Reading is important in all that we do; but more than just reading, understanding what we read allows us to apply the information to achieve a desired result. Be it assembling a model airplane, baking a cake or choosing flowers and shrubs for the garden, reading and understanding is necessary to achieve success. Most people would think that nothing could be simpler than reading the picture tag slipped in the side of a pot at a garden center’s display, but without understanding, simple instructions can lead to failure.
The first thing a plant shopper must realize is the tag is placed there to sell the plant! Tags add to the cost of production; the bigger or fancier the tag, the more the commercial grower’s bottom line is affected. This is why annual flowers will have either no tag or a small tag with picture and variety name only. No information regarding heat tolerance or water requirements is included.
You may have planted petunias in years past that faded as the summer heated up, or lobelia that splashed bright blue for only a short…
