Planning Ahead with Plant Markers

As much as I enjoy the fall season, it is always sad to see my butterfly garden wither away as it prepares for winter. One thing I plan to do differently this year, is to mark each plant before it becomes unrecognizable. (I wish I had done this last year - it would have made planning the addition of more plants much easier!)

Using the abundance of paint sticks that we have accumulated over the years from all of our paint projects, I broke each one in half and wrote the name of the plant with permanent marker on the stick and placed it in each plant area. This will enable me to have a much better idea of what plants I have and how much room will be available if I choose to add more to the garden next year.

Note: Don't have any paint sticks readily on hand? Most home improvement stores will hand them out free-of-charge, if you ask. You could also use smooth river rock as an alternative plant marker, too!