Here’s a fun activity for little green thumbs: lettuce patch labels and carrot crossing markers. They’re all dead simple to make. All that’s required is a little artistic flair. Get the lowdown on how to make the carrot crossing markers here; the painted rocks in the middle photo can be found over at Whimsy Love, along with some other crafty ideas; the wooden plant labels, illustrated by Suna and beautifully sanded by young Cyrus, can be found over here.
DIY: Cute plant labels
February 16, 2011 by 6 Comments
Hi Jane
I’ve started a cottage garden from scratch and I’m trying to get perenials established and will fill in with annuals later, my aim is to have it in flower for the begining of November for my daughters wedding. What plants do you suggest that would flower at this time of year? (we live north of Auckland).
Regards Carol
Hi Carol
Roses will be flowering in November. Garden centres will get a delivery of their new stock in winter, so I would definitely dot a few of these around. You could also plant bulbs like tuliips and, depending on your colour scheme, daffodils. The bulb chincherinchee will flower around November, as should dahlias. My dahlias started flowering late November this year, although I didn’t plant them till quite late. If you don’t get frosts where you are, plant dahlia tubers in early September. See more about planting dahlias here.
Cosmos and achillea are always a good bet. Plant lots and lots of cosmos – they look great in a cottage garden setting. You could try foxgloves too, but bear in mind these are biennials – they flower in their second year. However, Kings Seeds sell some varieties that flower, they say, in their first year. Both delphiniums (perennial) and larkspurs (annual) flower in November, but you need to sow the seeds in autumn. The shrub mock orange (philadelphus) has scented white blooms at that time of year and many varieties of clematis flower in November too (have a look at http://www.clematis.co.nz for varieties). I would also sow the annual snapdragon (antirrhinum) in late winter. Sow it in trays to be planted out later.
Wow! That was very informative, Jane. Half of my planted dahlias were caught up by the frost last time. Please help…
Hi there. Did you lose your dahlias completely? If you lifted the bulbs straight after they were hit by the first frost, they should be ok. However, if you leave them in the ground in cool areas, severe frosts will damage the tubers.
I love think I will use the rock idea to label plants in our educational garden
Great idea!