Well, When we mark our rhododendron cuttings that go under a misting system for 6-8 weeks, if anyone uses a sharpie, or any other kind of permanent marker, the tags are all but illegible when the rooting season is over. Therefore, a #2 pencil on the dull side of the label is what works best, not as easy to read from a distance, but when these things are planted in the yard a few years later, the pencil is still legible! But, after being told time and time again to use pencil, (by my husband) I still prefer to use a laundry parking pen since it's so easy to read from a distance....but you have to keep checking the tags once or twice a season and if you put the writing side of the tags facing away from the sun, the ink will last longer before you have to re-due them.....just my opinion.....I guess everybody's got their own system....

Donna

I have gone to the #2 pencil method after way too many faded out tags. And this year I got a labeler that is supposed to be indelible. Time will tell. Labels I made in early summer still look great. Which reminds to go make labels for all my amaryllis!

I've got a special Permanent marker from a German brand called Edding. It's not regular paint but works with lacquer (? sorry, I don't know if that's the right meaning ... the translation page I use says so, but I have no idea if there isn't a better word for it), you've got a small steel ball in there and you've got to shake before using it.
It was reccommended in a German plant forum and so far it works really well for me.

golden Edding 780 a bit expensive at amazon.co.uk ... perhaps this will help to find a similar product in the States

betonkloz, You're marker looks interesting, but do you summer your plants outside for the summer with exposure to hot sun, winds, and rain and heavy morning dew? Over here most of us do and that's why our labels fade....or are your plants summered in a cozy porch or on a sheltered deck in which case just about anything would work. Just wondering........

Donna

I think that was me that had Sharpie labels washed off - pretty frustrating. I tried the P-Touch label maker this year with the outdoor UV-resistant label refill. So far so good and summer is almost over (it was only 92 degrees yesterday!). Alana

No Donna, I haven't used the marker for something like that. But like I wrote it was recommended for stuff like that on the german message board and for all the other purposes I've used it it worked really well. It should be sun- and rain-proof ... not for good, but I'd guess it'll stay for some years readable.

I use pencil on markers made from former miniblinds. Took me awhile, but sometimes easiest and cheapest works the best!

Mini-blinds work well for labels. Pencil is the longest lasting marker.I use a childs large, fat pencil and write large. Use a mouse pad and indent the plastic as you print and the impression will be there after the mark is gone. The plastic will get brittle and break, eventually,so I use two tags.Try to start out with less brittle blinds. Heavy aluminum foil(can material),and copper foil, thusly indented, last for many years. I have buried them in containers,close to the surface,for years. 26-24 guage telephone wire, with the insulation left on, works well to tie mini-blind tags on,for breeding id tags.
The absolute best marker is stainless steel. The cheapest way to have that, is to visit thrift shops and yard sales, to buy flatware knives,with solid handles,without much decoration,so they can be written on. The best way I have found to mark stainless, is to use a Dremel mototool and a diamond bit. I use two of those markers. One, on one side,visible,the other, on the other side,below the surface. If you put them at the edge side of the plant,the offsets won't grow into them.
There is no such thing as an indelible pencil,or a permanent marker.No one has been able to develop them, without the chemicals which were once in them.
Good luck tagging.
Del

I also use miniblinds, I find these to work the best for the cost, you can cut them up to any size! I use permanent black sharpie marker on the more textured side and pencil on the flip side, so far this has been the best thing I've found. Everything else fades in a matter of days.

Josh