Hey, it’s late April. Know what that means? It’s (almost) time to get out and plant the garden! Is anyone else as excited as I am about this?? For those of you who live in warmer zones, you’ve probably already planted by now. Here in SD, it’s always risky to plant before May 15th, no matter how nice and warm April is. I was tempted this past weekend. With temps in the 70’s I spent all weekend outside getting my garden beds and planters prepped. It was so nice and sunny, I was ready to put in some of my starter plants. Good thing I didn’t, as today we were hit with a spring snow storm and lows in the 20s expected tonight. Sigh. It happens.
Anyway, getting everything ready for gardening got me thinking about what to do this year for plant markers. I’ve used a variety of materials in the past to mark my plants in the garden, though most don’t last very long. Inspired by the start of gardening season (but stuck inside by snow), I decided to make a list of some creative DIY garden plant markers. Here are 15 of my favorites:
1. Brick herb markers from Simple Details blog. This is an awesome way to use bricks you might have sitting around the yard. Write or paint the plant names on them and you have markers that will withstand many seasons of gardening.
2. Mason jar plant tag protectors from Martha Stewart. Sometimes you just want to use your seed packet as a marker, right? It makes sense to have all your plant information, like days to germination and maturity, right next to where you plant the seeds. Those seed packets aren’t too weather-resistant, though, so simply invert a mason jar over them to protect them all season long.
3. River rock painted garden markers from West Valley Moms Blog. Here’s another cute, long-lasting way to mark garden plants. This would be a fun project to get kids involved with.
4. Wine cork markers from Cambria Wines. I love anything made with recycled materials, so here’s an awesome way to reuse wine corks. I’m guessing they’ll last a lot longer outdoors if you put the corks on metal wires instead of wood. Regardless, it’s a cute idea!
5. Plant markers from recycled can lids from Creative Green Living. Here’s another great way to reuse everyday throwaway items – plant markers from can lids. Being metal, these are likely to last much longer than wood or plastic markers.
6. Safari garden animals from The Shopping Mama. I’m always looking for ways to get the kids involved in garden projects, so I love this idea! How fun to let the kids create these little safari animals to prowl through the garden. 🙂
7. Scrabble tile markers from Five Dollar Dinners. If you have an old Scrabble game you don’t use or have missing pieces to, you can use them to make these creative plant markers. These would also make a great gift idea for any Scrabble geeks out there. (I’m a Scrabble geek, so I can call us geeks 😉 ).
8. Wine bottle row markers from Cackleberry Cottage. Wine and gardening – always a good pairing, right? Reuse old wine bottles as garden row markers buy placing them upside down on metal stakes. These would be really pretty on sunny days, especially with a variety of bottle colors.
9. Popsicle stick garden signs from One Artsy Mama. These are way cuter than my Sharpie-on-popsicle-stick plant stakes I used to make, and another great project for the kiddos!
10. Hand painted herb markers from Sara Gourley. These are almost too pretty to stick in the dirt, but what a great idea. If you’re feeling crafty, grab some paint sticks from the hardware store to paint your own. If you’d rather buy these, Visit the link to Sara Gourley’s site, where she has them for sale.
11. Painted rock markers from August Wren. I think painted rocks add so much appeal to a garden. Here’s a whimsical, simple way to use river rocks and white paint as markers.
12. Beaded wire plant markers from Paging Fun Mums. These delicate beaded plant markers are unique and another fun way to get kids involved in a garden craft. These letter beads can be found inexpensively at the craft store. Just thread them onto some wire or old coat hangers for an easy, pretty way to keep track of your plants.
13. Painted spoon garden markers from Playground Parkbench. Inspired by the children’s book Growing Vegetable Soup, these bright, bold markers are a beautiful way to pep up any garden.
14. Fly swatter plant markers from Our Fairfield Home & Garden. These colorful plant markers are made with dollar store flyswatters and mason jar lids. Very creative, right? And a great way to add some color to the garden!
15. Upcycled jar lid garden labels from Twitchetts. Here is yet another awesome way to use recycled materials for plant markers. Jar lids painted a minty green (or whatever color you desire) and wire hangers make these a unique way to mark your garden plants.
I still haven’t decided what I’ll use for my markers this year, but these have given me plenty of inspiration to get something started. I’ll update if I come with anything brilliant. 😉
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