Punched Aluminum Plant Markers

In my garden, sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between the small plants that are still getting established and the weeds! To both help myself and clarify the situation for visitors, I wanted to create some plant markers that would be both functional and beautiful.

Punched metal has both a beautiful look and a durability that works well for outdoor use. I found an inexpensive set of metal alphabet punches at Harbor Freight Tools (that you saw in my Easter basket).

When I was browsing online for punch sets, I saw a comment on Amazon.com from a woman who said she used the punches to punch thrift store silverware and mark plants in her garden. Putting a few spoons and knives in the garden appealed to my sense of whimsy.

So, I tried the punches on a dollar store knife.

Unfortunately, the result was less than impressive and the punches barely scratched the surface. So, I tried again with a softer metal, a section of an aluminum can. The recycling aspect of this appealed to me.

This time, I had success but the punch did not drive as deeply as I would have liked and it took a lot of effort to get it to work.

So, I moved on to Plan C, which was to test a piece of aluminum tape I found at the hardware store. This tape is essentially like a heavy-duty piece of aluminum foil with adhesive on the back.

This time, I got the results I wanted!

The tape is also easier to work with and avoids the risk of injuring someone like the sharp edges of the aluminum can strips.

Once the tape section is punched, remove the backing:

and fold the tape onto itself.

With a sewing needle, punch a small hole in the top.

So, I had this cute little sign with a hole in it but no way to put it in the ground! After some brainstorming with my husband, I came up with using some of our jumbo size paperclip stockpile.

Straighten the larger loop of the paper clip.

Then, straighten the smaller loop of the paper clip, thread your sign halway down the short paper clip end and bend the paper clip in a small loop to secure.

You could leave it like this, but I was worried my children would hurt themselves on the pointy top of the sign (or that I would gouge myself on it while weeding) so I used pliers to bend it into a loop.

These little signs are fun and easy to make, inexpensive and easily customizable. You can punch anything you like and just cut the tape to fit. Up to 50 yards if you really wanted to! You could put the Latin and common names, care instructions, date planted, etc. A file label for the garden!

Happy punching!