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how about makeing your own plant id sheets to keep in a folder and have a folder split into section for dry / wet / sun / shade etc
this way you get to make up the sheet how you want to with a big pic and all info relivent to you and also while your doing this the informaton will stick in your mind better.
pluss i found this had a better impresion on customers back when i did this work when they could see i made my own refferences to plants instead of flicking between books.
also i would write in at the bottom of each sheet which plants would work well together in boarders and which ones dont so when a customer looked at a plant they liked i could flick through the folder in seconds and pritty much plant a boarder up in my mind before drawing up plans
You may need a bigger glove box... useful books for identifying include the RHS A-Z and Garden Ecyclopdeia of Plants & Flowers (also recommend their Pests & Diseases and Pruning & Training) books.
For kinds of plants and where to put them... "Right Plant, Right Place' by Nicola Ferguson.
Many many more and lots of online resources too.
But also you may have some good nurseries near you, some may have good descriptive catalogues (which might be more glovebox sized) but worth familiarising yourself with some of their plants and get to know owners and build good relationship as they will be able to advise you too - especially plants that grow well in your region (soil, conditions etc).
Hi, thanks, some good points there, I already have the RHS plants & flowers book, that's why I was looking for something a bit smaller for the glove box, The idea of checking out the local nurseries is especially a good idea for me as the area I'm in can be quite difficult, a lot of my work recently has been around 900 foot up and most of the area has heavy red soil,
I do like the idea of making up my own folder though, I was always told "once written is better than twice read"
"Right Plant, Right Place" was recommended to me by my tutor twenty years ago and is always the first book I turn to when doing a Planting Plan etc. - brilliant book (and I have many others!).....
right plant right place is seriously worth buying.. i have to recommend the obvious dr d g hessayon 'expert' series though you would need to buy a few to cover all bases.
i have a RHS plants for places its only about 6"x 4" with over 1000 plants listed web address www.dk.com/rhs
The DK RHS 'Encyclopedia of Plant and Flowers' is a pricey and hefty tome (It may have to go into the back of your van rather than the glovebox!) but worth it IMO. Hundreds (Perhaps thousands) of plants listed by type, season and colour with details on hardiness, soil pH, size etc. Essential reference guide for horticulturalists.