Gardening Garden Design Garden Projects How to Make DIY Plant Markers for a Lovely Way to Label Your Garden Labeling all your veggies, flowers, and more with these fun DIY plant markers is the cutest way to dress up your garden. By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on March 24, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Project Overview Working Time: 1 hour Total Time: 3 hours Skill Level: Beginner Estimated Cost: $30 Have you ever planted something and forgotten what it was? Or perhaps sticking the plant's little plastic tag into nearby soil spoils your aesthetic. Now you can keep all your vegetables, herbs, and flowers clearly labeled with stylish DIY plant markers. You'll need only a few simple tools and inexpensive supplies such as paint and glue. Then, let your inner artist loose while you turn everyday items such as canning jar lids and wooden stakes into fun, colorful plant markers. Whether you're all about the modern farmhouse look or prefer something more rustic, one of these projects is sure to suit your style. What You'll Need Equipment / Tools Canning Jar Lid Plant Tags Needle-nose pliers Colorful Wood Stake Tags Painters tape Paintbrush Decoupaged Farmhouse Tags Wood glue Hot glue and glue gun Rustic Wood Disc Tags Pencil Wood burner Drill and 1/8-inch bit Wood glue Yarn needle Materials Canning Jar Lid Plant Tags Acrylic paint Canning jar lids (wide mouth works well) Decorative stickers (try the scrapbook department of your local crafts store) Paint pen Outdoor sealant 16 gauge brass wire, cut to 15-inch lengths Colorful Wood Stake Tags Wooden garden stakes, sanded Acrylic paints Paint Pen Outdoor sealant Decoupaged Farmhouse Tags Scrapbook paper Outdoor decoupage 2x4 board sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, sanded Paint pen Bamboo garden stakes, cut to 1 foot Jute twine Rustic Wood Disc Tags Wooden disks roughly 2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, sanded if necessary Outdoor sealant Wood glue Bamboo garden stakes Jute twine Watercolor Polymer Clay Tags White polymer clay (roughly 1 package per 4 tags) Alphabet stamp set Acrylic paints Outdoor sealant .062 armature wire Instructions Jacob Fox Canning Jar Lid Plant Markers Paint Lids Using acrylic paint, apply two coats to each jar lid. Add Plant Names Once the paint has dried, apply the decorative stickers and use the paint pen to write the plant names. Seal Paint After the paint has dried, apply 2-3 coats of the outdoor sealant and allow to dry. Prep Wire Using the needle-nose pliers, bend a flat coil at the top of a length of wire. Secure Wire to Lid Once the sealant has dried, secure the lid in the flat coil. Jacob Fox Colorful Wood Stake Plant Markers Determine Height Mark the height you want the paint on your stake, and tape off with painters tape. Prep Paint Dilute a small amount of your acrylic paint with water, roughly a 1:1 ratio. Add more water if you want more wood grain to show through. Paint Stakes Apply paint with paintbrush and allow to dry. Add Plant Names Once paint has dried, use paint pen to write on each stake. Seal Stakes Once all the paint has dried, apply a coat of outdoor sealant. 10 Smart Money-Saving Strategies When Shopping for Plants Jacob Fox Decoupaged Farmhouse Plant Markers Cut and Decoupage Cut scrapbook paper into desired shape and apply outdoor decoupage to the face of the 2x4 slices to adhere. Add Plant Names Once the decoupage has dried, use the paint pen to write the names of plants on each tag. Repeat Decoupage After the paint has dried, apply 2-3 more coats of outdoor decoupage to seal the tag. Glue Tag to Stake When the decoupage has dried, add a small bead of wood glue to the back of the tag and place the bamboo plant stake along it. Wrap Twine Once the wood glue has dried, place a dot of hot glue on the back side to hold the jute twine, then wrap the twine around the tag and stake in an X shape, securing with hot glue again on the back. Jacob Fox Rustic Wood Disk Plant Marker Add Words or Patterns Use a pencil to draw the words and any pattern you wish to burn onto the wooden disks. Then carefully use the wood-burning tool to apply the pattern to the disks. Drill Holes Mark the location of the four holes you will need to drill for the twine, above the plant name. Then drill using a 1/8-inch bit. The 9 Best Cordless Drills of 2023, According To Testing Apply Sealant Once the holes are drilled, apply 2-3 coats of outdoor sealant, if desired, to protect the wood for outside use. Glue Disk to Stake After the sealant has dried, apply a thin bead of wood glue to the back of each disk, and place a bamboo stake along glue, securing temporarily with painters tape. Add Jute Twine Thread a length of the jute twine through the yarn needle, and coming from the back side, stitch an X in the four holes you drilled. This should leave the throw ends of twine on the back side. Tie them off and apply a dot of glue to secure. Jacob Fox Watercolor Polymer Clay Plant Markers Prep Clay Roll out clay to size and smooth edges. Take a length of the armature wire and impress it around the edges to make a groove for the wire to rest in. Stamp and Bake Use the stamp set to impress the word you want on each tag. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. Allow to cool. Prep Paint Dilute acrylic paints heavily with water, roughly a 2:1 ratio of water to paint. Paint Clay Apply paint lightly to achieve a watercolor effect. Apply Sealant Once paint has dried, apply outdoor sealant. Allow sealant to dry and apply a second or even third coat. Add Wire Once the sealant has dried, wrap a 2-foot length of wire, on center, around the edges of the clay, and twist together at the base of the tag to secure.