PLANT MARKERS

Use your imagination to add fun and interest to your garden with attractive plant markers.  They can be utilitarian or double as garden art, but they must be sturdy and visible.  If you need a temporary solution for starting seeds or just one season, then repurpose everyday wood or metal items.  If you need something more permanent for outdoors consider recycling plastic containers, tiles, clay or brick.

Here are a baker’s dozen of favorite options:

1. Rocks – collect interesting rocks in all shapes, sizes and textures, then hand paint

2. Cutlery – search yard sales for old wooden or metal spoons which can be used in a variety of ways from simply writing the names inside the spoon or painting designs, then you can insert the handle end anywhere!  Metal forks can hold seed packets or can lids.  Plastic knives can be recycled as inexpensive labels for divisions

3. Can Lids – open a can and save the lid or save lids from frozen juice cans.  Can be punched and hung on a clothes hanger hook or between the tines of a fork.

4. Corks – Write the name in permanent marker then skewer on metal stake or fork

5. Clay Pots – used whole or only broken shards, they can be used creatively to label in the garden.  They can be decoupaged with seed packets or simply labeled and stuck into the ground.  Tiny pots can be turned upside down on a stick

6. Mini-Blinds – make hundreds of markers just by cutting a point on one end and adding information on both sides

7. Clothespins – a quick and easy option to clip on the edge of a pot or a stick

8. Bricks – Bold lettering, sturdy and easy to see

9. Plastic Fruit and Veggies – Outgrown play food can be cut with a slit and skewered to add a bit of whimsy to your garden

10. Scrabble Tiles – So simple and quick, attach to paint stirrers with waterproof glue

11. Wood Slices – If you need to cut an old tree, cut slices to use as large labels for lots of information

12. Ceramic Tile - Use up left over tiles by painting or marking with plant names to mark rows in the garden

13. Shells – Perfect way to use shells collected on vacation because they can be used natural and added to the garden

For additional ideas plus great tips on the best materials to use for writing on labels, check out 20 Creative DIY Plant Labels and Markers.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Colossians 3:23

INDOOR HERB GARDENS

Planning and planting indoor herb gardens can be a lot of fun, but there are a few tips that are important for success.   Most importantly, they must have good light – 5-6hr direct sunlight per day – plus good drainage.  Place near a window or replace the light bulbs in a nearby lamp with special grow lights.  Pots inside pots are one of the best ways to plant indoor containers to prevent overwatering, plus let plant soil dry to the touch before watering.  The container gardens also benefit from regular doses of half-strength water-soluble fertilizer or slow release granules and regular misting to increase humidity.  Finally, choose 3-5 dwarf or smaller varieties of herbs for indoor gardens, selecting one that is upright, 1-2 that are bushy and 1-2 that spread depending upon the shape and size of your container. 

Herbs can be combined for a specific purpose:

French Cuisine
      Example: chervil, thyme & lavender

Scarborough Fair Vinegar
      Example: parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

They can also be combined for their flowers, texture and fragrance:

Language of Flowers (herbs that convey a special meaning)
      Friends: rose scented geranium (preference), ivy (friendship) & pansy (thoughts of you)

Moonlight (herbs with silver and grey foliage)
      Example: dittany of Crete, curry & wooly thyme

Lemon (herbs with lemon scent)
      Example: lemon scented geranium, lemon gem marigolds, lemon thyme

Try a few of these herbs:

Aloe (Aloe barbadensis) - Succulent green spikes  

Basil SPICY GLOBE (Ocimum basilicum) – Pink flowers/purple foliage 

Bay (Laurus nobilis) - Thick green leaves 

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) - Aromatic green leaves 

Chervil (Anthriscus Cerefolium) - Delicate lacy foliage 

Chives/Garlic Chives (Allium sp) – Purple or white flowers 

Curry (Helichrysum angustifolium) - Silver needle-like leaves 

Dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus) - Cone-shaped pink flowers 

Geranium SCENTED (Pelargonium spp) – Small leaf varieties, various colors 

Good Herb (Yerba Buena) - White flowers/vine foliage 

Lavender SPANISH (Lavandula stoechas) - Reddish purple butterfly-like flowers 

Lavender FRENCH (Lavandula x intermedia) - Purple spikes 

Marigold LEMON GEM (Tagetes tenuifolia) – Yellow edible flowers

Myrtle (Myrtus communis) - Showy white flowersParsley (Petroselinum crispum) - Curled foliage 

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) - Pale lavender/pink flowers 

Sage PURPLE/TRICOLOR (Salvia officinalis) – Varied foliage color 

Spice Bush (Iboza riparia) - Variegated foliage 

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) – Varied scent and foliage colors

 

 “But grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
To him be the glory
Both now and forever! Amen.”
2 Peter 3:18