Picture Folder Name Pages:-

Since 14 June 2019 I have also started to put my own
full-sized 4000 x 3000 digital Camera images into the relevant topics in this website again for use in the Public Domain - since there may be 9 or more to a page the resulting
43 Mb website page may take some time to load. Since I have more than 26,522 photos using 111,460 Mb of my disk space, then the extra upfront cost per annum before creating more folders like Photo coleus is just over 3.16 pence per photo has been paid for the total number in that entire photo collection before any are sent to the website.
It is hoped that you may find them of interest.

Problem 1
Celebration of Pansy and Viola at Wisley RHS Garden without plant labels in 2012-2013.
I believe there were about 60 people involved in creating this celebration - when you look at the photos of the plants in containers on the fencing, pots on the ground, hanging baskets and in the ground in the pages 1, 2 and 3, can the public see any separate identity of each group of the same plant, so that they can note it and perhaps purchase their favourites in the future?

Irrigation?
Looking at IMG 2464 on Page 3, you can see a black plastic pipe going up the fence to a horizontal pipe along 8 fence panels. Each fence panel has its own collection of plants in its own irrigation pod supplied by a thinner pipe from the top irrigation main pipe. There is no explanation about this system. It would educate the visitor if they were informed, so that they could use the same in their garden.
There is no visible irrigation system for the pots, hanging baskets or the ones in the ground. Presumably a member of staff comes along once or twice a day to irrigate them using a lance sprayer on a hose, but no information. Instead of the overhead heavy droplet irrigation from the hand held lance sprayer, you can of course use small sprinklers for the ones in the ground, and Leakypipe for the others using the water from a Rain Water Harvesting System instead of tap water.

Fertiliser application
Is there any, or do they rely on the slow release fertiliser in their growing medium?

Pots broken by frost
It looks like some of the earthenware pots have got frozen and parts broken off in looking at IMG 2464. Perhaps it would have been wiser to use frost proof pots from a local supplier.

Plant Labels
Instead of getting the RHS staff to spend more than 5 months to print labels to identify these plants, why not get the RHS staff to get Dura-Id to supply its durable, weatherproof labels for horticulture and print them in printers that Dura-Id can supply. The staff could then move forward from the quill to the 21st century.

Problem 2

Broken concrete slabs in path with no foundations
Showing how the RHS created an unsafe tulip trial disaster between 23 November 2013 and 13 February 2014.
By this trial there was a concrete double slab width path laid directly on the earth below with therefore no foundation or bearing layers. Some of these slabs were broken and NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE TO REPAIR THE PATH BETWEEN THE 23 NOVEMBER 2013 AND 13 FEBRUARY 2014. WISLEY HAS 1 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR, SOME WALKING SOME IN WHEELCHAIRS. IF YOU STAND ON THE EDGE OF THESE SLABS TO GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TULIPS THEN IF THERE HAS BEEN RAIN BEFORE THE SLAB IS LIKELY TO TIP OVER AND YOU LAND IN THE BED. IF YOU ARE IN A WHEELCHAIR, THEN THE WHEELCHAIR COULD TIP SIDEWAYS. MAKING SO MUCH PROFIT FROM THE VISITOR WHY CANNOT THE RHS FOLLOW SAFETY PROCEDURES IN CREATING PATHS WITH FOUNDATIONS (see Case 3 Drive Foundations for the valid method of creating safe pavements, drives, etc) AND THEN IF THERE IS A PROBLEM NOT PUT BARRIERS ROUND THE PROBLEM UNTIL IT IS SORTED OUT.
I pointed out another path problem to different RHS staff 5 times between May and September in one year before they made an incorrect repair of simply bedding them back down in sharp sand in November and the grass grew in the sand by April the following year - still with no foundation under them, etc. That problem was on the path opposite the Mixed Border closest to the garden centre.
Where is the management in this mess and why do they ignore the situation?

