Plant Markers That Last

Embossed Metal

• Metal makes a durable material for plant markers. One way to ensure the letters will never fade away is to emboss the name of the plant directly into the metal. Use any kind of metal for punching or embossing crafts, such as sheet aluminum or copper. Create a marker to stick in the soil, or an ornament-style tag that you can hang on a plant branch. Another option is to recycle old spoons and butter knives by stamping the names of plants into the metal. Stand them up by planting the handle right into the soil near the plant. You may have to invest in metal embossing or stamping tools, but if you enjoy metal crafting it can be an investment that pays off.

Cement Stones

• Written in cement, your plant markers will never fade. Get quick setting concrete, the kind used for homemade paving stones. Follow the manufacturer’s directions to mix and pour it into a small, round mold such as an old butter container or pie plate. Once the concrete begins to set, but before it’s dry, grab a pen and scrawl the name of the plant across the surface. Allow the concrete to set, dry and cure as the instructions indicate. Place these little pavers at the base of your plants or at the start of a plant row, and the marker will stand there for years. If you need to move it from year to year, simply dig it up.

Recycle Blinds

• One set of scrapped vinyl Venetian blinds offers more plant markers than most people will be able to use in an entire season. Cut away the strings that fasten blinds together, then snip the individual slats into the desired length. Make them long enough to poke them into the soil, or you can make them short and punch a hole in one end to create an ornament tag to hang on the plant. A permanent marker will last quite a long time, but there are a few steps you can take to ensure the marker will outlive just about any plant. Sand the blind lightly with a fine-grain sandpaper before writing the plant name on it. Write the name on it with a permanent marker, then brush on a weather-proof clear acrylic sealer to protect the lettering from getting weathered and faded.

Burn it

• You can use scraps of 1-by-2-inch wood or large dowels to make plant markers, and protect them with polyurethane so they will last a long while. Another option if you grow your plants in plastic pots is to use a wood-burning tool to inscribe the name of the plant directly on the container. Inexpensive wood burners are a good tool for scarring plastic permanently. Avoid using your costly wood-burning kits on this project and opt for inexpensive craft store wood-burning pens. Reserve it for use on plastic.