GARDEN NOTES

Everything you need to know to get the most from your plot in February

Everything you need to know to get the most from your plot

I ALWAYS MARVEL at anyone who keeps immaculate records of what they have planted. I’ve interviewed gardeners for this magazine who open smart ring binders, detailing every plant purchased and where it is. One even had her plants catalogued on her laptop, with an image and care instructions for each one.

A certain degree of record keeping is definitely something to aspire to. This is especially true where labelling is concerned – as well as helping you keep track of what’s where, it can also flag up what may have been lost. Perhaps my most ironic discovery last year was the label for Dianthus ‘Memories’. Sadly, memories (and the label) were all I had left, since this pretty little garden pink had given up the ghost.

I’ve started using an A4 page-a-day hardback diary in which I copy out or stick in the labels as I plant, with a note of where I’ve put things. My garden isn’t huge, so this is sufficient for now, coupled with handwritten labels tucked into the earth beside the plants.

Wooden markers always seem to rot, so now I’m using black plastic ones from labelsnthings.co.uk, with a waterproof silver or white marker pen. The Sakura Pen-touch paint marker seems to last, as does the Zig Kuretake Posterman White Chalk marker (both available at amazon.co.uk).