Cannot see tulip plant labels once tulips have grown
A good design in separating the yard square sections of tulips using baling twine and bamboo sticks, so that when the tulips grew, there was a separation between them.
Unfortunately, I cannot read the name on tulip label which is 21 feet = 252 inches = 630 cms away when no tulip is showing above the ground and neiither can I read it when it is in rows 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 when the tulip foliage in front is hiding it. THE RHS PLANT THEM AND THEN NEVER LOOK AT THEM AGAIN AND DISCOVER THAT THEY ALSO CANNOT READ THE LABELS AND THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

"A simple formula for determining the height of letters, given the viewing distance, importance of the sign or label, and illumination and reading conditions was developed by Peters and Adams" from size of label from person viewing it. This gives you the height and therefore the width of the letters and if you put the label above the height of the highest tulip in the trial, then the visitor can read it and make their choice of which tulip they prefer. I wonder why the RHS has not thought about this, when they have many acres of gardens for visitors or is it the blind carefully looking after the idiot visitor?

Non-Problem 3

Containerised begonias with labels and irrigation together with their identity to all visitors to choose which they prefer and post their choice.
This is s display of containerised begonias in hanging baskets and pot. Each container has its begonia with a plant label with its identifying number on it and irrigated by micropipe. The instructions for stating your choice are clear and you can see where to put the forms. You can also identify which begonia is which - so why did they create the mess in the tulip trial above?

List of Pictures in a
Picture Folder:-

Pansies and violas without labels from
apr 25 2013 pansy and viola Folder .

This folder has 75 photo images.

Up to 11 photo images
of a plant in this folder will be inserted onto only a page in a Photo Label Problems Gallery.
 

Pansies and Violas:-

Page 1

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola Notice
IMG 2463.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2393.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2394.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2395.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2396.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2397.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2398.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2399.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2400.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2401.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2402.JPG

Page 2

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2403.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2404.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2405.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2449.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2450.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2451.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2452.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2453.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2454.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2455.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2456.JPG

Page 3

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2457.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2458.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2459.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2460.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2461.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2462.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2464.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2465.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2466.JPG

Problem 1 - Pansy and Viola
IMG 2467.JPG

Page 4

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014 on 13 February 2014
Broken path by tulip trial
IMG 3175.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Path problem on 23 November 2013
IMG 2467.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
View of tulip trials bed on 23 November 2013
IMG 2468.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
View of tulip trials bed on 23 November 2013
IMG 2469.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
View of tulip trials bed on 23 November 2013
IMG 2471.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip trials bed on 23 November 2013
IMG 2464.JPG

Problem 2 - is showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip trial on 13 February 2014
IMG 3185.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Entry slips and post box for tulip trials bed on 23 November 2013
IMG 2478.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip 2014 problem tulipa invisible labels on 16 April 2014
IMG 3658.JPG

Problem 2 - is
showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip 2014 problem tulipa invisible labels on 16 April 2014
IMG 3666.JPG

Problem 2 - is showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip 2014 problem tulipa invisible labels on 16 April 2014
IMG 3667.JPG

Page 5

Problem 2 - is showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip 2014 problem tulipa apricot parrott
IMG 3643.JPG

Problem 2 - is showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip 2014 problem tulipa apricot parrott
IMG 3644.JPG

Problem 2 - is showing how the RHS created a unsafe tulip trial disaster in 2013/2014
Tulip 2014 problem tulipa invisible labels
IMG 3659.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6108.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6106.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6107.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6109.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6111.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6101.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6102.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6103.JPG

Page 6

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6104.JPG

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6105.JPG
taken on 4 August 2013

Problem 4 - These Rhododendrons have labels but where is the rest of their name?
IMG 2491.JPG
taken on 30 November 2013

