I don't lose daffodils because someone pulled up my labels. I have a plot plan that is more reliable. I have lost daffodils by thieves that have come to my garden and dug daffodils during the blooming season. They will usually dig a whole row of a named variety. I have lost such daffodils as Homestead, Gold Convention, Rory's Glen, Hot Toddy (for the life of me, I don't understand the theft of Hot Toddy), Hambledon, etc., to name a few while in bloom. I, therefore, have instituted a substitution system for labeling daffodils. The next one that steals Homestead from my garden may just get the old fashion B&E for their troubles, however, those experienced showers and growers will know the difference by looking at the flower and/or foliage. Homestead is very distinctive, and luckily, most of the showers and growers are ethical.

Other plastic or man made materials that have been used include carved plastic name tags, which are expensive, all the way to old Venetian blinds cut to length and the name written by permanent markers. The plastic markers used in my garden come in many colors, has a tendency to fade over a couple of years, and has been know to split and crack. The plastic labels that I use during blooming season last two and three years before they become brittle and start to break when disturbed. However, that time is based on partial seasons exposed to the weather, not a year round exposure.

Recently, metal markers have come into use by a large number of growers. These can be of different types of metal such as copper, brass, or zinc. The use of the ZINC markers have been making some note in my garden. They are designed to be written on by a #2 lead pencil, however, the recommendation of an etching tool to back up the pencil is recommended. I have seen metal markers, like the zinc, in a number of the gardens of some of the local showers and growers. The usual method is to write the correct name, and RHS divisional codes on the markers.

I started using permanent zinc markers in my nursery beds (special beds that I prepare for expensive new bulbs that I only have one or two of) as a quick method for identification for a back-up to my plot planning. The need developed because when planting in rows with mixed varieties in the same row, it can get tricky to identify the resulting foliage the following spring. Each bulb needs to be specifically identified as it is different from the ones next to it, and that each of those bulbs can represent a significant value, e.g., Ice Diamonds from Havens runs about $40.00 each. I keep new bulbs in these special prepared nursery beds until they increase to the point that I can safely lift (dig) them and put the increase bulbs into my regular show beds. As you can guess, a significant number of my winning flowers in show collections come from my nursery beds, the bulk from my show beds. I must admit, since that modest beginning along with a new fence around my show beds, has caused my laziness to leave certain zinc markers in the ground year round. That is, markers that are not on my nursery beds. I hope I don't pay dearly for this practice when they are discovered by bulb thieves.