My DIY Garden Markers

I rotate my plants that are out on my patio as they are in season, and found this year that as I was pulling pots out of the storage closet I couldn't remember what I had in them. It makes for a nice surprise when beautiful bulbs pop up, but it is a bit annoying when watering a pot of dirt for weeks and nothing grows. I decided that I needed to make some markers that would last a few years so I knew what was what. After looking on Pinterest and other pages, and not seeing anything I liked, this is what I came up with.

I used J's tin snips (I love that my husband is a mechanic and says things like, "Why don't you use my tin snips for that, they would work much better."), and cut a soda can open then into strips. I used a cheap ballpoint pen as a stylus to write on them. I messed with them a while and ended up printing the plant names out on paper so I could trace them, since I am not good at writing letters backwards, and to make the letters raised the way I wanted I had to press from the back. I also decided that I wanted the markers two sided so I ended up folding the strips in half length-wise and just folding a tab over to hold it closed. I am happy with the way they turned out, and thrilled that I didn't spend any money on them. I am sure they could be made all cute and in fun shapes, but I am happy with these simple ones.

The last picture I am really excited about. The spider plant looking things are actually my amaryllis bulbs that I scavenged in Mendocino about 5 years ago. Every year the snails eat them and they have yet to bloom, but this year they are doing great, and I am very excited to see if all my efforts to save them have finally payed off!

 

As I went back and read this post, I realized that it makes me sound like Martha Stewart, rotating my plants. HA! Not so! When I get tired of a plant or it is past its prime I shove it, as-is, into the storage closet, much to J's dismay, then pull it out the next year. This has worked well for my bulbs, catnip, and surprisingly, my prim roses. I just wanted to clarify that I am a temperamental gardener, and not at all as vigilant as this makes me sound. I have found that often blogs that I read tend to try to make life and their creators sound exceptionally beautiful, innovative, attentive, and talented. That is not the goal with my blog. I do not pretend to have "things figured out," or to have superpowers. I know that I am not a Disney princess (picturing Snow White or Cinderella cleaning or sewing), and I can't save the planet or millions of dollars by refurnishing my house out of things I have recycled. I am broke, so the whole using-what-I've-got... yep, desperation, not aspiration. I post about random things and interests because honestly, I just don't know what else to post about. I figure it is a way for my family to see some of what I do for fun in the scattered moments around working, cooking, cleaning, preparing for scouts/YW camp, going to doctor appointments, or taking care of other responsibilities. And while my life is far from being all sunshine and butterflies, I do try to only share/perpetuate good/beauty.... just thought I would clarify.