How do you label your palms?

[Palmaholic John]

Do you guys label your palms in your private garden? If you have a nice looking and inexpensive method that you'd like to share...I'd love to get some ideas. For the moment, here is how I'm labeling mine.

[AggiePalms]

Those metal engravable tags you have are great, and with the twisty wire they stay on very well. Fairchild uses similar (but probably much more expensive) embossed metal signs with stakes into the ground.

I usually go the cheap route. I use old aluminum mini blinds, cut off 6-8" pieces, and label with a Sharpie permanent marker. Then, just stick them in the ground. Seems to work well for me. Whatever you use, make sure the label stays put so you will remember 5 years from now what you planted.

[palmislandRandy]

I just ordered these aluminum tags. Almost like yours, but pre-made. I didn't want the instutional look, so a small metal tag is perfect. Here are a few more options. http://www.gemplers.com/icatalog/master/f/362

Randy

[cfkingfish]

Fairchild has a very old stamping machine that works like new. It has been there as long as Mary Collins has, so about 1975 at least. You can still get the refills for the machine too.

As for my garden, am I the only person that knows where everything is, and doesn't like having tags on my palms?

[ariscott]

I have tried plastics, aluminium, etc, etc... but they always got lost. The birds or dogs will dig them up or the kids play with them and get lost. So, now... everything is in my head. Dangerous I know... but until I can work out how to do it cheaply & more effectively, it will stay in my head...

Regards, Ari

[cencalpalmguy]

I use a label maker from Staples on all my potted palms and cycads. I don't have any unusual subjecs in the ground to have to keep up with....yet.

Edited August 22, 2010 by cencalpalmguy

[Rafael]

I just made a map of my yard, where i mark and identify each palm.

[Walter John]

Don't fancy labels, spoils the look for me, to be perfectly honest. I like a natural aspect with splattered python and syagrus stumps...

No, seriously, labels are good for displaying to garden visitors and those with alzheimers.

"What's this?"

"Read the goddam label"

[Tassie_Troy1971]

  On 8/22/2010 at 10:56 AM, Wal said:

Don't fancy labels, spoils the look for me, to be perfectly honest. I like a natural aspect with splattered python and syagrus stumps...

No, seriously, labels are good for displaying to garden visitors and those with alzheimers.

"What's this?"

"Read the goddam label"

Wal i agree but when you are growing 3 different types of seedling Rhopalostylis labels are essential .

[ariscott]

Sure... until your 15 months old baby decides to swap the labels over... which happens, BTW...

Regards, Ari

[Phil]

Those metal tags shown below are probably the longest lasting of any tag. They are very good. If you write the name on a plastic plant stake, use a pencil, not a magic market or permanent pen. The pencil will far outlive the pen.

But, with our doing many thousands of labels monthly, we just cannot hand write labels. Imagine potting up #250 labels of the same thing all day long. Staff gets really burnt out doing this. So, at least 15 years ago I bought a thermal printer. It prints about 100 labels in ten seconds. But, it is costly. Labels are shown below. They last at best 5 years.

Phil

[Peter Pacific]

When I was starting to label my palms I thought I had a brilliant solution. One day I was in the market in Guatemala City and stumbled upon these wooden spatulas; they were perfect. The right height, enough space to write the scientific name on one side and the country of origin on the other, and the price couldn't be beat. So I bought a couple of hundred of these suckers and started the task of naming each palm and placing them throughout the garden. I was thrilled. And, yes, Wal, for those of us in the early stages of Alzheimer's they worked great.

What I didn't count on were the termites. Hundreds of them. Each miniature stake had to be pulled out of the ground in various degrees of decay so the varmints wouldn't attack precious roots. I have learned a lot since my early days of starting a garden. I still don't have any proper labels they can get expensive pretty quickly and I'd rather put the money into palms or truckloads of dirt. We have a lot of guests come by and walk through the garden and this is a great post. The aluminum labels are a convenient solution.

Peter

[realarch]

For seedlings, plastic tags seem to work for me. Since I don't have hundreds to label it's easy to keep up with and utter chaos

if I don't.

The other half is so terrified that if I unexpectedly, 'check out', he won't know the names of any of the palms in the garden,so

I've started putting small plastic tags to identify. They're not too bad Wal, and seem to blend in with all the other colors.

Plus you're right, 'Read the GD tag!'

[Kumar]

I have 35 plants of 25 species and had initially considered labelling the ones in pots, especially the very small ones. I tried plastic tags onto the soil, coloured tape wrapped around the stem and even painted patterns of stripes on the petioles once - but they all wash away in the rain, so I just made a comprehensive map on chart paper. after all this though, I find I remember nearly all from memory.

