Maureen,

"The first online golf site I checked offers 250 basic, colored tees, shipped, for $23.95. Would they be worth it, I wonder? I'm such a miser... "

As kids, following our Dad around the golf course, we used to pick up lots of golf tees for free. Apparently a lot of golfers don't bother to look for their tee if it isn't still in the ground where they teeed off. (spelling?) The grassy areas in front of the tee-offs were full of free golf tees. We used them for toy soldiers in our forts built of cheap wooden dominoes. Woolworth's had double-six domino sets for 10¢ a set. That was obviously quite a few years ago.

In the past I have used pieces of soda straws as bulb markers. MacDonald's straws work best because they are thickest, but any soda straw should do. Wendy's Frosties straws are thick, too. Scissors can easily cut them into the lengths you want. I used 3" or 4" lengths and pushed them in pretty deep so they wouldn't show up much from a distance.

I am thinking of getting a wood-burning set to make permanently inscribed wooden markers for some of my plants. Wooden shims from Home Depot are handy for a lot of things other than levelling furniture and such. I use a lot of them in the garden as markers, but I think a wood-burner tool would give the inscriptions a nice "rustic" look. I might try some pieces of wood other than the wooden shims.

MM

Frostie straws--what a concept! Let's see...one garden has about sixty clumps of bulbs. I think I could manage to eat sixty Frosties in the next couple of weeks. I do not share your good opinion of MacDonald's straws, however. Just yesterday, I made one of four/ five annual visits to MacD's for a chocolate shake; the straw was a major disappointment.

Overall, I like the idea of straws. Much less expensive than golf tees; i.e., if one buys the straws in bulk, not by the each (Frostie/ shake). I think I'll give them a try--thanks. I am feeling quite done with the metal type markers and the small wooden/plastic stake types which require yearly re-inking with a (sic) indelible marker--simply too time consuming for moi. Bulb markers are for location, not necessarily identification. I don't know what I'm going to do about plant id markers.

Your idea for wooden plant markers sounds pleasing to the eye and capable of withstanding the elements. Perhaps you have a (real) cabinetmaker's shop near you that might yield some interesting scrap wood for marker stock. Please let us know how your project turns out. I detect cottage industry potential in your idea.

Maureen

The tees and the straws sound like they will get lost (believe me, I've tried nearly everything as a garden marker). What I've done is wrote on flat stones with a paint pen or garden marker "tulips" and maybe the color. The stones don't stick up like labels but they're there.

I don't know where you are, but every so often I visit Two Lights Park in Cape Elizabeth. The shore is covered with flat, slate-like stones perfect for garden labels.

Veilchen,

"The tees and the straws sound like they will get lost (believe me, I've tried nearly everything as a garden marker)."

The straws do get brittle and susceptible to breakage and disintegration, particularly the part that is above ground. I guess they are biodegradable or can't take sunlight. But, when inserted two or three inches in the ground, they do stay put. I simply replace them after a year or two to cope with their biodegradability, if the bulbs are still there. We have suffered some heavy bulb losses to squirrels despite my campaign to wipe them out.

Sometimes, if you are replacing larger diameter straws with smaller diameter straws, you can insert the newer smaller diameter straw inside the older larger diameter straw.

"What I've done is wrote on flat stones with a paint pen or garden marker "tulips" and maybe the color. The stones don't stick up like labels but they're there."

I tried that on a few decorative rounded river stones that stood out from the "garden variety" rocks that seem to be everywhere. The writing tended to fade, despite being "indelible", and during the winter months the stones somehow got moved around. Also, our little grandaughter tends to pick up rocks of all descriptions.

However, if we are ever in the vicinity of Two Lights Park in Cape Elizabeth, we will keep our eyes open for some of those flat slate-like stones. They might hold ink better than our igneous rocks.

MM

Maureen,

"I am feeling quite done with the metal type markers and the small wooden/plastic stake types which require yearly re-inking with a (sic) indelible marker--simply too time consuming for moi."

Last year I labelled my plastic soda-bottle pots with small self-stick Avery paper labels written on with Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Markers in various colors. The labels were convenient to apply and the writing looks great to start with, but last year the colored inks faded quickly in sunlight (I used the pots themselves as temporary labels when I set the plants out) and many of the Avery paper labels simply fell off of the pots. I threw a handful of sand and/or a few rocks into the pots to make them immobile as markers. At least that worked reasonably well.

So this year I used black ink exclusively and used neatly cut rectangles of white electrical tape as my labels. The tape stuck much better than the paper labels.

Surprisingly, the black ink on white electrical tape has even faded inside under fluorescent lights. Some of my onion labels were barely discernible when I set them out. I relabelled the onions in the garden with little commercial white plastic labels written on with pencil. I had picked up a couple of packages of them in Longfellow's last year. Time will tell if that works. I learned that I can erase and re-use those labels by using Bon-Ami. But I suspect the plastic will become brittle in the sun. I think it is polystyrene, which is a bit brittle to start with.

