Years ago when I worked for Smith and Hawken, I did an informal test in my garden with different types of markers on the lead plate labels. A soft pencil lasted the longest... but I find that the minerals in our water here will cling to the lead and make them hard to read unless you're up close.
I started using the Brother's tape labelers this year.. I'm also writing on the back with pencil to cover my derriere if the labels fall off the front..
I think my biggest mistake was thinking I'd remember the names of some of the plants I received back when I still had a memory.
Now, I've got maps, spreadsheets, photo records, files and 2 labels on every Iris (plastic and metal).