Problem 5 - Rhododendron label and Rhododendron Azalea Label on same plant. I understand that there is a difference between
Rhododendron and Azalea plants, so I am unhappy to see both labels on this plant
as well it having no varietal name.
IMG 2493.JPG
taken on 30 November 2013

Problem 6 - 102 plants were missing their identity when in flower in 2013
out of 348 (29.31% of the plants) in 768 square metres of Mixed Borders garden
beds of the RHS Garden at Wisley. aconitum kelmscott with its missing blue flowers below plant support structure
IMG 1975.JPG
taken on 17 November 2013

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
xxx hidden plant name
IMG 8262.JPG
taken on 12 September 2013

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
nierembergia xxx can you read this white label
IMG 8395.JPG
taken on 12 September 2013

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
cyclamen where is label
IMG 8180.JPG
taken on 12 September 2013

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
allium so what is this with 2 labels
IMG 8154.JPG
taken on 12 September 2013

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
arenaria acerosxxxx with incomplete vertical label
IMG 1030.JPG
taken on 2 November 2013

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
empodium xxx part of label hidden
IMG 8365.JPG
taken on 2 November 2013
WHY DO THE STAFF WHO RUN THE ALPINE HOUSE NOT DISPLAY THE PLANT LABELS SO THAT THE VISITOR CAN SEE THEM?

Page 7

Problem 9 - Rose Plant Label in Rose Garden of RHS Wisley is Trade Name (Retail Name),
with no explanation.

If you Google Rosa Wisley 2008, you get the following from the RHS on 22 March 2020:-
Rosa Wisley 2008 = 'Ausbreeze' (PBR) (S)
This WISLEY WISLEY Rose Plant Classification System as created by the RHS is now explained in this section.

HOW TO CONFUSE THE VISITOR TO THE GARDEN WITH THIS DOUBLE NAME ON A LABEL WITH NO EXPLAINATION.

Page 8

Problem 8 - Is it children of visitors who move plant labels in the Heather beds
of 1000 heather varieties? In 3 years of taking 15,000 photos between my
colleague Kavanagh and myself, we only managed to photograph 848 varieties.
calluna vulgaris corries white bad label
IMG 3767.JPG
taken on 27 February 2015

Problem 8 - Is it children of visitors who move plant labels in the Heather beds
of 1000 heather varieties?
calluna vulgaris corries white
MG 1535.jpg
taken on 14 March 2013 by Heather Kavanagh

Problem 8 - Is it children of visitors who move plant labels in the Heather beds
of 1000 heather varieties?
name is wrong calluna vulgaris corries white
IMG 4522.JPG
taken on 12 April 2015

Problem 8 - Is it children of visitors who move plant labels in the Heather beds
of 1000 heather varieties?
name is wrong calluna vulgaris corries white
IMG 4524.JPG
taken on 12 April 2015

Problem 8 - Is it children of visitors who move plant labels in the Heather beds
of 1000 heather varieties?
name is wrong calluna vulgaris corries white
IMG 4527.JPG
taken on 12 April 2015
Do you know that the colour of the flowers in this photo may not be white,
or is my failing tunnel-vision eyesight (glaucoma in both eyes - as from March 2020)
informing me incorrectly?

See further Heather labelling problems in Plant Labelling within

• Shrub Heather Site Map ,
• Comments on the Heather Beds in the Royal Horticultural Garden at Wisley Page and
• Label moved from elsewhere Page.

SO WITHIN 2 YEARS, SOMEBODY HAS TAKEN UP THE LABEL, CLEANED IT OFF
AND PLACED IT ELSEWHERE, THUS DESTROYING THE VALIDITY OF THE LABELLING
OF THE 1000'S OF HEATHER PLANTS IN THIS COLLECTION AND CAUSING ME
TO THROW OUT ALL THE WORK CARRIED OUT BY HEATHER AND MYSELF
OVER EACH OF THE 4 SEASONS - SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN AND WINTER - TO
PHOTOGRAGH EACH GROUP ON EVERY HEATHER BED IN THIS COLLECTION.
THIS WAS TO SHOW THE CHANGE IN FOLIAGE COLOUR, THE FLOWER COLOUR,
SEED COLOUR AND FORM OF THESE HEATHERS TO MAKE CHOOSING ONE OR
MORE OF THEM BY THE PUBLIC EASIER.
HEATHER AND 1 DO LOVE WASTING OUR TIME AND MONEY.

