i saw some for sale on ebay. someone had posted about using aluminum cans for markers. they cut the top and bottom off, flattened them out, cut them into strips, bent the edges back/flat (to keep them from cutting someone) and used a nail to make a hole in the top. i thought it was a good idea.

tracie

I find it very important to also use a permanent way of marking the names of my perennials. I like to know that when I go to the plant that the name will be there always.

With the sheer number of perennials in my yard I could never verify the cost of buying the premade copper or aluminum markers that I have seen in Lee Valley or other mail order catalogues, and I also do not run a nursery where you need those markers for all the visitors that come through each summer.

What I do is buy rolls of copper tooling (copper metal foil 40 guage weight). The rolls are 1' wide and 3' long and I used to get them at Lewiscraft here in Canada before they closed, but now I get the rolls from Stockade...
Here is the US web site...

https://stockade.ca/category.asp?cat=CDL&funds=US

Here is the Canadian site in Ontario...

https://stockade.ca/category.asp?cat=CDL&no=US&funds=CDN

I cut, with regular scissors, the copper into 1/2" by 3" pieces, use a hole punch to punch a hole on the center of one side and hang them on a coat hanger that has been cut and bent into a little hook for the copper to hang on. I then tuck this label behind the plant and sink the label into the ground and rest the copper at ground level. Over time the hanger wire will rust and the copper will patina (change to a brown color) but the name is still 100% readable.

Copper tooling is soft enough to write on/engrave with a pen and I have all my perennials labelled with them. They will never fade, break or have to be redone. I have never had any bird fly off with them and no dogs or cats have ever moved or bothered to touch any of them.

They cost about 10 cents to make and I make lots each summer for the local farmer's market and sell them 5 for $2.00.

Brenda

Brenda, those are very nice. Very, very nice. I must confess that there's not a label out there I find attractive; however, the various copper labels I've seen are among the most attractive of the lot, with yours included in that group.

My question: where do you get the hanger wire from? I'd think that, with a large enough plant collection, you're back to where you started from: having to buy so many materials for the labels that the cost begins to rise to high levels.

Do you have any metal clothes hangers lying around? You know, the ones that the dry cleaners use? I take my tin snips and cut them apart to make 5 hangers each.

So, the only cost for the labels I do, is the copper tooling.

Brenda

Hi, I have labels made with the clothes hangers and soda cans. The edges bend back easily for safety and it helps them to stay flat. The only difference from the picture is that I cut the labels larger. The cans cut easily with scissors. The writing on them is hard to see unless the stake is picked up. I tried the Paint Pens--they faded. Last year I did some with black enamel paint and a small paint brush. They are holding up good in hot south Alabama sun. I also did an extra punch hole at the top right to let me know that the plant is a Tet. This helped me when crossing.
Not hard to do or expensive--finding the time will be the hardest for folks with busy schedules.

Arlene

I find that I have the most time to 'spare' in the winter. So, that is when I make the majority of tags. Although, I purchased hundreds more plants this past summer than I anticipated last winter when I was making tags, and had to quickly make tags this spring and summer as perennials arrived.

Making copper name tags is one of the garden things that I can do in the winter to save me time in the summer. Other things include labelling and dating the thousands of pictures I took this past summer and updating my database.

As far as using soda cans, I don't like pop and so, it would take forever for me to gather enough cans to make tags with. The edges of the cans would be a lot sharper than the copper is, although then again, I do have the expense of the copper tooling in the first place.. whereas the can would be 'free' after the pop is consumed.

I really like the idea of marking the name tags of the daylilies with a hole or cut or something in the one end to tell me if it is a tet or a dip. hmmmm.... How does everyone else mark their tags for tet and dip?

Brenda

The folks at the plant where I work drink many sodas. I would never have enough cans if not for them. I also save the tabs to give to my daughter. Her church saves them for the kidney foundation.
The only part of the can that is wasted is the top. I cut as close to the top as I can. A hole is easily punched with scissors to be able to cut around the bottom to get a cut started. Most are cut for 2 labels, but some can be cut for 3 if a short name is to be written. I cut the bottom up high enough to use it for markers between my seedlings. I have them written in a notebook by rows. The can bottoms help me to keep them seperated. They are easily pushed in the dirt and stay unless I move them. I did forget to mention that I rinse the cans when I bring them home.
Typing this, the thought has entered my mind that the bottoms and tops both could be used for markers for a tet or dip for one to know the difference at a glance. More could be left to save the top also. If I did it, I would place all of them either to the right, left or center of the plant if possible.
Do any of you good folks have ideas to help make things easier for us? I sure am eager to know of anything that works for somebody else.

Arlene