Labels

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

Labeling the plants are always a problem. I have tried many different labels with more or less success.
Now I use aluminium labels where I paste a self-adhesive color laser printer film. When the blackbirds (or the visitors) pulls up the labels they don´t blow away and they are easy to put back into the soil. I have put thousands of labels in the garden and after 3 years I have only found 3 where the film has come loose. They use the same film at the Botanical Garden in Gothenburg.
The beds do look like graveyards but at least all the "gravestones" looks the same. 
I register all my plants in a data base with as much information as possible and they all gets a number (year and nr 07....). On the label I also put who I got the plant/seed from. If it´s from wildcollected seeds I put the country and the locale. And then of course the name.
I think this works very good. The only problem is to update the data base.

[Carlo]

Well done Peter.

What type of database are you using and what information are you recording in it?

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

I use filemaker. I put all information I got. From who, when and where I got it, number in the seedlist, when I sow it, GPS position, altitude.....
I don´t register where I put it in the garden. It would take to much time to keep it up to date.
I´m just printing labels for everything I bougth in Scottland in October and November (2 full Volvo estate).

[ian mcenery]

Peter that's very interesting I have a system of black labels using balack tape and white lettering. For this I use a brother label priter linked to my excel database. It means the gravestones aren't so visible instead they sometimes get trodden on. As you say keeping the database is the problem anyway it would be a shame to be too precious about it.

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

The aluminium labels also get trodden on! I have started to have ropes around the beds and that stops most visitors.

[ChrisB]

Ian,  Which model of Brother label maker are you using.  I'm thinking of buying one in the spring, and one that attaches to Excel would be excellent.  Having a National Collection means I must keep tabs on my plants at all times.  Labelling is the most difficult thing to sort out.  Like the idea of the white on black too.  I have some engraved labels but they are expensive to buy and it is quite difficult to obtain good stems for them, so I'm back to square one....

[ian mcenery]

Chris I have a Brother P touch 18R I bought it as a factory refurbed model at a discount. I am not sure but this may have been superseded. I found this company on the web and contacted them explaining my budget and purpose and I think got a reasonable price. By the way the tape is not cheap but it seems to last forever without fading which is worth a lot when you can be sure what is what.



http://www.labelzone.co.uk/azref:PT-18R_Hand_Portable_(Rechargeable)_Label_Printer:PT18R:G-S4759A04EE3F3E