Page 9

Page 10

Page 11

Site design and content copyright ©January 2020. Topics menu updated May 2020.
Chris Garnons-Williams.

DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a
courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are
not responsible for the content and/or quality of external
web sites linked from this site.  

Ivydene Gardens Photo Label Problems 1 Gallery:
Page 6 has NonProblem 3 with photos of Containerised Begonias with labels
from the bedding Folder
taken on 4 August 2013 at the RHS Garden at Wisley.

Photos taken by Chris Garnons-Williams using a digital camera in the original size and as a thumbnail.
These can used in the Public Domain for educational purposes in schools, or at home.

Row 1 has the Pass-Through Camera image of Thumbnail image named in Row 2
and is usually 4000 x 3000 pixels.

Row 2 has same image reduced to fit the image frame of 160 x 120 pixels as a
Passthrough Thumbnail to show all of the Camera Image. This image has been
reduced to 72 pixels per inch by Freeway before I stored it as a Passthrough image
for use both here (from August 2019) and as the image in
Plant with Photo Index of Ivydene Gardens A 1 Gallery.

Click on either image and drag to your desktop.
Then you can crop the Pass-Through Camera image to obtain the particular detail
that you require from that image, before using that cropped result in your endeavour.

Copying the pages and then clicking on the images to drag them may not work.

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6104.JPG
taken on 4 August 2013 at the Containerised Begonias Trial at
Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Non-Problem 3 - These containerised begonias in pots/hanging baskets have
numbered plant labels, are irrigated with filtered water
IMG 6105.JPG
taken on 4 August 2013 at the Containerised Begonias Trial at
Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Problem 4 - Rhododendron label
IMG 2491.JPG
taken on 30 November 2013 on the way to the National Heather Collection
at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

This rhododendron has obviously been here for years. It has an identity which is
probably within the database of the plants within the library of Wisley, which
members can view. I did that with a plant in the Mixed Borders. The entry was
not all that helpful in stating that the plant was in the Mixed Borders, which
are two of 600 x 12700 cms in size. I wonder if the RHS has recently spent as
much money on creating a similar system as the one below as it has spent on
relocating the plant centre, welcome entry area, cafe and gift shop.

Now if we look at Missouri Botanical Garden, they have an ideal system for the
student to identify and locate the plant in their garden with its record giving
cultivation etc details unlike the RHS:-

"Plant Records at Missouri Botanical Garden are maintained in a custom
web-based SQL database. This comprehensive Living Collections Management
System (LCMS) is fully integrated with the Garden’s Tropicos database and our
mapping data in ESRI’s ArcGIS software.
Each plant in the living collection is labeled with an identification tag that is
embossed with its accession number, botanical name, and collector name and
number, if applicable. In addition to the embossed tags, many of the plants in
the Garden have plant identification labels that provide common and scientific
names, native ranges, and the botanical plant family to which the plant belongs.
There are also many interpretive signs throughout the Garden to further educate visitors.
We encourage the use of our plant collections for scientific research.
Plant Identification Labels
The plant identification label is the most basic educational unit in our Garden. The
labels displayed at the Missouri Botanical Garden use both common and botanical
nomenclature to identify plants. The label is the standard size (2.875" x 5") and
format used throughout most of the Garden.
Mapping
The Plant Records Department at the Missouri Botanical Garden maps many of the
features in the Garden, including the paths, water features, buildings, planting beds,
and of course, plants. This is accomplished through the use of Geographic
Information Systems, or GIS, technology.

