Labels

[thy]

I got some daylillies 3 , 2 an one year ago... I labeled them, but now when they are growing big I can't find the labels, they are hid in the plannt mass.... how do you label your daylillies ??? And do you move the labels every year ???

[bobbo]

It's a rough deal all the way through. You need a winter marker or what some consider a permanent one, attached to the roots, and completely buried, the UV light will not burn these off, you just have to dig the plant to read them. I make my own other marker with a dremel tool and formica laminate, not as nice as ones that you can buy for 3-5 bucks each, but easy on the pocket. Believe me it's catch as catch can when the leaf blower hits in the fall, I like to burn the beds sometimes also, so more problems, more work.

Hope it helps

[toomanyanimals]

thy, I agree with bobbo about burying a label with the roots. I don't always do it, but it is a great idea and a great last resort to know what you have planted there. I have been doing the blinds with permenent marker. Name written above ground (so I can see the name) and name written in the part that goes into the ground (so it doesn't wash off). But I have had some of these come out of the ground altogether, then have to wait till bloom to reset them. I am working on a prettier solution. Something I picked up at a closing sale - metal markers.

I have been told that writing in pencil does not wash off like permenent marker. This is my first year doing it on the blinds, so I can't say if it will make it through the winter.

Someone 2 years ago sent me those white plastic forks with the name written on it in pencil. These have stayed in the ground and the name is still readable. I think these are a cute cheap labeling system. They are inconspicuous and a lot easier on the eye than the blinds. But you would still have to bury the name with the plant in case the fork moved.

I know there are the metal markers out there, but since I don't use them, I will let someone else talk about those.

Sharon

[wild4flowers]

The blinds are OK for a temporary fix, but they get brittle after awhile. I use metal flag type markers, but have to bury the post of them deep so the flag part is just above ground, or in winter the weight of the snow bends them over. And in spring when I rake the beds off, I also tend to rake up the marker. I have been putting the tape names on the front and writing in pencil on the back. Too soon to tell how long they last. CHAR

[hagranger]

I've tried everything ... from metal lead markers to copper that you can impress with a ballpoint pen to white plastic forks, knives, Venetian blind slats, to wood ... NOTHING is permanent and nothing lasts forever. I've been gardening since I was 7 and the only thing I've found that keeps me sane is to be tediously meticulous in planting those "named" varieties I want to remember and marking them on a map. Painted garden stones (ones that are somewhat flat on the bottom and weigh approximately three pounds or more. If they are painted and the entire stone is decoupaged or covered with coats of urethane it tends to last the longest. But it needs to be a bigger sized stone that is not easily raked off ... only problem is that kids tend to move them "because they were so pretty"...
I map and am anal retentive about mapping ... just ask my husband
Helen
Helen