Where does everyone get there plant markers?

I was making my labels out of aluminum sheeting and galvanized wire to help keep my cost down. Needless to say, I cannot seem to keep up with making them at this time. I did buy a Brother P-Touch label maker to help with my labels.

What type of garden marker/labels does everyone find best and where do you get the best pricing from? Also, what size/style do you prefer?
Thanks in advance!

I like the little plastic Ferry~Morse markers.. They are about $4 for 16. And some packs come with a marker too.

I have used these for years. I used to use a label maker but now use Painters paint marker by Elmer's and write on the label. The ones I did last year still are pretty dark.

http://everlastlabel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=21

I use heavy weight disposable knives. They are only a few $ for a box of one hundred. They work really well unless I step on them.

I have tried metal mini-blind slats, heavy duty plastic knives, white plastic markers in two diffrent lengths, tiny terra cotta starter pots and more. All of the above I used with Sharpie markers. All of the above were not long lasting. The Sharpie marker faded within two years or less which then required refreshing after figuring out traces of what had been written there before. With as many as I had by that time this was tedious as can be.The Brother P-Touch labels on zinc markers is by far the best for the long term. No fuss, no muss, totally legible, no fading at all so far(3 years), and the tape adheres beautifully. The problems with the others led to an identifying nightmare that I am still digging out of. I am still finding faded slats occasionally laying flat on the ground or partly buried, broken brittle plastic knives that become totally unreadable, disentegrating terracotta pots(I thought they were cute and more porous for the marker to saturate better) and white plastic markers that have heaved out of the ground(from our kind of weather) over time and names on them too faded to read for a certainty. I have several hundred and I would go no other way given the volume I deal with.

Some of these above methods might work great for some, but for me and the long term, I have found the answer and am verrrry thankful. I will not go back. I do use white plastic markers as a temporary one while waiting for more zinc ones to arrive or for marking a noid until I find out who it is. You already have the P-Touch...

K

I buy Eon E-10 on the co ops

D

Oops... let me correct the title "Where does everyone get THEIR plant markers?" My bad.

Dee, what do you mean "co-ops". Please explain.

K

We get the metal markers at the local garden center. We use Brothersp-touch so when we get rid of plants can reuse the metal markers.

I used to use a sharpie on my plastic markers, but the paint pens work much better... as for the markers that come with the Ferry~Morse markers... I have yet to see if they survive the winter...The paint pens I used last year are still dark and show little fading. I'd love to buy the little metal ones...but they show too much. I shove my little plastic markers into the ground so that you can barely see them.

I find that little plastic markers often break

I use the same markers Dee uses, and use a PTouch to put the labels on. My husband then clear coats them for me. I also get them in the co-ops. Mine have lasted many years.

Hmm...I guess I'll find out, eh? One winter here, and they may change their characteristic... so far, I've bent them on accident and then bent them back.. and hit one on the side digging with my shovel... didn't seem to hurt it much. But... after a year in the ground... who knows. I just started using them this year. &:-)

I use p-touch industrial strength tape on thin metal window blind slats. I leave the blind strips 6 to 8 inches and bury them about half way. I tried, and still have a ton of zinc markers. The extreme summer heat deteriorates the tape on the zinc. After the second year it just crumbles off. Paint pens or markers can't cut it here. So far the mini blinds are 3 yrs in the ground and are still looking good

.Sounds good! And cheap!!!

Well -- I use the metal markers from Kincaid Gardens. They aren't cheap (run about a dollar apiece) -- but they're virtually indestuctable. I use an electric label-maker for the names, etc. -- the labels are laminated and fade-proof. So, once done, done.

I also use SS markers from Kincaid Gardens. In quantities of 100 they range from $78-$86 depending on length + shipping cost. I have started using laser printed labels on weather proof Avery labels # 15510 (1" X 2 5/8"). I understand from the individuals that maintain the Iris garden at the Memphis Botanical Garden that these labels have been in continuous use for 12 years and have not degraded.
Dennis

Boy, that last one sounds intriguing! Please tell me about the laser printed labels on weather proof Avery Labels #15510. Do you create these on your computer, a label maker, what? And where do you get these Avery labels? Do office supply places have them?

I purchase the labels at Office Depot. They come 30 labels to a sheet in packs of 300 labels. Labels are created using MS Word using mail merge from my Excel spreadsheet that includes my numbering system, name of the cultivar, hybridizer, and Intro year. I purchased an inexpensive laser printer for this purpose. I had been using a P-touch label maker, but find this easier to use. I am currently in the early stages of removing the P-touch labels (~800) and replacing them with these laser printed labels.

Well gosh Dennis -- and here I thought I was on the cutting edge!! :-D

LOL -- I learned about the Kincaid markers from Dennis and am still using the label maker like the one he showed me last year!!

What I really like about the EON markers is they come in pretty colors. I got forest green for my Japanese irises, and the blue for the siberian irises, which is very handy when searching for an iris. At the co-op price they are 50 for 15.50 in the colors.

I've had some at least 10 years, maybe more.

Oh wow, I just wish there was away to mark our irises that didn't stand up and take away from the plants themselves. I have the tall Rose Markers from PawPaws Labels and Markers. I call them my little cemetery markers. But when your weeding and all they hurt like the devil if you happen to rake your arm up against one of them. Of course the weeds want to grow right up through them too. I'm thinking someone is surely going to invent something to keep the weeds out from the irises.....(well I can dream can't I) LOL Preen helps but nothing I've used works 100%.

