Mainly I use permanent markers, however I was lucky enough to get a roll of plastic nursery tags, the kind with a hole punche out in 1 end that you loop the tag back through.

The plastic nursery tags like that would be ideal. But where can you buy something like that? I was thinking about making something but was not sure what kind of plastic to use or adapt. Thin white flexible plastic: I must be overlooking a common source...

I use plastic knives stuck into the ground for temp markers. They only need to go in about an inch so, there should be no threat of piercing the bulb

I use different colored yarn to mark my lilies. I try to match the yarn to the flower color.

Yarn would be nice and pretty weather-proof; but IÂd need to buy a lot of rolls of yarn to get one for each color! Plus I have 4 different kinds of white lilies. I was thinking about colored pipe cleaners but would still have that same problem. I actually bought knives to mark perennials, having read that on another forum post, but was too afraid of spearing bulbs to use them on the lilies. Probably a lot of mine are not planted all that far down. I know they are supposed to pull themselves down, but I have no experience of just how far down they can do that. When I dug some asiatics last fall I found they had made new bulbs all along the stem going right up to soil level. The knives would certainly be easy.

As for yarn, I don't knit either, but some ladies at work do, so I just got scraps from them. Also, could have picked yarn up for next to nothing from garage sales. Easy to identify a rogue in a mix of bulbs.

I got my tags from a nursery owner I know, he was closing (sigh) and gave me a roll. There are about a thousand in a roll so I think I'm set for life. In the past I've also cut up old vinyl window blinds and used them for plant tags.

For marking lilies when I don't want to use staked plant labels, I use "caution tape" from Lowes. It's comes only in fluorescent pink or orange and is about an inch wide so you can write on it with a permanent marker and then tie it around the bottom of the stem. As long as you leave a few inches of stem when you cut back your lilies it will stay all the way until spring. You can also tuck it into the mulch so it's not quite so glaringly obvious.

-Helen

My local grocery store has started to sell stuff in bulk. The ties they use for the bags, that you mark yourself, are a sort of flag shape, with a twist tie end on it. LOL every time I go shopping I buy something in bulk, then I put 1 marked tag, and 2 blank. I save the blank ones, and have been using them to mark my plants! I write on them with a sharpie. I just started this about 2 months ago, and so far all the tags I put on are still readable.

Jenny P