OUR TAGS (approximately 1x3” from aluminum cans) AND WIRE (16” long, 14 gage aluminum electric fence wire) ARE ALUMINUM.  The tags can be embossed, SO THE WRITING IS PERMANENT or you can use a label maker.   Each set of 25 markers is $16 with free shipping.

You would not be looking here unless you wanted “permanent” markers.  Almost every type has at least one serious shortcoming.   We have tried almost every type and have always been disappointed in some way.  After 50 years of personal gardening experience, we have come up with this marker that we make by hand and use tens of thousands in our nursery.  Don’t you find it is still true, “If you want something done right, do it yourself!”  This simple marker combines all the best characteristics that you will learn to love.  You could do your own too, but most people are too busy.

Have you ever had the writing fade or a marker rot, crack, rust or fall off?  How frustrating is it to make a label or tag, only to discover later in the year, or in a couple of years, that you can't read it, or it has rusted and is lost!  THESE ARE THE MOST SENSABLE AND VERSATILE MARKERS WE HAVE EVER USED.  Not only are they simple and inexpensive, but they also last forever, so your plants can be labeled with confidence.

You can either stick your markers in the soil near the plant so the tag hangs freely several inches above the ground or wrap the wire around a branch or woody stem attaching it directly to the plant.  The wire stake is long enough that it won't restrict the growth of the plant, and the marker can be easily removed and put in a different location as the plant grows.  Also, you can twist the wire stake to make tags where both ends of the wire stake go into the soil (see photos online).

ITEMS FOR PURCHASE: To minimize your cost, you are buying sets of 25 all aluminum markers and tags with free shipping for $16.  You will receive 25, 16" long wire stakes and 25 tags with a single hole punch.   You can order as many sets as you need.  Instructions on how to bend the wire, mark and attach the tags will come with each order.

100 markers, for example, are $64 including shipping.  The marker tags are aluminum cut from aluminum cans and are approximately 1” x 3”. The wires are approximately 16” long and made from 14 gauge aluminum wire which we purchase in 1/4 mile spools.  You will receive 25 of each, and you must assemble them yourself, which is very easy.  It is easier to write on the tag before attaching it to the wire.  Since the tags and wire are cut by hand, the size will vary slightly.  You can also use a label maker such as a Brother labeler and use regular or UV resistant label tape.  We have had non-UV labels in the direct Florida sun for 10 years and they can still be read.

MARKING YOUR TAG & ATTACHING IT TO THE WIRE: Place the tag on an old newspaper or piece of cardboard and write firmly with a ballpoint pen to EMBOSS/ INDENT into the aluminum for a PERMANENT label.  They are wide enough to write 3 lines per label.  Once the label is completed, bend the end of the wire with three short. 1", 90 degree bends using needle-nose pliers, slip the tag on that end of the wire, and then continue to bend that end of the wire into a loop to hold the tag (see the photo).  Be sure to bend the loop into a full circle and then an additional 180 degrees, so the tip of the wire is pointing down and the tag won't have any way to fall off in the wind.

COSTS OF OTHER METAL MARKERS BY OTHER VENDORS: 100 of our markers cost a total of $64.00, or 64 cents each.  For example, just 25 commercial zinc tags with galvanized wire from a major garden store retailer, that are only 11.5” long,  cost $21.95  plus an additional $17.99 for shipping, a total of 39.54 or $1.58 apiece.  They are more attractive and “professional”, but the WIRE WILL CORRODE in as little as a few years if the soils are moist, and the marker will be useless…so much for pretty and professional.

PROBLEMS WITH MARKERS (Why most markers/tags are not worth the trouble or expense):

Aluminum markers:  Aluminum will last forever and never corrode.  If you buy most aluminum tags, they are almost always sold with galvanized wire stakes which will corrode.  After several years, the stake will break off at ground level and the tag will get buried by dirt, leaves or blow away never to be found.

OUR TAGS AND WIRE ARE ALUMINUM.  The tags can be embossed, SO THE WRITING IS PERMANENT.

Aluminum ‘Impresso’ -  These are excellent and cheap.  They are made with two pieces of aluminum foil and glued, like a sandwich, on each side of a filler material that is soft, so they are easy to write on with a ballpoint pen.  They have a punched hole for attaching them to a wire.  The main problem with these is that they are often sold with galvanized wire which will corrode and break off.  You can buy rolls of thin aluminum wire to attach these to plants by twisting the wire around the plant or thicker wire to make stakes.

Zinc markers:  We have used thousands of zinc markers over the years.  They look nice but are too expensive for what you get.  They are too hard to emboss.  We have tried almost every marking device and NONE seems to last more than a couple of years.  A plain #2 pencil worked the best.  Liquid garden or permanent markers fade in a year or two.  Specially made “garden pencils” fade too, the lead is soft, washes off in the rain, breaks easily if you press too hard, needs frequent resharpening, and it can even corrode the zinc. The zinc is too thick to indent with a pen and too hard to engrave well with an electric engraver.  Aluminum engraves easily, but not zinc.  Unless you have a cordless tool, you can’t do these out in your garden.

Zinc markers: come with galvanized steel wire “stakes”.  Try these in a pot immersed in your pond and they might last 2-3 years.  Even in the garden they will corrode and seldom last more than 8-10 years.  Then you must buy new ones and make them all over again.

Copper tags: Copper tags are fine and will last forever as they form a protective coating of oxidation when exposed to the elements (but only if you indent/engrave the writing permanently into the tag - everything else will fade).  If you are tagging woody perennials that don't die back, they work well but only if you use copper or aluminum wire or some type that will not oxidize.  Otherwise, the tags end up on the ground and can be lost or the plant stem gets too thick around the tag and grows over the wire attached to the tag.  They are really useless to attach to any plants where the foliage/stem dies or freezes.  Unless you use aluminum or copper wire, the wire will corrode, and the tag will fall off.  If attached to aluminum or copper stakes, they can work well, but they are expensive.

Plastic markers: Plastic works well if you only need something marked for a year or two (such as a nursery plant that will soon be sold.  Most writing will fade or rub off and in a couple of years the plastics will get so brittle that they snap off.  They are cheap, but what good is cheap if you lose track of the name of your plant!

Wood markers: Wood is good for a year, at best, since it absorbs water which can destroy the writing, and it quickly rots.  Even bamboo stakes rot in about a year when in the ground.

PHOTOS:  The photos are just like the ones you will receive, but the tags will not be attached, since it is easier to write on the tag before it is attached to the wire.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please feel free to contact us for additional information and click on "Me" following my star rating.  We invite you to go to our store (little red door) to view other items we have for sale.

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