Considering the best permanent labels for clumps of daffodils in borders, I remembered visiting Carl Amason’s Arkansas garden ten years ago, and his showing us the permanent markers he had created, using bricks flush with the ground, labeled in black. Seems like an idea whose time has come for my woodland Wister row, but I cannot remember if there was a specific kind of paint that worked best and lasted longest on brick (why do I remember, “automotive paint”?)? Any ideas from your experiences?
Loyce McKenzie
Madison, MS..border of 7b and 8a
Hi Loyce,
You probably remember automotive paint because it sticks better than anything else. I got some, maybe 15 years ago. to paint my wrought iron chairs. It was a spray, which was for auto engines. it came in white and I sprayed three chairs with it. The paint, now, has weathered, but is still on the chairs. The chairs have been outside most of the time. I’m thinking that the bottles that you can get at an auto supply store for touch-ups could be used for the wording after you spray the bricks. Since they came in various colors, your garden could be lovely. Can’t wait to get back there and see it.
Hey! Now I am thinking that I could use that touch up paint for my own labels. cheaper than paint pens.
Donna
I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but the bricks Carl Amason painted had one big drawback. The brick flaked on both sides and he couldn’t read the brick’s label when we were going to dig out part of ‘Damson’. Perhaps you could paint permanently on something that won’t flake away and have the ID crumble due to the weather and the soil. Bricks aren’t permanent. I gave him underground markers for the things I sent him to try. He was a wonderful person. If anyone has old letters from him that talk about his flowers I’d love to read them.
I was thinking of using bricks with their porous surface intct, and finding a paint that would soak in.
Does anyone have any more ideas? In this location (if you came to either the 1997 o r the 2011 convention, you may remember my Wister planting along the shady driveway. It needs to be easily visible, not breakable, easily retrievable (leaf broom) when the daffodil season approaches..You get the picture. This is not a site where we need to scramble for labels, and probably won’t ever be re-dug…an accidental test garden!!!
Loyce:
You may try Golden artist acrylic paint found at Micheal’s or art store. I know it works outside. I didn’t believe it would survive winters outside. I did a test project and painted gourde birdhouses and I amazed that the paint held up. ….. Unfortunately, after 3 years a storm destroyed the test projects.
on my garden markers, I use paint pens that can be purchased at Micheal’s. The paint does survive the winter above ground written on venetian blinds as well as metal markers.
Ceci
plant markers
i have used many things and most all fail
some things that have worked for yrs are old blinds and write on them with pencil i have also seen linda w use this and she dbls the blinds and writes on both of them she sandwich the blinds together and writes the names on the inside and out side
i have used aluminum metal cut in strip and used different ways to mark plants i have used pencil i have used brothers label maker and i have also created a code and punched holes in the metal stips’
all three methods work it just depends on your choice the best thing is also to draw and keep a map in your records so you know what and when you planted and where use the markers for your land marks
you can also measure your distance and keep track that way along with markers
mark w
High fired paver bricks won’t flake. Here in Minnesota the size of the bricks make them at 9 pounds apiece. I noticed a nice collection at Jim M’s in St Louis the last time the convention was there he would be a good resource for what might be durable. We have granite rocks here that would do the job. I have a nice pile of them if you show up with a trailer………..
Thanks, Michael–I’ll pass on that one! I have the bricks, piled haphazardly near where I need to use them. They’re half bricks with holes, and turned sideways are the right size. I think I’ll start with a survey of available markers at Office Depot but will also ask Jim.
Loyce