The Plant Records Department uses GIS software products by ESRI (Environmental
Systems Research Institute) to manage our geographic data. A high resolution
orthophotograph (4-inch resolution) is used as the base of the GIS. ESRI's ArcMap
software is used to build layers on top of this orthophoto. Features in the Garden
such as paths, buildings, and water features are simply "drawn" on top of the
orthophoto using  and ArcMap's drawing tools.

Plant are mapped within MBG’s Living Collections Management System (LCMS), using
tools developed in-house that utilize the Javascript API for ArcGIS, ArcGIS map
services, and custom update queries. Once a plant record is retrieved in the LCMS,
it can be inventoried and mapped by simply clicking or tapping on a map where the
plant is located. Since the LCMS is web-based, this can be accomplished from a
desktop PC, but also any internet connected device such as a smartphone or tablet.
If using a GPS-enabled mobile device out in the Garden, head’s up digitizing can
be facilitated using the device’s location marker on the map. Alternatively, GPS
coordinates can be entered. This setup allows for SQL data in both the LCMS and
the geodatabase to stay in perfect sync."

See Acer davidii and this is part of its Gardening Information record from A living
collections management system of Missouri Botanical Garden:-

"Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part
shade. Prefers part shade, particularly in hot summer climates. Also prefers acidic
soils that are kept consistently moist. Best performance occurs in cool summer
climates such as the Pacific Northwest. Plants do not perform well in the heat and
humidity of the deep South.

Noteworthy
Acer davidii commonly called snakebark maple or Pere David's maple is a deciduous,
somewhat variable, small to medium sized, understory tree that is native to mixed
forest areas of central China. It is perhaps best noted for its snake-like bark,
unlobed leaves and attractive autumn leaf color. It is part of the Macrantha
taxonomic section of maples which consists of trees commonly called stripe bark
maple or snake bark maple in reference to their distinctive bark. It is an upright,
often multi-trunked tree with arching branches that grows to 30-50’ tall. Smooth,
olive green bark is streaked with green and white. Ovate, unlobed (occasionally
shallow-lobed), opposite, dark green leaves (3-6" long) have serrulate or doubly
serrate margins. Small, inconspicuous, yellowish flowers bloom in pendant racemes
(2-3" long) in spring. Flowers give way to small but abundant winged samaras which
mature in fall. Excellent yellow to orange to red fall color. This species was discovered
in China in 1869 by Jean Pierre Armand David (1826-1900), Jesuit missionary.
Macrantha section contains 18 different species of maple, including A. capillipes and
A. pensylvanicum.

Genus name is the Latin name for a maple tree.

Specific epithet honors Jean Pierre Armand David (1826-1900).

Problems
Potential disease problems include verticillium wilt, leaf spots, tar spot, canker
and root rots. Potential insect problems include aphids, scale, borers and caterpillars.
Mites may appear.

Garden uses
Uncommonly found in cultivation. Attractive small tree or large shrub for the landscape."

Problem 5 - Rhododendron label and Rhododendron Azalea Label on same plant
IMG 2493.JPG
taken on 30 November 2013 on the way to the National Heather Collection
at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

"Rhododendron /ˌroʊdəˈdɛndrən/ (from Ancient Greek ῥόδον rhódon "rose" and
δένδρον déndron "tree") is a genus of 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath
family (Ericaceae), either evergreen or deciduous, and found mainly in Asia,
although it is also widespread throughout the highlands of the Appalachian
Mountains of North America. It is the national flower of Nepal as well as the
state flower of West Virginia and Washington in United States, and state tree of
Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India. Most species have brightly colored flowers which
bloom from late winter through to early summer.

Azaleas make up two subgenera of Rhododendron. They are distinguished
from "true" rhododendrons by having only five anthers per flower." from Wikipedia

As a bear with a very small brain, I understand that there is a difference between
Rhododendron and Azalea plants, so I am unhappy to see both labels on this plant
as well it having no varietal name.

