labelling
Antennaria@aol.com (Tue, 23 Aug 2005 19:03:16 PDT)

Alberto Castillo ezeizabotgard@hotmail.com wrote regarding vinyl plant labels:

"Unfortunately vynil ones are not very widespread although they are
superb. Only Mark McDonough seems to have access to them."

A belated response, but I'm not sure what the comment above insinuates? A
few years back, Alberto asked for the source of vinyl plant labels... I supplied
the info. For the benefit of everyone interested in vinyl labels, here's the
pertinent information; there are no secrets here ;-)

I use 5" long vinyl plant labels (sometimes referred to as "pot stakes").
They come in several colors, but I buy them in white and green, To get more
mileage out of the investment, the labels can be cut with scissors right down the
middle. Since they're vinyl, they remain flexible for many years, even
exposed to weather. They take pencil well, and marking them with a #2 pencil is by
far the longest lasting label method I've tried so far.

They are available from http://www.horticulturalprinters.com/ in Texas. They
sell wholesale, so the minimum order is $50 (US). With their pot stakes,
minimum order is 2000 labels. They cost $37.55 per 1000 labels, so if you do end
up ordering from them, you might want to go in with a friend and split the
order. To get to the pricing information on their web site, use the page's
Search option, search on "Labels", then click on the "Pot Stakes" link to get to
the pertinent pricing information and a photo showing the various varieties.
They offer quite an assortment of labels and pot stakes. To order, you can set
up an account and login with them.

A Google search on "vinyl pot stakes plant labels" will give you many other
sources.

As a final note, many years ago I used aluminum pot stakes. They were nice,
attractive, inconspicuous once placed, held pencil labeling for many years,
and VERY expensive. When weeding and reaching in vigorously around plants, I
sliced my fingers on the sharp edges of metal labels often enough to swear at
them and swear off of them. The vinyl labels are benign and no so "dangerous",
and I've used these over the last 2 decades or more instead.

Mark McDonough Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States
antennaria@aol.com "New England" USDA Zone 5
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alliums, bulbs, penstemons, hardy hibiscus, western
american alpines, iris, plants of all types!