How to Make Plant Labels from Recycled Materials

Store-bought plant labels can be expensive.

Make plant labels from recycled materials to keep gardening expenses down and reduce the amount of waste in the landfills. From old window blinds and milk jugs to chipped china, use the item in the garden as a plant marker. Some recycled materials double as garden art when you make them into plant labels. Creative markers add a bit of whimsy to the garden. Don't be afraid to think outside the box when making plant labels for your favorite garden flowers and houseplants.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Utility knife
• Old dishes
• Plastic bottles and jugs
• Discarded vinyl blinds
• Wood scraps
• Various household items
• Bleach
• Colored permanent markers or paint pens
• Hole punch
• Twine

Instructions

1. Clean the recycled materials outdoors with a mixture of 1/4 cup bleach to a gallon of water. Allow the items to sit in the bleached water for at least 1/2 hour to eliminate any contaminates. Remove the items and allow them to dry completely.

2. Cut 1-inch wide by 6- to 8-inch-long plastic strips from milk jugs, soap containers or vinyl blinds. Plastic lids from shortening and coffee cans or margarine containers also work well. For small wood scraps, use the same dimensions as for the plastic.

3. Use permanent markers to mark the plant labels with the botanical name of the plant on one side and the common name on the other. Use paint pens on wood and other porous material so the ink does not bleed into the wood.

4. Mark pottery and small dishes with paints or markers along the side of the dish you leave exposed. For example, write "MORNING GLORIES" on the good edge of a chipped china saucer and half-bury the chipped piece in the ground beside morning glory vines.

5. Punch a hole in one end of the plastic strips and use twine to tie the plant label to larger shrubs and trees. Tying the labels to the plant, trellis or support stake keeps the labels within easy access and avoids lost or switched labels.

References

• Mississippi State University; Use Recycled Materials For Unique Plant Tags; Gary Bachman; May 3, 2011