The normal system in Britain with its gardens open to the public is to keep the ground
weeded and bare between the plants. Sometimes the RHS have been rash and over
some areas have applied an organic mulch. In this case the man with his hoover has
not collected these fallen during the autumn deciduous leaves and put them to rot and
waste their resouces in a compost bin. The liquid in the bin drains under the bin and is
therefore not used by the plants who are going to receive the created compost. That is
why I shred in a chipper/shredder or rotary mowing machine and apply the cuttings
immediately to the areas that require it. This means that they can be taken into the
soil by the worms etc to replace the humus which is continually being lost in the soil.
The humus provides the Organic Polymers to bind the quartz grains, clay domains and
bacterium together to make soil as shown in the
Soil Formation What is Soil Structure diagram. Unfortunately we in Britain have become
so divorced from the soil, that we do not realise that to feed the plant we have to feed and
keep the soil with its structure intact. How else do you feed the bacterium, worms and
other organisms within the fast-food restaurant that the topsoil contains?

Problem 6 - 102 plants were missing their identity when in flower in 2013
out of 348 (29.31% of the plants) in 768 square metres of Mixed Borders garden
beds of the RHS Garden at Wisley.

aconitum kelmscott with its missing blue flowers below plant support structure
IMG 1975.JPG
taken on 17 November 2013 in the Mixed Borders at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Very Poor Plant Labelling

After reviewing the situation that 102 plants were missing their identity when in
flower in 2013 out of 348 (29.31% of the plants) in 768 square metres of
Mixed Borders garden beds:-

• for the Permanent Herbaceous Perennials of the Mixed Border beds in the
  Lost Flowers Page with the
  'Walkabout' and 'Stateless Plants' Page ,
• for the Other Permanent Plants of the Mixed Borders in the Index above
• and the Bedding Plants of the Mixed Border beds in the
  Bedding Plant Index Page
  and Un-labelled Bedding Plant Index Page

Possible Solution for this Very Poor Plant Labelling

As a possible improvement for the viewing public being able to identify the plants
in the RHS Garden at Wisley, maybe the following might be useful:-

• Each planting member of the RHS staff at Wisley be provided with
  Large White Plastic Angled-Head Labels which are 20 inches (50 cms) in
  height with a 6 x 4 inch (16 x 10 cms) writing surface and a Marker pen with Black ink.
• When they have completed the planting, then the plant information on
  the plant label supplied with the plants will be rewritten onto 1 Angled-Head Label
  and inserted into the ground in front of the plants. This label should have
  large-enough writing on it for the public to be able to read it from outside the
  flower-bed with the naked eye, even if that bed is in the Alpine House.
• The plant label supplied with the plants will be given to the sign-writer with the
  distance from the public viewing point and the eventual height of the plant when
  in flower, who could then use the Letter Size to Visibility Chart with the Colour
  Contrast Visibility Chart.
• The sign-writer will then produce the required plant label on a relevant contrast
  colour background with the font size being large enough to read easily by the
  viewing public at the viewing distance that public is away from the plant label
  (See Signage 101 - Letter Height Visibility).
  The stake that it is on is to be sufficiently high that the reading part of the label
  will be 6 inches (15 cms) higher than the plant when in flower and be inserted
  at least 8 inches (20 cms) into the ground to provide stability for that plant label.
• This new label should replace the white plant label inserted by the planter
  within a week and should be inserted into the same hole as the previous label
  by the same plantsman. If plant labels in between this label and the viewing
  public are higher than this plant label, then the Soft Landscaping Designer of
  that bed should be informed so that person can then resolve the possibility
  that the newly planted area would become not visible when that plant was in
  flower because the plants in front had grown higher than it.
• The White plant label can be cleaned and re-used.

