Labels Take Mystery Out of Work
How often I have heard, from my own lips as well as others, these words: “It was a really great tomato, but I lost the label so I’m not sure which one it was.”
Tomatoes, zinnias, dahlias, day lilies, peas, beans, peppers, basil, marigolds, daffodils, peonies, thyme, squash. Whether it’s a summer annual or fall-planted perennial, flowering bulb or ornamental shrub, the identity of a plant becomes critical when a gardener wants to repeat an effect in another spot or subsequent season or, under different circumstances, shun a color or curb a varietal habit.
Labels and markers are the key to making such decisions; they also serve as the skeleton of an older, well-grown garden. Markers and labels perform different roles. Markers are long-term, designed to last many seasons in all kinds of weather. They can be left in place year-round and so are ideal for distinguishing herbaceous perennials when they go dormant, disappearing underground.
Markers look like small easels, each a plaque attached to a stanchion-like stand. Most are made of aluminum or steel or a combination; there also are decorative versions in pottery and wood treated to withstand rot. Markers typically are eight to 18 inches tall for easy visibility.
Labels are temporary, intended to last only one or two years. They are used primarily to mark annuals until the end of the season or to identify seedlings of annuals or perennials slated for transplanting. Labels tie directly onto plants, with a wire or string or a self-looping system; materials include aluminum and other metals, wood and, perhaps most common, plastic.
Then there are the marker-label hybrids, such as the ubiquitous plastic Popsicle-stick-like identifiers that bristle from nursery-grown seedlings sold in the spring at garden centers.
Factors to consider when selecting plant markers or labels include style, practicality, durability, price and suitability for their intended purpose. Here are some guidelines.
Perennials will be in the ground for many years, and the markers that identify them should have a similar life span. Aluminum, zinc and steel may not be as pretty as pottery and wood, but they will outlive the plants they mark, so they are worth using. Plastic fades and becomes brittle and cannot be depended upon for more than a year.
A marker that is 18 inches tall will be more prominent than one eight inches high; gardeners who shun taller versions because they are too obvious should keep in mind that in the summertime the luxurious growth of perennials will camouflage even conspicuous markers.
A marker designed for perennials should have space for writing the name clearly. Aluminum nameplates can be written on with a ballpoint pen, which makes a clear imprint that lasts as long as the aluminum. Steel and zinc generally require special metal-marking pens or indelible-ink pens available from an office-supply store.
The stanchion or wire picket to which the nameplate is attached should be made of heavy-duty wire, doubled for a stanchion or, if it is a single wire shaft, crimped at the base for added strength. In addition to wire posts, other suitable styles for marker stands include flattened galvanized steel stakes, treated wood rods, bamboo canes or heavy, molded plastic staves.
Prices of markers range from about $12 per hundred to $1 each. Up to a point, the price of a marker is an indication of quality; the best values are in the range of 30 to 50 cents per marker.
Some mail-order places offer preprinted markers. One such service has computer-generated labeling printed on vinyl and affixed to nameplates with weatherproof glue. It is likely that in the future special kits will be marketed for computer-owning gardeners who want a label to last a season or two, but longer-lasting ones are useful for record keeping. The main criteria for practical labels are sufficient space to make cryptic notes, convenient fastening to plants or stakes, and durability.
For starting seedlings, Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors take up minimum space in small pots. They are big enough to note varietal name and sowing date and are a good deal at about $2 per 100. Wooden and plastic stakes similar to Popsicle sticks are widely available and retail for $3 to $5 per hundred.
When seedlings are transplanted into the garden, information from the Popsicle sticks can be transferred to labels that are tied onto individual plants. This type is particularly useful when the smaller stakes run the risk of disappearing under luxuriant plant growth (as with tomatoes) or heavy mulching. Aluminum tie labels are cheap, at $5 to $8 per hundred, durable and easy to write on with a ballpoint pen. Wooden and plastic versions are similarly priced and require a laundry-marking pen.
For rows of peas, beans or large masses of one kind of flower, a good choice is large plastic stakes with sufficient space to note sowing or transplant dates, dates to maturity, harvest or length of bloom--all important information for assessing a variety. The labels come in a wide range of sizes, priced from $12 to $30 per hundred.
A final suggestion: For writing on either markers or labels, if indelible ink is required, stick to black.
