Several years ago, I planted my first hellebore in one of the beds surrounding our back patio.  Every year since, it has put on brilliant show of winter flowers, blooming from December well into April.  So, you can imagine that with that kind of performance I was inspired to plant more hellebores around the yard. Lovely pinks, purples, whites, all blooming during the dreariest time of the year.  Yet, none of the additional hellebores I’ve planted has ever come close to providing the spectacular annual display of the first.  From which I gather two learnings: 1) that particular hellebore loves where it’s planted; and 2) I should have kept the darn plant tag to know what specific type it is! 

How many times have you purchased some outdoor plant addition and thrown away the identification tag?  I’ve done it countless times thinking all I’ll need to know down the line is the genus, which I’ll remember, and not the species. But as my hellebore example shows, that can be so shortsighted.  If I’d saved the tag, I’d likely be able to track down a few more of those extra happiness- producing beauties.

So how best to keep the tags?  Leaving them in the ground next to the plant has never proven a good option beyond a few months.  They fade and break down all too easily.  Retagging plants with something more long lasting is also not an option in my book: Too much work, and I don’t really like to see the tags anyway.  Some folks create detailed maps of their yards with binders full of corresponding tags and information.  In my dreams, I would be one of them, so wonderfully organized.  But again, there’s not enough time in my day for that level of detail work.  So, I’ve settled on what I consider a happy medium.  Using an expandable file folder, I’ve taken to filing my saved plant tags by yard section: Front Entry, North Side, South Side, Backyard Middle…you get the idea.  I also have pockets reserved for Trees, Houseplants, Edibles – and Failures!  An important category for learning and hopefully not being lured by some attractive specimen into making the same mistake twice.

It’s been said that the best workout routine is the one you’ll do.  So, too, with this form of tag-keeping.  It’s quick and easy enough for me to collect, file and sort through later when I need to find the name of a specific plant, tree, shrub or vegetable seed. That said, I’m always looking for better ideas, so do share yours!