Plant label update

A couple of months ago, I showed you the plant labels I’m currently using (see here). Seeing how I have a few thousand of these labels and they work great, I will continue to use them, especially for potted plants. But I’ve started to trial larger tags — stakes, really — for in-ground use:

For me, these stakes have several benefits:

• They are very sturdy so they shouldn’t disintegrate as quickly as the thinner (and smaller) labels I’ve been using.
• They are larger so there’s room for more information, if needed. Plus, I’m hoping they’re too large for squirrels to haul away.
• Since they’re black, they don’t stand out like white labels do.

You can’t really use a pencil to write on these stakes. The ones I bought on Amazon (here) come with a white marker pen, but the tip isn’t fine enough. I bought these marker pens instead. They’re filled with oil-based paint that doesn’t wash off and have what’s billed as an “extra fine” tip.

The pens I’m using

Here are my first attempts:

I submerged one in water, and the paint is indeed waterproof — it doesn’t wash off or smudge. Will the stakes remain in place? Will the writing fade in the sun? I expect that answers to these questions will become obvious as I use the stakes under real-world conditions. Expect an update down the line.

P.S. I realize that many gardeners don't label their in-ground plants. I'll be the first to admit that labels are distracting, even unsightly. I don't bother with labels for plants that cannot be confused for anything else, but I have so many hybrids (especially aloes and agaves) that I do need tags to remember what they are.

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