What Those Plant Descriptions Really Mean
We read plant catalogues with fascination, believing all the descriptions telling us how wonderful the plants are - but what do those descriptives terms really mean?

Vigorous - The plant will take over the garden within 6 months, smothering everything, no matter how much you cut it back.

Very Vigorous - Not only will it take over the garden, it will spread throughout the neighbourhood and your neighbours will hate you.

Free Seeding - you will spend most of your time trying to cut off seedheads and burn them, the rest of your time will be spent pulling out the seedlings from the ones you missed.

Comes True From Seed - it's free seeding.

Good Ground Cover - it smothers everything in the flowerbed, then tries to invade the lawn.

Excellent Ground Cover - it does invade the lawn and it comes up through concrete paths.

Strong Growing - This plant definitely grows through concrete and also grows from the brickwork of your house.

Ideal for Beginners - Its very vigorous and you need a flame thrower to kill it.

For the Experienced Gardener - This plant is a prima donna and will need to be coaxed to grow, you will be out there at midnight, tucking it into bed with horticultural fleece, feeding and watering it constantly and the moment you neglect it for more than an hour, it will die.

Attracts Insects - every pest within 5 square miles will home in on it and then chomp their way through the rest of your garden.

Easy to Propagate - it's either vigorous or free seeding.

Drought Tolerant - it dies when it rains.

May Cause Skin Irritation - make sure you have industrial quantities of antihistamines and steroid cream when you have to prune it or touch it in anyway.

Slow Growing - your children or grandchildren may see it fully grown.

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Copyright © 2006 - Carol Fisher