I labelled my watermelon hills last year with wooden shims from Home Depot. I wrote on them with the larger Sharpie Fine Point pens in black ink and I notice they are still quite readable this year. They spent the winter in the garden. The ink soaked into the wood, making it very fade-resistant. In fact, I don't have a practical way of erasing and re-using those labels. I suppose I could sand them down, but I don't think it is worth the trouble. The shims don't cost much for a bundle. Despite their "permanence", the wooden shim labels aren't reusable in their present form because they contain planting date and setting-out date information that changes from year to year. And I also change varieties from year to year as well.

I plan to experiment with wood pieces and a wood burner pen this year. But I'm not super optimistic about the practicality of that, either. Still, it's kind of fun trying to come up with a workable scheme for reusable but lasting plant markers.

I'm thinking about just putting a number on the label and recording the detailed information in my garden journal. But I'm not too wild about the idea of having a garden full of just numbers, despite my liking for the "Numbers" TV series.

MM

Sharpies or "permanent" markers don't last outside. I have had plastic labels marked with a Sharpie fade to nothing in the sun within 2 weeks. I use a "garden marker" which is like a permanent marker, only the ink is made to withstand outdoor use. They have them at most garden centers for around $2 plus. Using this marker on stones, I haven't had to re-apply fo 3 years before the lables started to fade (but I could still read them).

Even better is one of those wax markers, I think some people call them a china pen. They last pretty much forever, can get them at craft stores.

Better still is a paint pen. I just bought one the other day and it's a joy to use. The label says the paint can only be removed by lacquer thinner.

Surprisingly, pencil also lasts pretty much forever. The only problem is that it's hard to read unless you get up close to the label; I have resolved this by going over the label in thick pencil lines.

Veilchen,

Thanks for mentioning the paint pen--it's a great idea! My experience with grease pencils/China pens and those 'special' markers sold at garden centers has been as lastingly successful as was my adventures with the stuff I once bought called "Shake-Away" that was guaranteed to keep chipmunks out of the garden.

MM,

I don't have a TV, per say, so I am not familiar with the series, "Numbers." However, I completely agree that a numbered garden sounds less than appealing.

Since we're talking about labeling plants, might I here confess to a personal problem? I can't keep plant names in my head. It could be any plant at a given time. Psychology calls this Dysnomia--the "it's on the tip of my tongue" experience. What a drag... The other day, I couldn't retrieve the name for Forget-Me-Nots!!! (I kid you not!) This can be a real dilemma when someone who is paying me as a gardener inquires of a specific plant's name, and I reply, "I'll have to get back to you with that." And the plant in question could be something as familiar as a Forget-Me-Not.

Maureen

Maureen,

"The other day, I couldn't retrieve the name for Forget-Me-Nots!!!"

Pardon me for smiling. But that is kind of funny. They say the "its on the tip of my tongue" problem is common for all ages, but somehow I notice it more in myself now.

MM

Veilchen,

Thanks for the good info on various marking devices. I had seen those "garden markers" in Longfellow's, but I just assumed they were relabelled Sharpies. I'll have to pick one up (and pay for it, of course) and give it a try.

I, too, have noticed that pencil markings are reasonably permanent. I guess they use carbon as their pigment and carbon is very lightfast. I have an Ebony pencil that makes fairly broad, very dark marks, although I use my 0.5mm PaperMate pencil quite a bit because it is handy and its 2B lead is soft enough to be quite legible.

You are right about having to get up close to read the pencilled labels. The Ebony pencil only partly solves that problem. I'll pick up a Paint Pen and some china markers the next time I am in Michael's. Thanks for your good ideas.

MM

I am thrilled with the "Garden Marker" pen I've been using for two years. No fading!

I have mini-blinds that have never been shortened to the proper length for the window. There is this stack of slats sitting on each window sill. Every couple of years when I need garden labels, I go ahead and shorten a blind and cut up the extra slats for markers. They last at least two years, and I find if I push them way down, they are pretty unobtrusive. And wicked cheap!!

Barbara

I use the mini blind slats too. I bought 1 blind for about $6 & just cut up the slats as needed. The deco paint pens work well for labelling too. But I find the best way of keeping track of plant IDs is to sketch out the garden & label the location on the sketch (then if a tag is lost, fades, etc. I still know what is where & can retag it if I want to).

I just created thIS BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION of Bulb Markers as part of a good Freirnds Wedding Gift🤗🌱I wanted a product that would hold up to the outdoor elements and provide some BEAUTY when pushed in the ground.

I chose BAMBOO GOLF TEES and FIREGLASS PEBBLES. I used clear GORILLA GLUE to attach them together....they turned out GORGEOUS!!💗💗

I found that rubbing alcohol removes garden marker ink