I got this idea from someone else on here. I bought the rose style Labels (type E) from paw paw and used my ptouch labeller to make labels. I used the gold writing on black. Looks great and it is supposed to last.

Sunni

That's what I did, the paw paw labels are great and you can either put printed labels on them or write on it with a pen.

Hi sunni!

I have some metal markers, but the black sharpie ink washes off. Is there a more permanent marker?
thanks
molly

I've found that tags don't really work for me. I keep a gardening journal with a master list of all my roses and then have diagrams and sublists which show where each rose is located. I probably should load this on my laptop which would make it easier to update my list but haven't done so yet. I'm also doing the same thing with my reblooming irises.

Ingrid

I found some pretty copper plant tags at Target last year that work well but may not be feasible with some here that have 300+ roses! These copper ones came with a grease pen and the writing seems to have stayed on well through the winter. I tried tongue depresser sticks my first year and those didn't work at all. I only have about 50 at the moment and only have about 30 marked properly. I really need to have them all marked. I do have a rough outline such as Ingrid's but I like them marked in the garden because when I'm actually out there my foggy brain needs the additional help on occasion - especially on my "impulse" buys which I'm trying to stop doing!

P-touch-2600 labeler, strong adhesive laminated label tape, stuck onto nursery slip and lock tags. The labels are visible for visitors. There was a time I wanted the labels invisible, but it's easier for everyone if they can identify roses for themselves. The labeler connects to the computer with a simple interface (as opposed to using the labeler's keyboard, which is anything but simple). The slip n lock tags come in rolls of 1000. Lifetime supply.

I get these free out of my garden. I started with a "Sharpie" marker but they fade rather quickly. Then I found an oil based garden marker at a local nursery. That works pretty well, and when they fade, it's easy to touch up.
{{gwi:239510}}

Mike

I order them over the internet...

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden markers

Mike, your Tamora is gorgeous! Mine is still a scrawny stick after 2 years, going on 3. Sigh....
So you write on a rock with an oil based marker? Cool! It fits in well with the garden. I tried plastic markers a few years ago, but the sharpie writing faded, and some just plain disappeared. I suspect DH hit them with the mower. With all my impulse buying and rose loss after winters, it is a mess.
Thanks for the idea.

I use the Paw Paw rose markers & I put Avery Weatherproof labels (there are other brands of weatherproof labels that also work) on them & print them with a LASER printer, inkjet does NOT last. I've seen labels that are 3+ years old and look like new.

Decobug, that looks great to me and plan on ordering from them. I thought the smaller label, two lines! Which ones did you get? I would like to put the name of the rose and in small writing the breeder!
Thanks so much.
Pauline - Vancouver Island

I love the Harlane markers. They didn't cost a fortune and last a long time except if they are mowed over or edged into oblivion.

I use stakes (from DPind.com)and write on them with the Sharpie Industrial Fine Point Super Permanent Ink. I've also purchased waterproof labels from Rite in the Rain and simply have to sit down and do the data entry. With company arriving this June, I'm hoping to have the tags all tidy, but if not, the roses will be a sufficient distraction!

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Rite in the Rain

Pencil will not fade not wash away, but can still be erased from some tags. Grease pencil also works well.

Being frugal (read: cheap), or sometimes economically challenged, I cut up sturdy venetian blinds.

Steve.

I have also struggled with labeling my roses. I love the engraved labels from AAA Quality Engravers in New Orleans. I had mine made with the name of the rose, its class, and the year of introduction.

Send them an email (link to contact info below) and they'll send you their ordering package, including sample labels. The prices are fabulous (about $2 each, or less when ordered in quantity) and the customer service is outstanding.

Connie

Here is a link that might be useful: AAA Quality Engravers contact info

I love the idea of the engraved labels, but I just started my rose garden last year and I know I will be changing out some of them. I think I'll start with the paw paw labels and switch to the engraved once I know which ones will be around for a while!

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Thanks for the link Connie... I saw them on the web but wasn't sure about them since they don't have online ordering... I'll send them an email...

I just order the ones for the roses that I'm SURE I'll never ever get rid of... Then over the years I order more and more as roses stick around...

I am really nutty about the whole labeling thing. I first have a diagram of my garden with the roses labeled on the diagram. Then I take the metal tags and colorful descriptive labels off of the plants. I then put them with a paper that I print off the internet from Help me Find or where ever I find the best info on the plant along with a good photo. All of this goes into a page protector and is then put in a notebook (in alphabetical order of course). Then I take cheap 4"x 4" tiles and write the rose name on them with a porcelaine marker, let them dry 24 hours and then bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. Then I lay the tiles by the rose plants. These labels are cheap (about 15 cents each) and my visitors love it because they are so easy to see. And yes, I do have a problem;)

Great idea on the tiles, but where do you get the porcelain marker?
molly

IMO the finest engraved markers for the application of letting visitors to your garden read what the roses are, are the AAA engraved markers mentioned by Connie (hartwood) above.

These are botanical garden quality.

But I also like the idea of tagging roses with hand-scribed aluminium tags, of the sort sold by ARE and other vendors. They are no good to "visitors" (except the most intrepid) but stakes have a way of being "moved".

Don't ask me how I know this.

On the aluminium tags I like to put the name and the source of the rose, unlike the markers where name, class, year, and hybridizer, are more likely options. Tagging the roses with vendors or other sources helps with provenance issues as the memory dims.

Bill (who is the father of an exuberant almost 4 year-old)

I just put the year hybridized on my labels. But I do have a spreadsheet that has all that other info. Where I got it from, when I got it, location, etc.

I was able to use that spreadsheet as the database when I made my labels.

That's a fabulous idea on the porcelain markers. I have made tiles with those but never thought of taking it further. You can even get a large tile and break it into strips, my imagination is spinning!

THANKS

Here is a link that might be useful: Porcelain markers

So many great ideas here! Elks, it's good to know your idea because I can make those quickly and with this brain, I need to mark the roses as soon as they go into the ground. I'm going to try the tile and porcelain marker idea also as that seems like a lovely addition to the garden and besides, I enjoy a little crafting now and again.

I'm like Ingrid. Have a diagram with the names of the roses. Just cannot be bothered with tags.

I get the Porcelaine markers at Joann's crafts for about $5 each. They last a really long time. I got the tiles at Home Depot for 12 cents each.

Great ideas everybody! I've always wanted to order the PawPaw rose labels, but I think they would be a pain in the butt for me. After cleaning out my beds over the last few months, I can see it would not be a good idea to have those wires to have to deal with. It's already a nightmare, raking the pine needles out from around the roses and perennials. I can see I'd be yanking up the labels, or getting the rake all tangled in them. That's a bummer. I really like the rock or tile ideas. I'm going to have to look into finding something along that line that will work for me. I do have my roses mapped out on paper and lists written up with locations, etc. But with as many as I have, and as crammed as they are.... sometimes I can't remember who is who when I'm actually out there looking around.... until they bloom anyways.

These markers are colored the color of the rose...

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Markers

I use the tops of Fancy Feast cat food. I bend the tab back, run a bamboo skewer through it and then paint the name on with enamal model paint. I also use coat hangers shafts instead of bamboo--doesn't break or rot--but I'm always short on hangers. I use the inside of the top as the outside catches the sun and glares. It's cheap and recycles.