I finally got around to a) purchasing some proper aluminum plant markers, and b) deciding that it’s silly to buy aluminum plant markers and proceeding to craft my own from a cheap aluminum pie pan.  Farewell, six dollars U.S.  Backing up a step, I’ve long struggled with marking plants in the garden, even though I know it’s important.  I’ve relied instead on making notes and maps, sometimes on paper, sometimes digital, all the while realizing that the immediacy of plant markers ACTUALLY ATTACHED TO PLANTS certainly has its appeal.  I have a lot of propagation projects in progress all the time, lots of cuttings from lots of sources, and it’s easy to lose track.  For instance, just in Actinidia, I have A. deliciousa (Abbott, Vincent, Tomuri and Monty) and A. chinensis (El Dorado and GCu02).  They’re all right next to each other, and they all look exactly the same, at least at this point in the season.  Historically, I’ve done most of my plant marking by cutting up mini blinds and writing on them with Sharpie markers, but the ink fades with exposure to the elements – permanent indeed!  Scribing plant names and planting dates on thin aluminum with a ballpoint pen, then attaching said markers to the plants with bonsai wire is likely a much better and more long-lasting solution.  I’m surprised that it took me this long to get it together, but there you have it.

The nearest marker (the DIY one) is for Celtis sinensis – Chinese Hackberry.  I planted six seeds in September, and one germinated immediately.  The rest are either not viable, or simply waiting for conditions to improve.  The precocious one is looking really strong, and will have a place in the food forest in a year or two.