- These words on a plant tag are a southern gardeners best friend. Even though I'm still getting to know my yard (in all of it's shady glory) I know that without a doubt it is going to get hot this summer, and there will come a point when I won't water as much as I should. Solution: drought tolerant plants.
- Garden newbies, friends with 'black thumbs', when you see this on a plant tag, seriously consider putting it in your cart. It's one of the secrets to not killing plants.
- These are especially good words for container gardening.
- Organic (ie not rock) mulch is great because it does 4 things:
- Holds moisture so you don't have to water so much
- Keeps the weeds out
- Breaks down and feeds the soil
- Looks all neat and pretty without have to fill every space with plants
- All of the information on the plant tag is important. It will tell you what conditions the plant needs to survive. No matter how hard you try, the plant has already made up its mind about what it needs, and if you ignore what it wants, the plant probably won't make it.
- It's not a bad idea to keep the tag too. You can put it in the ground by the plant, or toss them in a drawer. This way you have a baseline for what works and doesn't.
Put plants where you will see them.
- Most plants will let you know when they need to be watered, so if you're worried that your thumb is more black than green, place plants in your daily traffic pattern.
- You'll be less likely to forget to care for the plant, and more likely to enjoy it. After all that's the point right?
Fertilize your plants
- Whether you use organic compost, or miracle grow, I won't judge. The important thing is that plants get hungry and need more than just water.
- Starting with good soil helps, and the plant tag will tell you if it has any special fertilizer needs.
Perennials
- Who doesn't love plants that come back year after year?
- The cool thing about perennials is that once they are established most require less and less care to look good.
Five of my fav 'plant & forget it' plants:Info & photos from Dave's Garden Plant Files
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