I use the inexpensive white plastic stick in soil labels, They are matte on one side & smooth on the other. I cut the pointed part (that's supposed to go in soil) off & poke a hole in the plastic with a hot nail (I actually use a soldering iron I keep handy) & wire it to the plants. I write on the matte side with a very soft pencil (#1). I have labels that are 5 years old or older & still easily readable. That's close enough to permanent to suit me. The white makes the labels easy to find on large plants ;o) Al You can also cut strips from soda cans & write on them with a pen, with the same results as the copper labels suggested above.

Hi Dee, I like and use the Everlast zinc metal markers. Style C I bought 1000 of them a few years back, and see them as in investment in keeping track of the many named varieties of things I have accumulated (and still accumulate) over the years. The shipping is FREE! The plates are not very snug on the wires, so before using them, I crimp the plates a bit (with needle nose pliers) at the bottom to keep them tight and from sliding/falling off. I also invested in a Brother p-touch labeler. There are numerous ones to be found that will print from 2-5 lines. I have found though that I, at the very most, will use 1-2 lines of print. Any more than that, and the lettering is too small to comfortably read, from a standing position) in the beds. My labeler is similar to this except mine is a different model and will print up to 4 (maybe 5) lines. They take Brother TZ tapes that are expensive, but can often be found on ebay some cheaper than buying them elsewhere. I consider the markers and the labels to be as permanent as one can get. I lost the names to several daylilies and other things over the years...but no more! Sue

All of these ideas are nifty but the ones that hold up the longest by far are the copper plant tags which is why so many botanical gardens use them. They are nothing to make, in fact its just a little more work than writing. Take a copper sheet from lowes/hobby lobby for 12$ and cut it into whatever size strips. I usually get about 200 copper labels for 12$... then I save any copper eletrical wire from junk appliances people toss out and use that for the cordage because with the rubber coating it holds tight and doesn't rub the plant. Buy plastic labels from china via ebay for stuff you sell or plan on putting in ground/low cover items. In fact I was on here to try and help others, I am about to order 500 hanging tags and 100 in ground for like 15$ total. Also, if you do your whole yard like I have with the copper its great when your like is that a Louisiana sweet or was that a navel, oh let me check after 5 years and it makes life easy. I wish there was an easy way to engrave the plastic labels, I was kind of looking for something without having to go the whole dremmel route, but ideally that would be great as well. I just find the plastic finds it way into the soil or if its a plant tag breaks after a couple of years. Copper is pretty permanent, I have found some that are like 40-80 years old and still legible.

I think its fun to run around and plant at random and then be surpirsed by the unknowns when they bloom and you can best identify them. I have this experience alot because I travel so much and gather seeds from everywhere I go from plants that appeal to me on the road. This year I have five unkowns from Vermont and one unknown from Montana that I am anxious to see bloom. If I find I have miss located them that's not really a problem. I just dig them and move them if they are perennials and if they are annuals I just gather the seeds and move them the folowing year by seeding them in a more sensible place. I use to be pretty anal about color and height and coordination and texture and spacing and blah blah blah. Now I'm a messy gardener and plant wherever the heck I feel like it. Instead of having 30-40 types of plants in well coordinated, picture pefect gardens, I now have 2 acres of well over 300 varieties of flowering plants planted cottage garden style for splash of color and fun eye appeal in almost any direction I look in my yard at all times in the growing season!