They come and they go

While dividing and transplanting the 'Autumn Joy' Sedum, I found some old plant markers from previous attempts to fill the bed by the front walk. This discovery led me to comb through my blog, looking for references of what other plants I have loved and lost. The list is mournfully long.

Whatever happened to the lovely Hibiscus 'Luna Red'? Or the equally red crocosmia? Some plants just succumb, but others meet their demise because of my never ending need to move things around which results in my losing track of them. So now I am trying to catalog everything that is currently growing in my yard AND mark their location so they won't be forgotten.

Here are two examples of plants that need tracking collars. The Heuchera 'Zipper' above and the Japanese painted fern below are easy to forget about. I added the former to the hosta bed last year, the latter two years ago. I have faith that 'Zipper' will grow big and strong and fulfill its destiny to provide some contrast to the two other heurcheras that flank it. The fern has survived despite being located next to the dryer vent, but I think it could do better elsewhere, if I don't forget it altogether.

Without some kind of system, I will also continue to make the mistake of calling something one thing when it is something else entirely. Take the grass below, which I have been referring to as big blue stem, even though it looks nothing like big blue stem, especially its plume-like seed heads. My SO commented in passing how it looks similar to his silver grass but not quite.

After scrolling through my blog, I now think it is maiden hair grass, a.k.a. Chinese silver grass. I planted some in the yard once upon a time and don't know what happened to it. I think this plant (which I moved to its current location last fall) might be it.

How do you maintain your garden census?