I use PawPaw Everlast tags with a paint pen marker. DecoColor is one such brand. Pencil actually works quite well, though it is harder to read. I've noticed that after about 5 or 6 years I need to renew the writing, but paint pen lines definitely last a lot longer than any "permanent" marker such as a Sharpie.

in my dreams.
Seriously though, I have a friend who uses large pebbles which she paints with enamel paints. It is just about the only method I have seen which has longevity in a busy garden. Can look a bit 'twee' but she likes it a lot. (absolutely pointless attempting any labelling at all in mine).

I use a Brother label printer, using the heavy duty 1/2" tape. So far, the labels have lasted five years, which is better than anything else I've found except enamel paint, which is a pain. They won't last forever, but they are easy to redo.

I am going to make my own with copper sheet and copper wire, since they don't rust. I made copper jewelry so I have some lying around, I just need to get punches/stamps

:)

Jessica, I did that a few years back, and it is quite fun. I found a set of punches for just a few dollars at a salvage store. Eventually I changed over to using the Paw Paw Everlast labels which I can put into the ground because I got tired of having to punch out every individual letter with a different punch, and also because the copper wire I had chosen to attach them to the roses seemed to be cutting into branches as they grew. But....it is a very very classy way to go and I highly approve of it aesthetically.

I am going to use a hook method type thing where I am going to stick the wire infront of the rose and hang the label on it. Sort of like

Here is a link that might be useful: Markers

Campanula, the idea may be a bit "twee" but it's a great one for my grand daughter to do when she's here in the Summer. She will love it. Thank you. And thanks to all you other enablers too. I went ahead and ordered the Paw Paw markers. It was just time to upgrade from pieces of miniblinds stuck in the ground.

For the public herb garden we made rectangular bronze labels cut out of a sheet of bronze with a band saw. We taped the edges with masking tape to form a border and used stick on letters to mask where the name's letters went. Then the labels were dipped in a ferric chloride bath until enough was eaten away so the letter and edges were raised above the background. The label were then neutralized with baking soda and copious amounts of water and the masking tape and letters were removed. Finally holes were drilled in the four corners of the border. Since the herb garden beds were outlined with railroad ties around the outer edges and landscaping timbers around the paths, the labels could be nailed into these wooden edges of the beds. Very classic and very work intensive. We didn't move the plants much and with practice I became very good at prying the labels off with a screw driver and a dandelion digger on the rare occasions they needed to be moved.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have made labels out of strips of used gallon milk jugs with the letters punched with a paper punch. The labels were attached to the plants by making a slit in one end of the label, curling the label around a plant stem and inserting the other end in the slit.

Cath

I use the Paw Paw markers and a Brother labeler.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

I use copper tags with P-touch labels and wire them right on the rose. I tried markers that you stick in the ground but they got moved, lost, stolen, etc. so now they get attached right to the roses. I still find some missing in the spring each year but a lot less that before.

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I like the P-touch labels because I can make the print BIG so I can read them from standing up!

I keep maps of my garden beds on computer...which works right up till the time that you lose the current map (and say the last year of data)because you thought you backed it up and you didn't....

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings blog

The Venetian blind markers are useful, though. I use them for seeds and anything still in pots.

Rosefolly

I bought metal tags with metal ties once and they're eternal; the problem is how to write on them. Is there some kind of system where you can punch the letters on them without having to do it one letter at at time? This is what Jessica is talking about, I believe.
I use Tyvek labels and write on them with pencil: these are tolerably durable. I often attach the labels to stakes rather than on the roses, but will warn those who are considering this system that the labels need to be firmly fixed to the stake; it's amazing how often they vanish, presumably falling victim to wind.
I believe in multiple systems of recording names of roses, so that if one system fails, there's a backup. I label roses, and I make maps, which I DON'T keep on my computer, but written on paper and kept in a notebook. Or of course you can always print out a paper copy, but I find it soothing to write by hand, an archaic practice but satisfying.
Melissa

Yes, the mini blinds are still useful. I still use mine for things in pots too, as well as for cuttings being rooted in individual cups.

I have made a few labels out of used aluminum cans. You cut the can open, and cut the shape you want with scissors. Then punch a hole in it with a hole punch and write the name on the aluminum with a nail or pen, something to indent the metal. The indentation is permanent. Cutting the can does not, so far, leave a sharp edge. I don't know why. You can tie it onto a cane with anything. I don't use many labels because I know which plants are which but my memory will probably not hold up forever. I do use mini blind sections with pencil for most potted plants. Pencil lasts much longer than Sharpie markers. I think maps are a very good idea and need to update my maps.

Melissa I am hoping to get these (the link) but I am going to try to write on the copper with a nail or something that Erasmus mentioned.

Here is a link that might be useful: Metal Stamps on Etsy