This might lead to flower beds becoming educational instead of being frustrating
for the viewing public:-

• in not being able to either identify that plant in flower because it had no label or
• that label supplied was unreadable by the naked eye due to its font size being
  too small for the distance from it to the viewing public, or
• not identify it because its label had been overgrown by the plant in front of it, or
• not identify it because the plant label had been turned away from the viewing public.

The viewing public stand on the lower path. Only RHS staff have access to the path
at the back of this Mixed Border bed.

Another way to provide plant labels is to provide a Plan with Plant Labels from the
Plant Label Wizard and place that at the front of a bed or part of a bed on 1 label.
If you want to allow people to continue walking whilst searching and looking at the
signs then the Sign Legibility Rules of Thumb by the United States Sign Council will help.

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
xxx hidden plant name
IMG 8262.JPG
taken on 12 September 2013 in the Alpine House at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
nierembergia xxx can you read this white label
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taken on 12 September 2013 in the Alpine House at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
cyclamen where is label
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taken on 12 September 2013 in the Alpine House at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
allium so what is this with 2 labels
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taken on 12 September 2013 in the Alpine House at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
arenaria acerosxxxx with incomplete vertical label
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taken on 2 November 2013 in the Alpine House at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

Problem 7 - Problem in reading Plant labels
empodium xxx part of label hidden
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taken on 2 November 2013 in the Alpine House at Wisley RHS Garden by Chris Garnons-Williams

I have copied the archived post below, because what is stated there is extremely important,
since 99.99% of gardeners in the UK totally ignore the fact that plants require humus and
think that double-digging is beneficial every year. That is why they are killing their soil and
their plants do not grow well.

How Soil Works in the Category Archives: Flowering House Plants of Houseplantsguru. com:-

"Nature’s plan is to build up the humus year after year and this can only be done by organic
matter. There is need to replace and return that which has been taken out. The Chinese,
who are the best gardeners, collect, ‘use’, and return to the soil, every possible kind of waste,
vegetable, animal and human. In over 4000 years of intensive cultivation they still support
more human beings per hectare than any other country in the world! On the other hand in
areas like the Middle West of the U.S.A. And the Regina Plain of Canada, where the Wheel of
Life has not been recognized, tens of thousands of hectares which once grew heavy crops are
now useless, or practically so.

Every flower crop grown reduces the organic content of the ground. Every piece of work done
helps to break down the humus. The value of the soil in your garden, therefore, is not the
mica particles or grains of sand. It lies in the humus that the soil contains. Humus makes
all the difference to successful gardening. Have plenty of humus present and the soil is in
good tilth. Humus is the organic colloid of the soil. It can store water, it can store plant
foods, it can help to keep the soil open. It can help to ensure the right aeration. It will
give ideal insulation against heat and cold.

Using Compost

Garden owners proposing to dig their land shallowly in preparation for flower growing, should
realize the importance of adding ample quantities of organic matter before they start.
Composted farmyard manure, fine wool shoddy, properly composted vegetable refuse, or hop
manure should be added at the rate of one good barrow-load to 10 m2 (12 sq yds) and in
addition into the top 25 or 50 mm (1 or 2 in) of soil finely divided sedge peat, non-acid in
character should be raked in at about half a bucketful (9 litres) per square metre
(2 gallons per sq yd). This organic matter in the top few millimetres of soil gives the little
roots a good start and so sends them on to find the organic matter below.

It is when the organic content of the soil has been helped in this way, that the gardener
dares to add plant foods of an organic origin. These are usually applied on the surface of the
ground and raked in. Fertilizers with an organic base are particularly useful. Fish Manure may
be applied at 105 to 140 g/m2 (3 oz to 4 oz per sq yd), or a meat and bone meal or even
hoof and horn meal mixed with equal quantities of wood ashes may be used at a similar rate.
These plant foods can be supplied not only when the flower garden is first made but
every season very early in the spring. A good dried poultry manure to which a little potash
has been added is another fertilizer that is very useful when applied at this time.

