How about plastic golf tees?

Annette

My favorite plant markers so far are stainless steel and the name plates can't fall off. With Brother p-touch labels you are good for a long time. I've tried many different label types these are my faves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden markers

I don't use garden markers of any kind since I converted to the garden map method, but that's just me. If you're looking for something to simply "mark the spot" and not something to write on, a few things come to mind.

1. Metal landscape fabric staples - the things use to hold down landscape fabric could work if you just push them into the ground a couple of inches so the top U shape portion sticks out of the ground. They're cheap - around $6 for a box of 50 or so.

2. You could make the same thing out of pieces of coat hanger bent into a U shape, but they would rust after a couple of years.

3. Or if you want something visually jarring from a distance, you could use this thick, aluminum wire. At least I think this is aluminum. I bought a huge role of the stuff at a discount place for another use. I paid about $5 for the role - more than I will ever need. It's very flexible, so you can bend it into any shape you want. Again, you could cut smallish lengths of it, bend it into a U shape and push them into the ground to mark each bulb if you want. You would certainly see it if for instance you're standing and hoeing in that area. Maybe it comes in other colors. I've never checked.

{{gwi:268605}}

One of the reasons I abandoned the garden marker method was I was constantly catching my hoe on them. Because they are so visually unobtrusive, I simply would not see them while standing. This green wire might be too visually obtrusive, but maybe not if used as small U shaped markers.

Kevin

my failsafe markers are muscari. i always plant bulbs, ALL bulbs, with muscari, which will send up foliage in the fall to show you that something is planted- other than them- where they are. i plant my bulbs in bottom of hole or trough, cover w/ soil layer to correct depth for muscari, scatter muscari and fertilizer and then top off w/ soil.if i am doing a trough, i save on muscari by planting them on the outer edge of the trough, just enought to outline the area.
best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/

Take pictures of the bulbs when blooming or leafed out and "write" some measurements right on them, to remind you before you dig.

Lee Valley garden tool catalog has some copper rings called Remember Rings that I've been considering but they are plastic. Item#PG258 3 for $9.50..I have a 2010 catalog so prices may have changed. Take a look at those. Their website is www.leevalley.com. They seem to be a little more expensive than Home Depot of Lowe's but they have things that those two stores wouldn't have. 1-800-871-8158 Call for a catalog and drool. Maybe some others will have some ideas and post them for you.

My favourite markers are cut-up strips of aluminum mini-blinds. I cut a point on the end and use the Brother plastic labels. They last a very long time. If frost heaves them partially out of the ground in the winter, just push them back in. They don't bend or break like plastic, and the sharp metal point goes through heavy soil.

Thanks for all the ideas! I just wanted to have a permanent mark showing where the bulbs are planted so I don't dig them up. I'm always digging and moving things around. I dug up a bulb this week while digging. I have dug into a bulb before and damaged it. It would be nice to have something saying, "Don't Dig Me!!!" LOL.

Mindy -

The muscari marker is sheer genius ! Since I don't need to know WHAT
bulbs are planted in any given spot - I'll recognize them when they show
up - the muscari provide the added bonus of random spots of Spring
color. And, if you really NEEDED to know where a particular group of
bulbs were located, you could always identify them with "color-coded"
muscari - blue, purple, white, pink, yellow - just remember to take notes
so you will know what each color represents !

Carl