Hi Sandy. If your Brother uses TZ tape (which is laminated) it will be permanent on your plant markers. If you use the colored, the colors will fade but the print doesn't fade. If you just want to write on them, #2 pencil is more permanent than ink, but even that fades eventually. The best thing in my experience has been the TZ tape in my brother and after three years outside, they still look like new.

Sandy, I think your are better off to order directly from the company when buying metal plant markers. Attached is a link to the company I buy my markers from.

Regarding what to use on them, I agree with Iowagal. I also use a Brother P-Touch with the TZ tape and so far so good. I've also dumped the names of the stuff I want to mark into Word and printed them off a laser jet printer on to clear lables and those seem to work just fine, too. Don't use an ink jet printer, the ink will run in the rain.

Diann
IA Z5a

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Markers

You could try a grease pencil, china marker or a Rub-A-Dub Sharpee (laundry marker). I had the same problem and found that a pencil does last longer. I'm going to try all of the above this year and see which works best.

I'll bet Ironbelly can tell you what to use. He's probably tried everything already.

Cricket

Thanks for the web sight TinkerToo! I'm ordering 1000. I'll split with some of the gals in my Garden Club. Iowagal, I'm so glad you let me in on the printer. I was going to give that idea up all together. And last but not least unicricket. This is great info to pass on to my other garden friends here at home. I just hate the idea of repeating tags. I've tried the plastic markers and they didn't hold up at all. I always admire gardens that are so well marked.
And by the way I'll be looking for Iowa forum folks at the Winter Garden Fair. I hope they have name tags. If so I plan on adding Iowa Forum on mine. If they don't I might make a tag.
Thanks everyone! Sandy