Minimum Digging

Flower growers must realize that proper soil treatment is the first essential to success.
The millions and millions of soil bacteria that live in the ground to help the gardener,
much appreciate little or no digging. It enables them to work better, for they need
conditions which are natural. So do give them what they need.

Liming

Lime should be regarded as an essential except in very definite cases where acidity
is demanded, e.g. the heaths and heathers, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Lime not only prevents soil from being acid but it ‘sweetens’ it, as well as playing its
part as a plant food. It improves the texture and workability of heavy soils. It helps to
release other plant foods, and it decomposes organic compounds in the soil so that
they can be used as plant food also.

Generally speaking it should be applied at about 245 g/m2 (7 oz per sq yd). It should
not be dug in, as it washes down into the soil very quickly. It should be sprinkled on the
surface of the ground after the digging and manuring has been done. Do not mix
lime with organic fertilizers. There are three main types of lime:
Quicklime, sometimes sold as Buxton Lime or Lump Lime, which has to be slaked down on the soil;
Chalk or Limestone, often sold as Ground Limestone, only half as valuable as quicklime; and
Hydrated Lime, which is perhaps the most convenient to handle and is therefore most
usually used by gardeners.
The quantity of lime mentioned previously i.e. 245 g/m2 (7 oz per sq yd), refers to hydrated lime."
 

The following is the opinion of Chris Garnons-Williams to the above:-

If you walk through an old wooded area, which is not intensively managed, you will see
dead leaves on the ground, together with fallen branches, brambles, nettles, other weeds
and juvenile plants. There will be waste material from birds and animals and this has not
been cleared up and disposed of. This mulch then provides the organic material to be
recycled via the ground with its different organisms to the roots of those same trees for
them to continue to grow. Nobody digs up the ground to push this material in a few
inches or to the depth of the topsoil, nature does it with earthworms and other
organisms at the rate required by the organisms down below to then use it. The
trees in this wood then grow fairly uniformly using the available resources.

So, do not dig the manure, wool shoddy, vegetable refuse or hop manure or anything
else in. Leave it on top as a mulch and that includes the organic fertilizers and the lime.
Instead of adding finely divided sedge peat, add spent mushroom compost which
contains peat which has already been used; and so you are using their waste product
for recycling, instead of destroying more peat bogs which have taken 1000's of years to
be created. You could use bracken instead of peat.

The topsoil is full of organisms, either the waste products from are used by another or
they are. If you turn them up from the bottom of the topsoil to the top, then those
new top ones will starve to death and the ones who were at the top are now at the
bottom and they will as well since it is only waste down there which is not their normal fare.
They do have a bus transport system to get them back to their original levels, since water
is the only transport system down there, which unfortunately normally goes downwards.

So why do you not use the companion planting cultivation method as further
detailed in Companion Planting?
You may follow this with the following which is normally used for the vegetable garden:-

"Spinach is sown in spring in rows 50cm apart over the whole vegetable garden area
for the following purposes:

• these rows divide the vegetable garden up for the whole year,
• the spinach roots prevent erosion, so the usual paths between beds are omitted,
• young spinach plants provide protection and shade for the vegetable crops to be
  grown between them,
• spinach provides ideal material for sheet surface composting, which becomes an
  intermediate space, a footpath, and
• it is in between these lines of spinach that the other vegetable varieties are arranged."

This could be used in the flower beds as the system between the permanent plants of trees,
shrubs and perennials, which is where you may put bedding. This will also provide you with
access to the bedding and the permanent plants together with the nitrogen fertilizer for the
other plants from the legumes of spinach.
You plant your bedding, bulbs or vegetables through the mulch between the lines of spinach.
The damage you do to where you plant is fairly quickly repaired by the organisms in the
surrounding soil, who each come into the level below the ground level where they normally
reside, until they meet their relatives on the other side of the planting hole. The ecosystem
is then restored.