Iris Tagging

I will be tagging all of my irises this year. In the past couple of years I’ve tried doing this with a variety of different tags and they all pop out of their location after the ground froze. Dave bought me some nice tags to use this year. The only problem was there were only 20 tags in the bag. Then after looking at these tags, I discovered they were made in China. It’s hard not to buy products anymore that aren’t made in China or somewhere else. With the Whirlpool Corporation recently closed here and moving their production out of the country, I am again reminded that when I purchase something from outside our country, I’m depriving our workers a chance to earn a living. And not only did we lose those jobs, those other companies who did work for them, including the Blind Association have cut employees. I am not boycotting China. I am just striving to be more conscious in my buying choices.

So I set about looking for some tags. I wanted some similar to the bag of 20 Dave purchased. They needed to be aluminum, have wire ties, and be made in USA. After googling a bit, I found them! They also ended up, even with shipping, cheaper per 20 count than those made in China.

My iris plant tags

I purchased two boxes of 100 which should be enough. These tags are a nice size: 3 1/4 x 1 inch with 8 inches wires. They also are sturdy and easy to write on with a pen or a stylus and can be written on both sides. The package says they won’t rust or deteriorate with age. I found them at Here.

#2 iris tagged

I’m excited because this fall when I’m digging irises for the spring plant sale, I’ll know what they all are. I also want to eventually move certain irises to other areas in the yard.

Meanwhile, I’m still waiting on #3. I’ve got lots of buds ready to open. Also, I don’t know the name of many of my irises since they were here when we moved in. If you know the name of one of my “no-names,” please let me know. Lynn of Wood Ridge identified #1 iris as Cherry Pop. It’s so nice to have a name to go with that sweet dwarf iris.

Oh, and by the way, Happy Earth Day! I’m off to spend some time mulching before the rain comes.