After trying various methods the best(unless you buy metal commercial markers) is old aluminum blinds cut into 7" strips and marked with a paint marker. I have heard of people cutting aluminun cans into strips but these may not be thick enough. Vinyl will work but don't last very long. It gets brittle and breaks off a ground level very often. Nothing is going to work if they are raked up.

Are you trying to ID the different colors to divide later this season, or a permanant marking system? If you are just trying to separate the colors this year, you can write on the inside fan leaves with a Sharpie or paint pen and/or attach something to the bloomstalks and wait to snap off the stalks until you divide. I would think writing on the rhizomes themselves would be difficult and messy...

If you're looking for a permanant solution, I would still start by separating the different colors into separate clumps. If they're growing together, even the best labeling system is doomed to fail. I use labels similar to those described above, but I use 2-liter pop/soda bottles cut into vertical strips and marked with a paint pen. My oldest ones are now 4 years old, and not brittle or fading yet. They are pretty much free, and, because they are clear (or see-through green), they are nearly invisible in the garden until you look for them, which I personally like.

A word of caution: I have heard that the aluminum blinds, because they are older, may have lead-based paint on them.

Good luck!
Diana, who has to sort out a few clumps that got more than one variety mixed together this year herself! Oops. Fortunately, those were NOIDs to begin with, anyway! :-)

I like the clear idea: not visible unless you are looking for them. I don't drink soda but do buy it for parties. How did you cut them, with scissors? I have heard of the aluminum blinds but have no source for them used, and buying them new seems silly. I am glad to know that paint pens work. I was wondering.

If you are trying to ID the particular irises as they bloom, I suggest you stake the stalk with a bamboo stake and write either on the flower stalk with a waterproof marker, or attach an aluminium or plastic tag to the bamboo stake. Don't snap the stalk off until you are digging and then you will still have details. Dig carefully so you can see which rhizomes are attached to this mother rhizome.
I have just gone through this procedure with a bunch of Spurias growing close together.

Good luck - Jan

Venetian blinds are great for markers, but take a while to cut into shape. Here in Australia they are readily available from landfill/recycle centres, where they, and plant pots, can be picked up very cheaply. If I see them I buy them, and put aside for later.
As far as lead paint, my only advice would be - don't chew on them! wash your hands after cutting of course, BUT the paint is not flaky like on old houses, so it shouldn't leave a residue on your hands. I think it would be enamelled on - powder coated I think it is called.
My only problem with these markers is I have to watch out for the sharp edges when I weed.

I found some mini blinds at Goodwill. And use the Marvy Uchida paint pen. Also keep maps.

Haven't tried this suggestion --- smooth stones.

We recently put a new roof on. The old roof was slate. The slate works great with permanent marker. I just broke the slate to size, labeled and stuck in the ground. I use it for day lily id's also. Good luck

Linnea,

Yep, I just cut them with scissors. To start, though, I put the cap on the bottle so it doesn't collapse inward and stab a hole in it with a sharp knife. Then I can stick the scissors in. We don't have a lot of pop/soda bottles in our house either, but they are easy to get out of the township recycling bins or elsewhere on recycling pickup days.

Regarding those sharp corners: the pop bottle labels can scratch you like ones from window blinds. My "prototype" labels had square corners and I learned the hard way. Now I snip off the corners when I make the labels. Also be sure to cut the other end into a V point to make it easier to get into the soil. (Yes, I confess to being silly enough to think I could just stick in a square-ended label... *sigh*)

Another thing... you can also use a hole punch on them and then tie them onto stalks to mark crosses, then transfer the label with the cross to a pot or bed when you plant the seeds/seedlings.

Like most anything, they will frost heave out of the ground, so you've got to check them periodically in the winter if you get a lot of freeze/thaw.

The only other downside is that they are not garden visitor friendly. I think I'm going to get a bunch of smooth stones and mark them with paint pens so visitors can read them easily. But I will still use the plastic labels and a map in case a rock gets kicked or buried or whatever.

When you are moving irises, this type of label is nice because you can just put all the rhizomes of one variety into a paper bag and toss the label in with them without poking a hole in the bag like the metal ones with legs would.

And yes, paint pens are GREAT! But colored ones can fade (still legible, but not the color you wanted), so now I stick with black. Or white, for the rock labels.

Diana