Mini-blinds work well for labels. Pencil is the longest lasting marker.I use a childs large, fat pencil and write large. Use a mouse pad and indent the plastic as you print and the impression will be there after the mark is gone. The plastic will get brittle and break, eventually,so I use two tags.Try to start out with less brittle blinds. Heavy aluminum foil(can material),and copper foil, thusly indented, last for many years. I have buried them in containers,close to the surface,for years. 26-24 guage telephone wire, with the insulation left on, works well to tie mini-blind tags on,for breeding id tags. The absolute best marker is stainless steel. The cheapest way to have that, is to visit thrift shops and yard sales, to buy flatware knives,with solid handles,without much decoration,so they can be written on. The best way I have found to mark stainless, is to use a Dremel mototool and a diamond bit. I use two of those markers. One, on one side,visible,the other, on the other side,below the surface. If you put them at the edge side of the plant,the offsets won't grow into them. There is no such thing as an indelible pencil,or a permanent marker.No one has been able to develop them, without the chemicals which were once in them. Good luck tagging. Del

My favorite plant marker is my memory! :-) In most cases I know at least one common name plus the botanical. With several hundred species I don't wish to spend the time or money on labels. Plus, I don't care for the look of them either. I put a copy of our yard survey on the computer so I have all the yard and hardscape dimensions, to scale, and I print portions of the map to draw diagrams of my gardens on. I scan them afterwards so I have a backup copy. (And, in any case, there is always Name that Plant.) This is great for wintertime planning purposes, and a handy backup for the times my mind goes blank. It sometimes takes me a few years to remember a new addition's name! Oh, and the few cultivars I have, I don't bother with the named portion - a heuchera is a heuchera, Palace Purple or whatever is not retained anywhere.

I don't want to sound like a "Negative Nancy", but I have had permanent marker on one our monitor screens for about 3 years now. I have repeatedly tried to remove it, but nothing has worked....it has faded over the years though from repeated attempts, but the marks are still there. (lesson learned though, ever since then I have made sure to keep permanent markers out of the hands of my daughter!) Good luck!

Hosta Markers I use flat pieces of rock that I find in the creek bed behind my house. Scrub them well with an old brush and water to remove any mud, dirt etc. This is important because the paint will not stick well if you use it over dried mud or dirt. I use paint pens from my local craft store that are made specifically for pourous surfaces. The ones I use are for decorating clay flower pots. I first use a medium point black marker to write the name and let it dry completely. Then I write over the black with a fine tip white to make the letters pop. I would recommend spraying the dry markers with a clear sealer coat so they last indefinitely. Caliloo ********************************************************** I am quite happy with my markers from Eon Industries (about 30 cents each when ordering 100). I used a garden pen to label the first year, and it all faded. Now I use a Brother P-touch labeler with clear exterior grade tape (I don't know how I ever lived without it). Make sure the garden markers are at least 12" long. That way, you can drive them far enough into the ground to be permanent-and they can also be cut to size if needed. I like to leave only about 4" above ground behind the plant. DirtnNails *********************************************************** I like to use two tags, both made from pieces of old mini blinds. One tag is about 6 inches long and it goes beside the plant. The other tag is about 2 inches long and it goes in the ground, under the plant. That way, if the top tag is ever lost or vandalized, I can always dig the plant up and find its other tag. BigGuy5 *********************************************************** I got my "rose markers" from the Paw Paw Everlast Co. I use the 12" for the mini's and smalls and the 16" for the larger ones. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement for them, but the 12" were $29.35/100 and the taller were $36.25/100, freight included. I couldn't find any markers more reasonable and needed over 350 of them. I top them off with the Brother P-touch labels and am very happy with the results Seedseller1 ***********************************************************