X Marks the Spot

Do you ever forget where you put something? You know you own the item, but darned if you can remember where you left it or where you put it away for safe keeping.

It gets worse when you plant something that may be dormant for a good part of the year and you don’t want to accidentally dig into it as that will destroy the plant. Prime candidates for accidental damage are bulbs such as spring bulbs, tulips and daffodils and then those sneaky surprise lilies.

My solution is to plant them with something more visible. Something you know you are not going to mistake for a weed and something that you know is going to last more than a year. Woody perennials are good candidates.

I try and plant my tulips and daffodils with the azalea bushes and other conspicuous plants. So far so good. I’ve also inter-planted them with iris as the iris leaves remain green year round and I’m not likely to dig into them by mistake.

I know there all kinds of plant markers one can purchase to indicate where something is planted. And I could draw a map of my garden indicating where I’ve put things, but I guess I’m just too lazy and my method works for me.