I love a good label but I frequently forget to use them — basically because I find that they are never handy when I need them.  But my favorite thing about many gardens in England is that plants were regularly labeled – it made learning to identify things so much easier.

So, last year, after I dug up and inadvertently discarded more than a half a dozen beautiful blood red dianthus (whose actual name I can’t remember either), I have resolved to label, label, label – at least in my own garden so that I can protect my plants from my sometimes overzealous self.

Making labels doesn’t have to be hard and even the most easily discarded trash can be transformed to be used to mark your plants….(see #8 which is plastic cutlery).

1) License Plate label from Kathy in Ozarks, 2) Spoon with Sharpie (washes off with soap for reuse next year) from Karen at  Who you were and What You Have Become.3) Karen also cut up old metal window blinds to create this begonia label.  4)  Painted Rock label from Art Horizons Studio 5) With some scissors, cut the top and bottom off a soda can and then cut the can into strips for this tie on label (again from Karen).  6) Wood Burn some dollar store wooden spoons. (or you can buy them at Enchanted Key ) 7) Kathy’s painted rocks  8.) and the aforementioned and ever so simple plastic spoon — which if you ask me, looks better than I would expect (again from Karen).