information for a plant they grow themselves. Yet so many cultivation questions on the ‘net need only straight forward answers which ought to be on the plant label.

In this post I shall be looking at the problem of plant labelling and making practical ‘plantsman’ suggestions for nurserymen of all sizes and markets to consider.

The Problem with Plant Labels

“Needs sun, partial shade and humus-rich well-drained soil.” If I had a pennny for every occasion I’ve seen this. . .  Its a description every gardener is familiar with on both plant labels and in gardening texts everywhere. The fact that it’s SO prevalent and there are SO many cultivation queries online suggests that, as a source of cultivation advice it’s pretty much useless.

Size DOES matter.
Another problem with plant labels are the dimensions provided. While I readily accept ir’s impractical for nurserymen everywhere to provide anything beyond what is a general guide. I do reckon it would prove more than a little helpful to prospective purchasers if plant labels bore some resemblance to practical reality in average conditions – rather than down to a size  which the marketing department knows will sell to the majority.

All I’m asking is that the given dimensions provide a guideline that bears some resemblance to practical reality for most situations so gardeners can determine the proximity of neighbouring plants in their gardens. Gardeners do rely on the guideline details on plant labels to design and organise their borders and the extent that many labels are SO far off the mark does raise question of ‘mis-information’. Here’s one example.

In 2001 I purchased a Phormium whose label clearly stated it would grow a metre in all directions. Based on that guideline, I proudly planted my new acquisition about 2 feet from the footpath. Three years ago I had to remove part of a perfectly good and well-established border in order to drive a mini-digger up to my ex-3ft phormium which had become a 12ft colossus! Which is a far-cry from the stated guideline size provided at purchase.

Many’s the time I’ve overheard visitors to my gardens exclaim they had no idea their recently-purchased plant is capable of growing SO big. . .

Plant labels that give dimension details that are woefully off-the-mark will give their customers a year of relative disappointment. Surely this can not be good thing. . . As every gardener knows, there is considerable risk attached to moving any plant in flower for fear of it wilting beyond the point of no return. Shorter plants will invariably placed before their taller brethren in spring. Yet during my ‘gardening apprenticeship’ I’ve lost count of the times my forground plants have swept high to obscure the supposedly taller plants behind. It’s a regrettable result, based on label details, that I’m stuck with right through the summer months until the autumn when it’s safe to switch the arrangement.

Two Suggestions for Improvement

Natural Origin
An informative plant label should include the natural home of the plant. ‘Mediterranean coast’, ‘Himalyan foothills’ and ‘Chinese rain forest’ are far more indicative of the ideal growing conditions to which a gardener should aspire to for strong-healthy-looking plants, and yet I’ve seen plants from all three geographic zones sharing the same do-all catch phrase of “needs sun, partial shade and humus-rich well-drained soil.”

Plant pH
Another improvement plant labels should contain is the preferred soil pH range – or even just to advise ‘acidic, neutral or alkaline. Especially since the preferred acidity of a plant is fundamental to its ability to absorb nutrients and its growing success. Yet rarely does a plant label contain this most basic of important information.

In practise, most plants are happiest in a fairly narrow pH band. So its very helpful to the gardener if the label is able to differentiate between plants which thrive in a particular soil.

These are relatively small, things for plant label-makers but I’m sure they would make a significant difference that would help prevent so many plants coming to wasteful demise because they were in the ‘wrong’ conditions or located in the ‘wrong’ place.