When I use blinds I bury them with the bottom twenty percent bent up so that they are harder to pull out. I cut them so there is about six inches above the ground.
There are all sorts of formulae in the old garden books for making lenduring abels. Strips of zinc written on with chemicals which oxidize on contact to permanent black, for instance. Some are shove in type, in which case there is often something said about bending them in half at the lower end so that they stay in place better. Some other sorts are punched and made to dangle from a bent wire which is shoved in.
As for pencils, one can get a large, soft graphite drawing pencil, Ebony or somesuch brand, at an art supply store or something pretending to be an art supply store, and this when properly broken in will give a nice black mark which will wear well. Oddly enough, some of my better markers--bear in mind mine is a very small collection and there are no moose--have actually been wooden tongue depressors written on with Ebony pencil. They rot off at the bottom, getting a bit shorter each year, but they are good for several years, and they are pretty unobtrusive, so the crows don't carry them off. The best thing to do, of course, is to make a map of things.
My potted stuff carries its name on the side of the pot, written in white china marker wax pencil.
AMW
-----Original Message-----
From: Rodney Barton <rbartontx@yahoo.com>
To: iris-species@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, Feb 5, 2011 12:32 pm
Subject: Re: [iris-species] Re: Babiana odorata
Hi Debbie,
Yes mini-blind slats with pencil. Crows like to pull them up here. In the garden I push them leaving only an inch or so above ground. Just enough to grab and pull them out if I want to check the ID on something. Mostly I rely on my maps. The big problem lately is that the blinds I've salvaged are very thin. OK for pots but really too flexible for the garden. They seem to do better if you don't point them. The similar white plastic "stakes" that come in sheets also work well and actually are easier to mark but do get brittle in a couple of years. I stick with the blinds because the are free!
For those that haven't used this system it's important to mark both the top and bottom of the slat. The top marking will weather but that below the ground will last for years.
Rod
From: Debbie Hinchey <d*@alaska.com>
To: i*@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, February 5, 2011 10:44:18 AM
Subject: [iris-species] Re: Babiana odorata
I noticed the label in your pot. Is it made from a slat from window mini-blinds?
That is what I use for all my labels. I use #2 pencil or a Brother Label maker for notes on the mini-blind. So far this is the best I have found for durability, but I am always looking for something better.
Is this what you do too? Or do you have another technique that works better for durable labels?
I have moose stepping on them and Magpies pulling them out all the time. I can cut them into many useful sizes with a point on one end and round the corners at the other end so that I do not cut my hands when weeding. I prefer to not use the white ones because they show up too well in the garden (like miniature tombstones in spring) but I use what I am given. I also like the recycling aspect of using otherwise trashed blinds.
Debbie
Anchorage, Alaska
USDA Zone 3 - 4
