The 10 Best Garden Markers
This wiki has been updated 26 times since it was first published in January of 2018. When you're growing your own vegetables and herbs, it can be hard to tell them apart, especially when they're young. Since many plants can look similar until they start to flower or fruit, these garden markers prove useful when placed in the ground or a container. You can easily identify everything with a quick glance, and they come in an assortment of attractive and weather-resistant designs. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Kincaid Plant Markers Stainless Steel
2. GardenMate Metal
3. Red Tail Crafters Stakes
Editor's Notes
May 21, 2020:
Garden markers are a must for many newly planted gardens. They come in wooden, acrylic, or metal designs and are easy to add labels to or to write on with a fine-tipped paint marker. Today we added in what’s been called the gold standard for plant markers and put it into the number one spot. The American-made Kincaid Plant Markers Stainless Steel come in a set of 25 and are made to last for a lifetime of gardening. They feature posts in your choice of several lengths, and they attach to a metal tag that’s situated at a 45-degree angle for easy viewing. They each incorporate two prongs that stay put securely in the soil, and are resistant to bending and twisting. We also added the Red Tail Crafters Stakes, which come with the names of 12 popular herbs already engraved to their tops. These include rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, basil, dill, cilantro, and more. They’re made of textured acrylic that resembles wood and come in your choice of cherry, walnut, barnwood, or beechwood stains.
For another durable metal choice that’s available with either copper or zinc plates, look to the GardenMate Metal, which is made with galvanized steel wire and offers plenty of room for labeling purposes. They’re easy to write on, with a strong stakes that stay put nicely in adverse weather conditions. A smaller choice that’s just as elegant are the Bosmere Wren, which feature an antique Victorian design. Some may say they resemble uncut keys, and they have large surfaces for writing useful information like the name of the plant and the date it was planted. They can be wiped clean at the end of the season and reused in the future.
A couple of colorful choices include the Kinglake Stakes and the eZakka Tags, both of which come with red, white, blue, yellow, and other colors, making it easy to organize different categories of vegetables or herbs. Both have pointed bases that make them easy to insert into the soil. Both can be reused in future seasons, but know that the wording may wash off in the rain before a given season is over, depending on what you use to write the information.
Leaving the list today is the Fiona’s Garden Artisan, which can rust over time, as well as the Thrive Home Corks and Forks, in order to make room for a more readily available option.
Special Honors
Copper Perennial Markers Keep track of the newly planted herbs and vegetables in your garden with this set of 10 durable metal markers. They can be labeled with a paint marker or a ballpoint pen, and are a long-lasting and attractive way to keep track of what’s planted and where. They look great in any garden, and take on an elegant patina over time. gardeners.com
Bamboo Garden Marker You can order customized labeling on this 4-by-2-inch or 6-by-4-inch eco-friendly garden sign. It features rounded corners and comes with a 10-inch stake. It can be labeled with either laser engraving or with a colored print that lasts for approximately two years outdoors. It’s a nice way either to label plants or to create a thoughtful memorial. plaquemaker.com
4. Bosmere Wren
5. Prudance Waterproof
6. Planters' Choice Bamboo
7. eZakka Tags
8. GardenMate Slate
9. Kinglake Stakes
10. Kinglake Plastic
Karen Bennett lives in Chicago with her family, and when she’s not writing, she can usually be found practicing yoga or cheering on her kids at soccer games. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s in English, and her writing has been published in various local newspapers, as well as “The Cheat Sheet,” “Illinois Legal Times,” and “USA Today.” She has also written search engine news page headlines and worked as a product manager for a digital marketing company. Her expertise is in literature, nonfiction, textbooks, home products, kids' games and toys, hardware, teaching accessories, and art materials.