Happy Gardening, everyone!
Marian

I push mine way down into the ground Marian, so the label is sitting right on the ground. You're right, they can scape an arm or leg. .

irisloverdee was referring to the co-ops held here at davesgarden for EON markers.

The EON markers, as far as I know, are actually made at Paw Paw, and if you google Paw Paw and plant tags or plant markers or garden markers, you should find their wedsites. I can't remember which is cheaper, but one of them, I think, doesn't charge for shipping.

Dee was referring to the other co-ops, not the one on here. It would be nice if someone would do one here.

Eon and Paw Paw are two different companies. Paw Paw does not make Eon. The lady that makes the markers at Eon, Dawn, had a heart attack not too long ago, so I don't know what the status of the company is. Both Eon and Paw Paw are very small, family owned, but very excellent comapnies to deal with.

wow Polly! I've been told by no less than 5 people that Paw Paw made the Eon markers. probably because they look the same. This is great to know! I've been ordering from EON but had been wondering if I should switch.

Here's EON

http://www.eonindustries.com/lablels.php

Here's Paw Paw

http://everlastlabel.com/

The markers don't even look the same. I sure don't know where some of this info comes from. Both are small family owned industries.

This message was edited Aug 8, 2010 1:02 PM

Where would I get the Painters Paint Markers by Elmer's? And will they work on those white plastic markers you can purchase at Home Depot? I like to use those for my irises in my back bed because I'm always moving around in that bed and I'm afraid I might trip over a metal one and it would cause me to fall rather than coming up out of the ground. At least the plastic ones will immediately break and not bring me down on top of the irises like I'm afraid the metal ones would. I do, however, use the metal ones for my daylilies, and so far I've just purchased them already printed form Daylily Manor.

Polly Thanks for the Links. I needed some more so just ordered from Paw Paw. Need to get labels on the ones I got from Dee.
Steph

Hi Steph, you're welcome. Next time email me, there are co-ops going on for them.

I see they're talking about markers on the co-op thread right now if anyone is interested in adding your name to their list

Oh I wish I had read a little closer. Darn.

I know this is sort of off topic and this thread is over but I appreciate the information. Are you guys using and particular software to keep track of your collections and print labels?

Has anyone used p-touch 2700 on zinc in zone 9b?

How about some label pics?

Thanks,

Robin

For now, I am using aluminum tree tags from Forestry Supplies. I write the name of the iris on it and use cut pieces of plastic wrapped clothes-line wire to make U-shaped stakes. I can make the stakes as tall or short as I want, the tags have really lasted and if anchored in the ground deep enough, they don't go anywhere. I sink mine up to the tag. These are relatively cheap and I don't have to worry if the ink will come off. I have tried some paint in the names this year to make them stand out but don't know how that addition to my tags will do through the winter yet. I haven't gotten my "real" beds planted yet. Hubby just finished 4000' feet of barbed wire fencing through the wooded part of our property earlier this month. Before he came home and also before the tiller quit!! He tilled part of my "real" growing bed up. The irises planted as part of the yard and foundation will be left there and I plan to move divisions of each of those to the bed so I will have some of all out there. I finally got all of my irises moved from here...around 1000. The last few hundred are rather jumbled in with some unknowns and mostly historics. Probably duplications on many of those but will get them identified again as they bloom.

Found out what those little hard bumps on the tops of my fingers are...not calluses as I thought...(from pulling weeds I figured...HeHeHe!)...but of course, not to be. All of that pain and swelling...degenerative joint disease.


Anyway...I took pics of the way I make my tags if anyone is interested, I thought I could pass that on.

i would like to see the pics

I use clear plastic knives that I get at Walmart. I get the largest ones. I make labels with a Dynamo label maker, sometimes one for both sides. They don't peal off. I usually order new iris early in the spring and make the labels then before I'm busy in the yard, then they are ready when the orders come. I don't have many garden quests so the markers are primarily for my own information. Some have been with iris and hostas for several years and are ok. With the hostas I put them right behind the plant where it is completely unobtrusive. In the spring they help me to know where the hosta eyes will emerge so I don't damage them while cleaning the bed.

I would love to see some tag pics!

OH...geez...I have been putting this off. After making 4 small fruit cakes and 10 different kinds of fudge, fixing new recipes to go in my grown children's cookbooks and still not having gotten to wrapping...I need a bit of a break and then off to cooking and baking again!

Tags...1st what I did this year.
What I used:
Wire cutters
pliers
screwdriver
roll of plastic covered clothes line wire from hardware store
aluminum tags from Forestry Supplies (online..but the aluminum can idea looks good!)


1. I cut all of the wire into 10-11" lengths...apx. not perfect. Kind of wire cutters doesn't matter.

Don't laugh at my choice of tools! LOL!!!
They are what I could find in the new garage after we have moved only some of them there from our old house.

2. I started a wrap around one side of the pliers (I didn't have reg pliers or would have used them. They would have been easier. Channel lock pliers are NOT the thing to use!l) by holding the wire with the pliers and wrapping the wire one time around it.

3. I moved the wire to the end a large flat screwdriver and continued to wrap going down to make a coil at the top of the wire.