[DoomsDave]

  On 8/22/2010 at 6:56 PM, Kumar83 said:

I have 35 plants of 25 species and had initially considered labelling the ones in pots, especially the very small ones. I tried plastic tags onto the soil, coloured tape wrapped around the stem and even painted patterns of stripes on the petioles once - but they all wash away in the rain, so I just made a comprehensive map on chart paper. after all this though, I find I remember nearly all from memory.

Ah, good.

But, what if it's 350 plants in several dozen species?

Or 3500 plants in several hundred?

Get yourself some labels, take the time, yes yes yes I know it's a pain in the posterior . . .

[Jeff Searle]

You guys that rely on memory, I laugh at you. In a few years, you'll know why. Try having 25 or more species of Licualas, (split leaf varieties of course) growing in the garden. Good luck! Memory is good for those of you that might have 10 or 15 species.

I use a small hand held machine that indents into an aluminum label. It works great and will last for many,many years. It cost $200 I think.

Jeff

[Gileno Machado]

Sharpie permanent marker is not a good solution for labeling plastic tags as it won't be visible after 3 years, especially if exposed to sunshine. I'd recommend pencil instead.

[Dr. George]

  On 8/23/2010 at 12:10 PM, Jeff Searle said:

You guys that rely on memory, I laugh at you. In a few years, you'll know why. Try having 25 or more species of Licualas, (split leaf varieties of course) growing in the garden. Good luck! Memory is good for those of you that might have 10 or 15 species.

I use a small hand held machine that indents into an aluminum label. It works great and will last for many,many years. It cost $200 I think.

Jeff

Hey, I'm with Jeff on this one. Even with just 300 palms of 93 species, my old brain needs a kick start every now and then. Since I'm the only one in the family who keeps track of palm ID's, it would be a real project for someone if something should happen to me and things were not identified. Currently I keep a map and have been looking into ID tag options for the garden.

Also, when I visit a garden and take a picture of something, I like to take an additional shot of the ID tag so that I have a running and permanent record of what it is that I have photographed. I'm thinking that someday someone might like to do the same when visiting our garden.

I came across this label at Quail Gardens in San Diego. Looks a lot like what Jeff described. It is accompanied by a large gauge aluminum wire stake the diameter of the hole in the label with a 360 degree twist on the top. The label hole slips over the wire and the label hangs in the twist.

Anyone know where to get a system like this?

gmp

[JungleGina]

Yes, Christian, you are the only person that can remember every plant in your garden. I've personally killed too many brain cells and am suffering from self-induced Alzheimers. Writing them down on the tags helps me to learn the Latin names too.

[Kim]

I suppose I should begin labeling the palms now, while I can still remember them... Nothing in the ground is labeled, only the potted stuff. Like Rafael, I had a map and a list, both woefully out of date at the moment. The metal tags seem by far the best, both durable and inobtrusive. In a really large garden that gets busloads of visitors, a more visible signage is useful.

[Wai`anae Steve]

  On 8/22/2010 at 1:16 AM, AggiePalms said:

Those metal engravable tags you have are great, and with the twisty wire they stay on very well. Fairchild uses similar (but probably much more expensive) embossed metal signs with stakes into the ground.

I usually go the cheap route. I use old aluminum mini blinds, cut off 6-8" pieces, and label with a Sharpie permanent marker. Then, just stick them in the ground. Seems to work well for me. Whatever you use, make sure the label stays put so you will remember 5 years from now what you planted.

Most of my palms are marked that way. I also use pencil on one side and instead of a Sharpie which will wear out sooner or later I found some "paint" pens at a art supply store. Paint lasts longer than the ink of a sharpie.

[Wai`anae Steve]

  On 8/22/2010 at 9:27 AM, rafael said:

I just made a map of my yard, where i mark and identify each palm.

I don't have big enough paper to do that :-)

Guess I could make a bunch of small maps.

[AggiePalms]

My concern with maps or memory...I have at least 200 pots of tropicals (including 100+ palms) that move in and out of the garden with the seasons. I have to have labels on them,because good sized Licualas and even Livastona and Phoenix sp. seedlings aren't that obvious to discern. So, it is labels on everything...except when they mysteriously disappear.

[Palmnut]

When my South Coast Palms nursery was young I would take out one or two of every palm I grew and plant it somewhere in the garden. After 10 years my mind started to fade. so I looked into signs for my garden. One day I was visiting Mardy Darian and noticed his nice signs (engraved laminated plastic plates attached to stakes). I asked where he had gotten them and was told he had traded some plants with the San Diego Zoo for them, and he was bummed because they didn't want to do that any more. I liked his signs, so I started my own sign business and have since made many signs for his garden, as well as 563 other gardens all over the US. See plantsigns.com if interested.

