Plant Labels

thats a great idea.

Capt.Micha..........got my Burpee newletter this morning, have you seen these....

http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1756&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=1756

Deann

Those are the same type Everlast label sells.

Paul

Here are my coke-can plant tags! I'm very proud of them - even though they're kind of whopsided! LOL!
These are the first few I did though, so hopefully they'll be prettier as I get better at them. I'm planning on putting string through the holes tying them around my tomato plant's stems. For my other plants I'll probably use wire and stick it into the ground, as was suggested on the site listed above. You can't tell too well from the photo, but the names are really deeply impressed into the metal. I think these will last! :)

They sure have plain old white plastic labels beat!

i think they look great. i have over twenty cases of coke and pepsi cans in my basement (my dw likes to stock up when they go on sale, even though we hardly drink soda anymore, ) and i plan on making these labels.

how bout this idea? take an empty beer bottle. cut a piece of cardboard just about the length of the bottle. write the name of the plant on the cardboard and place it into the bottle and cap it. put it into the ground next to the plant.
i still like the idea using soda cans but thought this was a little easier.

CaptMica, you can also write backward and use the flip side for an embossed look.

". . .you can also write backward and use the flip side for an embossed look."


Ummm....any tips on that? LOL! I valiantly tried writing backwards on my tags, and gave up in a fit of frustration! I even tried writing the names on thin paper (so I could see through), flipping it over and using it as a template, but it still didn't work for me. I think I'm inept! LOL!!!

No, I think you're fine, MiaPia... you have to be a little dyslexic to be good at it!

I'm too young to have beer bottles!

For writing backwards, write onto a transpanency sheet or something else clear, tape even, and flip over. Hold up to your plant label and re-trace your writing.

Good thinking, CaptMica!

Capt Micha~
I got my Cook's Garden catalog, and I think they have what you were looking for, 10 for 6.95.

I found there website, and here is the link...

http://www.cooksgarden.com/prodinfo.asp?number=187&variation=&aitem=1&mitem=2

Not as cheap and resourceful (or fun) as the aluminum cans, though)...

~Tamara

They're nice... but not quite what I'm looking for. I can't even describe it b/c I'm not sure what I want myself yet! Maybe I'll go around and visit the gardens in the area and see what they have.

let us know...
:}
Tamara

Hey I like the plastic knives and forks idea, hey you never know when you might have a picnic in the garden and forget the silverware, just send your guests on hunting spree for the cuttery they have to eat with.LOL

hahaha, that's good...

Mmmm.... I love the dirt flavor!

How about a trip to a craft store.I'm not a crafter but I'd bet you could come up with some neat ideas from there.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=63905&item=3873290143&rd=1

maybe something on this order,only flat,hit it with a hammer and write.heehee just an idea
edited to add link

or something like this and engrave it
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=63894&item=3874321546&rd=1

This message was edited Feb 15, 2005 6:35 PM

This message was edited Feb 15, 2005 7:05 PM

The strapping sounds like a good idea... if it looks like what I think it might look like. Maybe I'll get to weld! :Maniac laughter here:

Try a hardware store or a farm suppy store.
I bet they'd have something to use.
Brass,copper,alumium ribbon/strapping,
a lot cheaper than a craft store,for sure.

try this link http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/461624/ hth

Thanks we need to combine them.heehee

Good linking, MaVie!

I read somewhere that they used an aluminum tape like HVAC guys use, that has a sticky back on it... You stick the tape onto a stake (?) and write on the tape with a pen, which acts just like the aluminum can does, except that this tape comes in a long roll. I am trying to think of what stake you could stick them on, but I remember getting some plants at a plant swap with these pieces of aluminum tape written on them.

Any other ideas?

i get great deals at
http://www.anytown.info/capac/hortmark/hortmark.htm

Dori,
I didn't see anything about plant markers on that site. Did I miss something?

ya i didnt either but thats where i go for supplies around here!!!

not sure if there are any of them in anyone elses states or not! maybe i will
get a hold of ken and see if he'd make us a deal on the boxes of 1000 that I have gotten.

I love you, Dori!!

Here are some tags you can make from plastic or the aluminum tape. I hope it helps.

There are also larger sized plastic utensils, intended for serving, that you can buy. They go further in the ground and not as apt to be tossed out by ground swell or nosy little animals. I use a "grease" pencil a/k/a a "China marker."

Those plastic tags reminded me of disposable key chains...like the mechanic puts on your car keys when it goes to the shop.

I've gotten lots of great ideas from you DG er's.

Those are the kinds nurseries use, no? Very professional!

Those tags would be great for woody plants and shrubs. They'd also be great for tagging plants that you want to identify when it's time to harvest seeds.

Did cottage cheese and yogurt containers get mentioned?
We cut ours to size, depending etc.
Each year I find some that got covered up.

I make my own too - cut up a plastic milk container.

Free labels made from cottage cheese & yogurt containers.
I like the white background, permanent black markers show up real well.
The actual size is up to you. Thin thick long or short.

I just ordered the nice copper labels off EBay. They were 10 for $5.95. I got 50. With s/h 50 copper labels cost $37.65. I think it's pricey, but based on what I've seen, 75 cents for a copper label (roughly what my cost works out to) is pretty reasonable.

I do have a related question... I got these because I want permanent labels. So I don't want plastic stuff or Popsicle sticks all over the place. That's why I invested in something that looks nice. But I am curious as to how y'all use labels. I have 6 climbing roses- 2 kinds, 3 of each one, alternating down my fence. Would you label EACH ONE or just one of each kind? I mainly want to permanently label all my daylilies and other shrubs/perennials. I guess what I'm saying is I am thinking of it like a public garden where you look at the plantings and they have nice pretty labels telling you what they are. That's what I want. But if I have several of one thing I don't want to label each one. I use the cheap/free methods when I just want to temporarily label the location of seeds I have sown, but remove the label once I have an identifiable plant. I am bad about thinking a seedling is a weed and yanking it. ļ Anyway, any preferences amongst you guys as to permanently labeling?

That's exactly what I was going for also, with the public garden look.

I'd use one label per kind of plant. If you have alternating different kinds of roses, I'm not sure what you'd do. Maybe one tag per each rose would look redundant even.

Yeah, it makes me feel like that if a person were just walking along looking at it they would be like "ok, I get it already, why do you need to tell me 3 times about the same rose?" Ha! :) I have 6 different clematis going through these roses too so I want to lable each of them and I don't want to have 12 plant lables in a row as it is. If I lable all the clematis and one EACH of the 2 kinds of roses I could limit it to 8 total. I have lots of stuff to lable and so I'm kind of being stingy with my "good" copper lables as it is! I figure this is just a matter of preference and wanted to know what others have done.