The Metal Labels

Last Monday was a lovely day with a smattering of clouds drifting by and next to no wind.  After lunch I was down at the Botanic Garden and out into the HDRG.  Even though I brought a jacket and a wind breaker, the air was warm enough to go without either.  

I asked one of the few gardeners around to unlock the Atrium door for me and, lo!, there was a box full of the new labels tucked under the microwave table.   They were wrapped in plastic in pairs, one facing up, the other down, to protect them from abrasion during shipping.  

I brought out my annotated maps and we were off to the races.  As I unwrapped each pair, I'd search for their name on the map and place it on the tables appropriately.  When I had a handful for a particular bed, I'd take them out to the garden itself and track down the actual plant to be labelled.  

I asked the only gardener I saw (from a more than safe social distance) if they looked better going straight into the ground or at an angle.  We both agreed the angle was easier to read.

As seen in the wintery view above, the labels aren't exactly showstoppers.  Brown cottonwood leaves, bare rose branches, faded groundcovers, all contribute to a dour landscape.  At least the light sculptures from the River of Lights have been taken down.  

As things green up in the coming months, I think the labels will do their job nicely.  The Curator of 

Plants, Maria Thomas, is considering the straight up and down placement, but her predecessor, Jon Stewart, likes the angled arrangement.  Will just have to see how this works out.