My home-made plant labels

Seems like in every forum I run into people with the same issues with plant labeling. The plastic ones degrade, break and get blown away, sharpies fade, and the nice ones are often just too pricey to buy the gazillion most of us need. And being inherently cheap, as well as an avid recycler, I've been making my own permanent plant labels.

I've tried explaining how, but decided, since a picture is worth a thousand words, to show the steps. Hope this solves some problems for some of you out there :)

All you need are: an aluminum pie pan, a pair of old scissors, a ball point pen, and a marker.

First, cut the crimped edge from the pan. Be careful not to cut yourself with the sharp edges left on the pan.

Fold a flap down to create what will be the flat top of the label.

Then fold the sides to create an elongated triangle.

Fold the other side.

Make a cut under what will be the face of the label about 1/4 the way through the triangle on both sides.

This message was edited Feb 15, 2007 5:50 PM

From there make a 1/2" cut upwards.

Isn't that nice. I was thinking of hosting a seed swap/label & seed packet exchange, in which anyone interested would send their homemade (or whatever) seed packets along with a label for each, and would get back the same from each participant. We could see a dozen or so different takes on the issue.

Do you think anyone would be interested?

I make hand-colored & hand-sewn packets ...

whoops, did i interrupt the picture show? i type really really fast.

This message was edited Feb 15, 2007 4:53 PM

Fold the little flap up. This eliminates sharp edges.

Fun idea summerkid! I'm on a roll, so we'll chat about that in a few :)

This is the front after both little flaps are folded under:

Now fold the sides under of what will be the stem of the label. This gives the stem strength to push into the ground.

The other side:

I like to give a slight fold to the stem to make it more rigid.

Use a ball point pen to write the plant name, making an indention in the aluminum. This is what makes the label permanent, so make sure to make a nice, deep indention.

Then use a marker or grease pen to go over the name to make it more legible. The great thing is, even if that fades, you can still read it.

You can angle them or leave them upright, whatever works best for you. I don't like being able to see plant labels, so I fold them down flat against the soil and cover them with mulch. I've found this to be a good winter time activity and usually after the holidays there are plenty of pie pans around. Hope they come in handy for some of you.

summerkid, your seed packets sound cute. These are more utilitarian than cute, lol, but I like your idea. Do you have any pics of the ones you sew?

Neal

I dunno, somehow they look better in real life. But I take a sturdy piece of paper, cut it into 4 long pieces (2.75"x8.5"), fold each in half, then sew around the 2 long sides & the folded side (for balance of design), then take some of my gatrillion tabillion colored markers & illustrate it with something & write the seed name on the front. On the back I'll write a note about growth habit or use but don't bother with culture info. If they don't know how to grow a bean, well, heaven help 'em. Then I put in seeds & sew the open end closed, leaving all the threads hanging for a fringey effect:

whoops, reposted the FRONT

This message was edited Feb 15, 2007 7:12 PM

et voila, le bas du paquet:

Very good idea, Neal-I could do that, I think! Very nice!
Summer, pretty and creative but not my speed (which is slow and clumsy). :-) Your packets are so dainty, which I am not.
Thanks for sharing.

Adorable! And very clever! Almost too pretty to open.

Thanks Laura! Kind of time consuming, but that's what winter's for, lol.

Great idea for labels to put in the ground Neal. I hate spending money on anything but plants too, you must have a lot of patience to do that. I find it trouble to just write the names on labels, it's one of those jobs that need doing but I'd rather go straight to the finish line. All these little jobs take up valuable seed sowing or gardening time, and the rest of the time I'm on here!

I try to recycle plastic labels as much as I can which takes time, I use them mostly for pots and go through a LOT as you can imagine.

Pretty packets summerkid, they must take you a long time to do too! I'm in awe!

I have lots of people saving pie pans for me, but too often find myself just using them for trays under pots. I've been snowed in for going on 3 weeks, so I've gotten stir crazy enough to get back in to it, lol.

Wow, you guys are sooo creative...thanks for sharing!!! Both ideas are just wonderful!

No they don't take time at all! And I vary them by occasion & amount of energy. I try to draw every day anyway & am not embarrassed about the quality that results, and sewing the edges takes mere seconds.

I can do 10 labels in 10-20 minutes.

You could do this! Except your own personality would shine through in your choices.

That's a great, creative idea. I'd probably be too lazy or in too much or a rush though. I save, or salvage old plastic venetian blinds and cut strips off those. I have a box full which should last me for my gardening life !

So far my plastic spoons (bought by the 500's at Costco) are doing great. I use a laundry marker, not just a regular permanenet marker. Seems to make a big difference.

Not a good photo, but you get the idea - talk about simple! I love the more creative ideas posted above, but I'm too "non-creative," plus too lazy!!!

For pots I like to use plastic knives, but the spoons give you more area to write on- good idea. Wow!, look at all those heuchera!

That's just a small part of my heuchera pots - they have astounded me with their ability to multiply!

And gee, Murmur, what's not to like about the aesthetics of, um, a plastic spoon?!

I have to be careful because my landscapes tend to be littered with whatever 10 projects I was working on last week, so plastic spoons wouldn't look like a clever labeling solution around here. They would set off my b'friend's "Dangit, I bought her a house AND SHE'S TRASHING IT" radar, which pings constantly.

LOL, Summerkid!!! I admit I mostly only use them in the pots that I have my plant divisions in. Last year a friend of mine and I had a plant sale and were scrambling just before the event to have everything well marked. I used these spoons and she used plastic knives with labels run from the computer. However, I doubt the labels would last long. We're doing a sale again this year so I've been labeling as I go. In the ground my plants either have their original marker or nothing (in hopes of my memory working well - ha! - or of my garden files having the right marker in them). I think I might like the idea of a rock marker best of all as it would be fairly discreet. I'm also intrigued by Gemini's marker - and very appreciative of his directions!

Those seed packets are adorable - 'fraid I'm not that nice!!! Fanciest I have gotten is to put a flower sticker on an envelope.

I don't do many trades or swaps because I easily lose track of administrative stuff. One big co-op is nothing to me compared with 8 seed swaps. So I can spend time on the few packets I do, and it was fun to illustrate the seeds for the "zoo animal" swap.

I've always wondered how people have kept plants pure over the centuries because not one plant in my garden has a label, and any markers, journals, notes & intentions just .... vaporize eventually. So I never know what tomato I'm eating in summer unless it's a funny color.

You wouldn't believe how many journals I have started . . . and forgot about after a few entries. Best laid plans, you know! Those packets you did are truly adorable - and I can understand the fun you had doing them (I just don't have any talent in that area!).

There is an up-side to the plastic silverware treatis: you could use clear plastic and they would be relatively unnoticeable, especially if you used the knives.

Good idea!

Murmur,

Did you grow the Heuchera from seed? If so, where did you get your seed? It looks wonderful, and I have a spot for about 20 of them.
chris

Chris, all my Heuchera are divisions of store bought varieties. I've not tried them from seed and confess that is not a strong suit of mine, although I do the usual (poppies, sunflowers, nastursium, etc.). One Heuchera, Snow Angel I believe, provided me with 18 new plants after it's first season - I think the original may have been a six inch pot, possibly a gallon one (I usually buy smaller, but occasionally find a good buy - or, of course, one I just can't resist!!).

This is an old post, but I got curious, I litterally laughed out loud when I saw the spoons, what a great idea! This is one I will use.