Best Marking Method

I Just planted 38 different TBI.

I need ideas on how to keep the names with the plants, besides drawing up a set of asbuilt plans.

What works best for you folks?

At your service,
Oberscheismeister Sonny

We use metal markers with Brothers machine tapes. It also helps to map your bed.

Yes, metal markers.

And, I keep a spreadsheet of my irises and I put the bed name in the spreadsheet.
Then if the marker gets 'lost', I can still tell what irises are in that bed. And when I replant and move an iris to a new bed, it is easy to update the spreadsheet.

I have B1, B2, F1, F2, etc for bed names-B = back yard, F=front yard.

I was thinking of using plastic tent pegs with a number inscribed on the top with a dremmel tool. I would use an excell spread sheet to keep track of the numbers & names.

I am excited as some of the rhizomes already are showing signs of new growth!

Sonny

hi sonny, hows your garden doing. Mine got beat up last month, was left with sticks that I'm cutting back. Things are beginning to regrow and bloom should be in a few weeks. I had over 9" of rain last month, wow huh? Not sure if I want the mansoons to end yet tho, better than dragging the sprinkler around. Say, I got a great bargain last week, Craig's list add-- got 300+ iris ( plus a box with no fans, just starting to sprout, guessing a couple hundred more). Was wondering if intrested in a few? Coming to Denver any time soon? Kathy. Pix is of one of four colors that I have

Here's a pix of one of the others, the 2 remaining colors are purples, one light and one darker. Anything else you might be looking for? Got babies am potting on (new seedlings this year) and some things I am digging from the border as they seeded in the wrong areas. Kathy.

Kathy,

I am afraid that I don't have any room in the gardens left for anything else except the daffodills that I am planting in the Fall. I have learned not to even accept free plants unless I have a place to plant them right now. My gardens are doing great! You folks out on the Front Range have to deal with much more severe weather than us out here on the Western Slope

I don't know when I will be out on the Front Range, maybe a trip in the Fall before the snow flies.

I am planning to remix the soil in the front beds come Spring. The landscaper called what he put in topsoil, but even after applying cotton boll mulch every Fall the soil gets pretty darn dry & hard, and then it cracks. I even have trouble getting a weeder in the ground in certain places in the front beds. Compare that to the terracced bed I put together last year where I can push a metal rod 21" into the ground which is where all the iris are planted.

That's OK Sonny, I'll just have to keep them for myself, lol.. If you change your mind let me know I'll get some for you. Sure would love to get over your way, my favorite fishing spot is Sweetwater, haven't been there in years. Hopefully I can get my garden squared away yet this season, then I can get back to some of my other hobbies. Good Luck, Kathy.

....Hopefully I can get my garden squared away...

Gosh that refrain sounds familiar. I can't think of how many times I have said something similar! LOL :)

What is that flower in your last email?

Sonny

The pix is iris germanica "Amaryllis, I also have white which is named "Flopsy" (Pix is below). They are both flat, no standards, and smell wonderful, got at Long's Iris Gardens in Boulder. Neat huh? (Was just opening).

it's always neat to see flowers that are different. I have one that I just planted that is flat, but for the life of me I can't rember which one it is!

I have heard about Long's Garden, but I decided to go with Willow Bend Nurseries in Grand Junction. Very nice people, Darrel & Victoria.

Uuugh, I am recovering over an ice cold beer after finishing all the weeding in the two front beds & stone walkway. Since it is August, I was thinking about putting down some organic fertilizer around the flowers in the two front beds, but I have to check to see if this is okay, considering we freeze around the middle of October. What do you think?

Sonny

The last 2 years Iv'e had an early 1rst frost, am hoping for mid oct also. Ref. ferting, wouln't go past the last of Aug., that way any new growth will be hardened off before 1rst freeze. Gosh since your weeding is done I have a bunch that needs to be done, lol. I'm hoping for some cooler weather or clouds so I can work in the garden all day. Still preparing ground for the iris, hope to get to planting sometime this week. My grandkids go back to school tomorrow so I'll have mornings to get some things done and get caught up on all my yard projects. The main reason I like Long's is its a dig your own, they give you a fork to dig your plants. I walk the ilses looking for the largest of the variety I want. This year their prices were 8.50, but when you stop to think, once you get home it can be divided, some of the plants had 3-10 rhizomes. In the unnamed feild are the larger plants. They do have mail order, but I love to see the feilds in bloom. Not sure I will need to go for a few years since my latest aquisition,lol. .

I have been guilty of taking an acrylic crochet thread the color of the Iris and running it under the root. It will become the color of the dirt, but it washes clean so I have an idea what color it is. I have also used a paper with marks where I planted both Irises and Roses. The roses are easier to remember. I personally like the idea of metal markers tied on with above mentioned crochet thread. Thanks for the good ideas, everybody. Luciee {;0)

I use large clear plastic knives and labels from a label maker. I mark both sides. I push these in by the newly planted rhizomes. They are unobtrusive and last several years until the iris is replanted. I've tried several other things but for me these last the best.

Paul2063!

You are a genius! Brilliant! errrr I am beggining to sound like a Guiness beer comercial.

Your idea gets my vote! What kind of label maker do you use?

Sonny

Dymo...I always get cheap and buy one when I would be better served if I bought a better one. It would last longer and work better. I make the labels when I place my orders, on a bad weather day or at night so they are ready when the iris come. Plastic knives I buy at WalMart.

I use Eon metal plant markers and a brother ptouch label maker. You could use paint pens on the metal plant markers as well and the plates are replaceable. I've also used thin aluminum tags with thick fishing line that I tie around the rhizome and bury a bit. You don't "write" on the tags but they are soft metal and you make the impression of the words with a pen on them. Won't fade or wash off.

I think I have found the perfect marker labels, thanks to Paul2063.

Costco has these plastic knives, http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11151135&search=PLASTIC%20KNIFE&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=PLASTIC%20KNIFE&Ntt=PLASTIC%20KNIFE&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial

The price is right & you can bury most of the knife in the soil after you have mapped, numbered & listed your irises. I will experiment with acrylic paint, labels, polyurethane coatings and report back.

It looks like all of my rhizomes are taking, which is a relief after putting all that work into mixing the soil and laying retaining blocks for the terraced bed. Now if I can keep the neighborhood bear from stomping my rhizomes or skunks from digging them up, I will be very happy! :)

Sonny

This message was edited Aug 14, 2011 3:10 PM