The fine art of labels

Flower & Garden Magazine, March-April, 1998 by Marty Ross

Plant labels serve as footnotes in

the garden. Although functional,

reminding us of what is planted where,

labels also are expressive of style. They

help mark out the garden's concept

and organization. They give it history,

continuity and direction.

Not everyone needs or wants labels

popping up everywhere in the garden,

but when an interest in roses, lilies,

irises or anything else blossoms into a

real collection, labels are indispensable.

Should your garden be on a tour,

legible labels give visitors a chance to

ask something besides "What's that?"

and spare the gardener a day of

spelling Dicentra spectabilis.

Labels do more than identify plants.

They mark the locations of dormant

perennials so you can work around

them in early spring. The message "red

tulips here" on a label in a friend's

garden reminds her exactly where to plant

her bulbs the following fall.

At arboretums and botanical gardens,

labels are half the fun. In your

own garden, labels can be completely

unscientific and can include as many

details as interest you. You might start

with a plant's common and Latin

names and the date it was set out,

adding the local nursery or mail-order

source from which you bought it. If the

plant is a cutting from a friend, you

could write "Betty's garden" on the

label, so you -- and she -- will remember

the gift.

Not all labels are large enough to

hold this much information; some

gardeners instead mark each label with an

alphabetical or numerical code that

refers to a corresponding list in a

gardening notebook. This technique

allows for lengthier descriptions,

including comments on the season and

duration of blooms, the color or

fragrance of flowering plants, or the

harvest of a fruit or vegetable.

Plant labels have been in use for so

long that old labels are now museum

pieces and collectors' items. Sotheby's,

the British auction house, has sold

antique garden labels for as much as

200 pounds each (about $325) -- but

there are many hard-working,

good-looking, long-lasting and far less

expensive labels on the market.

Mail-order suppliers and garden

centers usually have a selection of tile,

terra cotta, plastic, metal and wooden

labels and tags. Most are purely

functional, others very decorative. The

price may be anywhere from a few

cents to a few dollars each. There is no

rule that all the labels in a garden have

to match, so try a few types. Remember

that markers for beds should be

long enough to get a good hold in the

soil and still leave room in which to

write. Style is up to your garden and

you. In a quiet shade garden under a

tree, for example, bright plastic markers

might be jarring; wooden labels,

weathered nicely into the garden's

palette, could be a better choice.

Zinc and aluminum labels, which

age to a distinguished gray, have a

quietly professional look that some

gardeners prefer for their permanent

plantings. Some of them are bent

slightly so the label faces up and is

easier to read. Once inscribed, either with

a special crayon, waterproof marker or

lead pencil, they are nearly impossible

to alter. With time, however, the lettering

tends to fade and will need occasional

touching up.

White or colored plastic markers

are ideal for identifying the eager

shoots in crowded seed trays. They are

easy to read, and pencil marks can be

erased or rubbed away, so the labels

can be reused. For outdoor use, write

on them with an indelible black

marker. Plastic labels last up to about

three years in the garden before they

become brittle.

Wooden labels are at home in any

garden. Some of them are just oversize

tongue depressors with plenty

of room for writing. Although these

labels last only about two years

outdoors, they are inexpensive and

easy to replace.

Gift and garden shops sell blank or

preprinted decorative labels, especially

for herbs. Most gardeners do not need

a label to identify parsley or chives, but

the labels add a certain apothecary

charm to the kitchen garden.

If you want to make your own plant

labels, try cutting large cottage cheese

containers into wide strips, and write in

indelible ink on the inside of the strips.

Labels can be cut from the plastic or

metal slats of discarded miniblinds.

The wooden sticks from ice cream bars

are the classic recycled label. A gardening

acquaintance of mine plies her husband

with Popsicles year-round so she

will have enough sticks for her annual

seed-starting operation.

Before inscribing labels with a

permanent marker, plan what you intend

to write. Trace the label on a piece of

paper and practice writing in the space

available. It's best to write from top to

bottom. You should be able to read

your labels without pulling them up.

Although labels can make a garden

look a little institutional, the problem is

usually not too many labels, but poor

placement. Botanical gardens display

labels directly in front of the plants

they identify. In your own garden, you

might want to put labels discreetly

behind the plants they describe, taking

care to avoid injuring bulbs or corms.

Be consistent, so you know which label

refers to which plant.

Many ancient and distinguished

trees have markers nailed to them, but

for most woody plants, a label can be