I'm lazy so in reality the answer for me is 'whatever is available'. Usually it's plastic knife/fork handle, sometimes the extra blind slats get cut up.

I am experimenting with various types of markers. I don't like the look of all of those markers sticking up competing with the plants. In the mean time I am using the markers that come with a plant or making markers using cut up blinds. I write on them with a paint marker.

My latest experiment is using 2" x 2" tiles writing on them with a ceramic paint that is then fixed by baking in a regular oven. I glue a wire stake on them and out they go. I have some of them in the garden. I would really like to use a 1" x 2" tile. I work in clay and am going to make some tiles that are 1 x 2" and glaze them a green that will not show up so much. The tiles I have now are some I got at a re-use center.

I use blinds too. I rescued an armload from the office. They are copper finish and I can't believe how well they hold the marker ink. I have always used "permanent" markers but the writting would fade by spring no matter what I wrote on. The blinds I put in last summer look like I just wrote on them yesterday. The only down side to them is that you do have to

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Carmellia

Wow. I feel so inadequate. I just use sticks and figure I'll recognize/remember what I planted there.

I bought some plant stakes at Menards, 100 for $0.98. I also use little rocks and write the plant names on them. Nothing too fancy because all I do is hide them inside of the plant so I know what I should be looking for in the spring.

There are nice markers from a place called EON. They are metal ones, I get the rose typs and use a laminated label made from a brothers label maker. WOrks nice and not problem with the winters. Just make sure to use a plyers to hold the name plate to the stand of each one.
LYnn

I take rocks and paint the name and a picture of the flower on it. They add to the garden and come next spring I wont dig up any by accident.
Donna

My favorite plant marker is my memory! :-)

In most cases I know at least one common name plus the botanical. With several hundred species I don't wish to spend the time or money on labels. Plus, I don't care for the look of them either.

I put a copy of our yard survey on the computer so I have all the yard and hardscape dimensions, to scale, and I print portions of the map to draw diagrams of my gardens on.

I scan them afterwards so I have a backup copy. (And, in any case, there is always Name that Plant.)

This is great for wintertime planning purposes, and a handy backup for the times my mind goes blank. It sometimes takes me a few years to remember a new addition's name! Oh, and the few cultivars I have, I don't bother with the named portion - a heuchera is a heuchera, Palace Purple or whatever is not retained anywhere.

I sure wish I could do that, I don't like the look of markers either.

I gave up on markers years ago. They don't last and make the garden look like a little cemetary especially when things are first poking up in spring.

I finally bit the bullet and drew up diagrams of every garden bed and marked every single plant. I won't go into the details, but it was the best thing I've ever done and is simple to update. Since I grow so many named cultivars and do a lot of trading, I have to know what I have. It always bugs me to death when I'm about to trade something with someone and they say "I think it's.........."

As mentioned above, it's also really nice to have the garden in a notebook for winter planning and dreaming.
Kevin

I use markers from Paw Paw Everlast Label Company (similar to Eon) and just use a Dymo labeler. I am switching from one type of marker to a larger one (shown in the photos). My next upgrade may be to a Brother Ptouch Labeler.

Switching from this one:

And am now using this one for the most part:

Thanks everyone for your input! Mapping out my garden is a great idea - usefull for winter planning/dreaming. I still plan on using markers as well (a belts and suspenders approach perhaps???)and will look into the copper blinds idea.

Chris