The name 'ivy' is used loosely enough to cause expensive planting mistakes. Boston ivy and common ivy are different plants, and neither should be chosen for a wall solely because a photograph shows attractive foliage.…
The swollen base of a desert rose can draw attention away from the container around its roots. Yet the simplest inspection is often underneath the nursery pot. Lift it out of its cover and look…
A saucer makes it easy to see when water has run through a pot. It also makes it easy to leave the roots above a pool of water long after the watering is finished. Check…
A rose described as flowering in a particular month may behave differently in another garden. Variety, climate and the season's weather matter more than a date copied from a general care page. First find out…
A rose can be photographed so closely that its growing habit disappears. Before buying from a flower photograph, ask to see a mature plant and confirm the named cultivar. A climber, a spreading shrub and…
A label reading simply 'Chinese orchid' leaves too much unanswered. It does not establish the species, flowering habit or growing conditions of the plant in front of you. Ask for the botanical name or the…
One close-up rarely records an orchid well enough for later comparison. Take a picture of the whole plant, a front view of an open flower and a side view showing the flower's shape. Keep the…
A leaning cornflower may need support, but first look at how it was grown. Closely packed plants compete for light, and a pot that looked attractively full when young can become difficult to manage later.…
A stretched sedum does not become compact again simply because the pot has been moved. The useful question is whether the growth produced after the change is closer and sturdier. Check the plant's actual light…
A gardenia carrying buds is a tempting plant to fuss over. More feeding, a larger pot and a move to a better view may all seem helpful, but doing them together makes any resulting problem…
A single peony and a densely double one can share almost the same colour but look very different in a planting. Look at the entire open flower rather than judging from a tightly cropped photograph.…
A decorative outer pot can hide a drainage problem. After rain, water may collect around the nursery container even though the inner pot has perfectly good holes. Lift the inner pot and check the bottom…