[Wai`anae Steve]

  On 8/24/2010 at 4:23 PM, Palmnut said:

When my South Coast Palms nursery was young I would take out one or two of every palm I grew and plant it somewhere in the garden. After 10 years my mind started to fade. so I looked into signs for my garden. One day I was visiting Mardy Darian and noticed his nice signs (engraved laminated plastic plates attached to stakes). I asked where he had gotten them and was told he had traded some plants with the San Diego Zoo for them, and he was bummed because they didn't want to do that any more. I liked his signs, so I started my own sign business and have since made many signs for his garden, as well as 563 other gardens all over the US. See plantsigns.com if interested.

I'll vouch for the quality of Gary's signs.

[KPL]

We've ordered hundreds of signs from Gary Wood. These are 3X6.

Karolyn

[peachy]

Being intellectually superior to everyone else here, I know the names of all my palms.....until somebody asks me...then I go blank...totally !! I never remember the ages or planting dates either, so for seedlings, a plastic tag with the name and germination date. Potted plants get the same or with the date of purchase. For my inground palms I use copper name tags with little wire stakes already attached to them, that push into the ground. They can be written on with a ballpoint pen, although I use my trusty sharpie). I write the name and date I planted it. Gives me an idea of growth rates etc, and they seem to last quite well. The copper blends in with the mulch (sort of) but pushed well down they are unobtrusive and dont detract in the slightest from weeds and dead palms. (and no palm ever has to be called Dypsis ignatious to a visitor ever again)

Peachy

PS Gary those signs are nifty, maybe one day when I inherit a fortune I will get some.

[Cindy Adair]

I really do love the labels shown on Gary's website and have saved the listing for future reference. Our palms range from tiny to huge so I've also looked at many kinds of labels. For ease of use and low cost the write on aluminum labels work well for us. We get a box of 500 at a time from www.frostproof.com using the smaller ones for all but the palms with substantial trunks. It does help me learn to write the labels. Be sure to get the ones with cardboard inserts keeping them flat so you can write on them in the field. Now I mark all the small plants with orange flagging tape and a metal tag plus a PVC pipe next to it. A hole drilled about a inch from one end of the pipe allows me to place another identical tag and another piece of orange flagging tape. That way if I lose a tiny palm I can be sure it has died (rather than just hiding under vines being smothered) and I can read the name without bending over. Once the palms are more substantial, I can dispense with the UGLY PVC pipes and flagging tape. As a new palm grower, even I can't confuse a silver Joey with anything else, but there's no way I could keep the seedlings of many Dypsis, Pinangas, etc. straight seeing them only 3-4 times a year. I use plastic labels with a pencil in pots if they are protected in a greenhouse but otherwise rely on the security of the aluminum ones.

The photo with the twisted wire is from Fairchild Gardens. They told me that they get volunteers to wind the wire around pencils so it will stretch as the tree grows. So for our big trees I copy them with larger aluminum write on labels. I do wish I had volunteers to wrap the wire around the pencils but so far I'm the only volunteer.

Again, when the tiny palms grow up and I get correct I.D.'s on the large palms I'd like to ask for the lovely manufactured labels for all future gift giving occasions.

[DoomsDave]

  On 8/24/2010 at 7:09 PM, KPL said:

We've ordered hundreds of signs from Gary Wood. These are 3X6.

Karolyn

Gary'd better love you!

[hanapalms]

I definitely need to come up with good signage for my garden soon; my alternative is to have Peachy come take inventory and file all in her memory so it won't be lost. I had some metal signs on wire prongs that stick in the ground next to the palm, but the weedwhacker cord kept whipping them out and twisting them out of commission. The plastic ones decompose in the sun. I like the embossed metal tags attached with the springy expanding wire; just need to find a source with prices that don't make my teeth clatter.

My economical plan is to get some large river or beach pebbles to etch a number into that matches up with numbers that list the palms in the garden. Of course, if you have more than one of a species, you will need to have as many pebbles of the same number. It all sounds like too much work. Peachy, you better get your memory in shape to absorb the names and locations of several hundred palms.

These guys are about a third of the potted palms waiting to be placed in the ground or larger pots. They all need tags too.

[glbower]

I'm with Christian. I have about 250 palms. some 150 varieties, in a fairly small space. I can't see using tags or signs because of the visual clutter and expense. Every once in a while I have a senior moment and blank out, usually when I'm giving someone a tour, but the name always pops back into my head in a few minutes. A quick visit to my list of palms also works. If I have to sell my house some day, I'm guessing the new owner won't care anyway. On the other hand, I have probably 75 species of bromeliad, and I don't have a clue what their names are. I think the palm names are using up most of my brain cells.