al wrote:

One of my gardening books suggests using old aluminium cans to make permanent
plant labels. I assume you scratch the plant name onto the shiny metal
side of the aluminium foil. Excuse my ignorance, but does this work... erm
how long do they last ? (Does the metal colourize over time ?)




I've not used this technique but it would probably work somewhat. You
would just cut the can into strips and write on the inside with some
sort of stylus (an old ball point pen would work). The metal is soft and
will take an impression of the writing if you back it up with a couple
of sheets of newspaper on a hard surface. The writing is just impressed
in the metal surface and is not colored, so it is not easy to read from
a distance.

Aluminum does oxidize over time, particularly when exposed to acid rain.
However, the metal labels you buy at the garden center will likely have
the same problem. The cans have the advantage that they're anodized to
prevent corrosion by the stuff they put into them.

The strips of aluminum can will have sharp edges, so you might want to
bend them over to avoid hazards to small children and pets.

The labels will have to be mounted on something to hold them up. A
length of galvanized wire can be bent around the strip and hammered
tight to hold the label. Wood supports will rot.