About
The Plant Label Company is a UK-based business specialising in making permanently engraved plant labels designed to last outdoors. We operate online and ship orders from the UK, with most orders dispatched within 1–3 business days. If you have any questions before or after you order, you can reach us anytime via our contact page.
What we sell today grew out of a simple problem in our own garden: we wanted labels that stayed readable year after year, looked tidy, and used plant names in a consistent, recognizable format.
How it started
We have an extensive garden and, like most gardeners, we collect plants faster than we can remember their full names. Handwritten tags faded, snapped, or went missing. So we made our own engraved labels, using a clear naming style that mirrors how gardeners typically record plants.
One of us also spent years working in botanic gardens, where durable, weatherproof labelling isn’t optional — it’s essential. That experience shaped what we make: clear, consistent plant names and materials chosen for outdoor longevity.
Garden visitors started asking for the same thing. That’s when we decided to offer the labels we were already using ourselves — not as fully custom one-off designs, but as “off-the-shelf” engraved labels. This keeps the process efficient and helps keep costs down, while still giving gardeners labels that look professional and stay readable for years.
Materials & durability
We try to be practical and responsible about materials. The plastics and metals we use are recyclable, and we keep a close eye on waste from the engraving process. Wherever possible we collect offcuts and engraving residue and send them to appropriate recycling routes rather than general waste.
Our labels are made from UV-stable, weatherproof material selected for long-term outdoor use — the same type of durable plastic used widely in botanic gardens. They’re designed to withstand sun, rain, and seasonal temperature changes while staying neat and legible. Expect them to last up to 20 years.
Botanic Gardens often use this type of durable acrylic because it performs well outdoors for many years: it resists weathering, stays stable across temperature changes, and doesn’t rely on coatings that can flake away. Like any material, it has trade-offs — but for long-life outdoor labels, we believe it offers a sensible balance of durability and recyclability.
We also use stainless steel for holders because it’s strong, long-lasting and recyclable. We aim to source from suppliers with good environmental and ethical standards, and we’re happy to answer questions about the materials we use.
Our approach to naming
We aim to follow the RHS Plant Finder naming conventions as closely as practical. We present plant names in a familiar, consistent font and design pattern so they’re easy to scan in the garden and easy to match back to catalogues, books and plant records.
What we sell
- Pre-engraved acrylic plant labels (off-the-shelf designs) for a clean and consistent look in the garden. Each approximately 1.5mm thin for a discreet, tidy finish.
- Stainless steel holders available separately: view holders.
- We use the Noto Sans typeface for clarity and readability — often described as a “go-to multilingual typeface”.
Have a suggestion?
If you don’t see a label you’d like, please send your suggestions our way. We’re always expanding the range based on real gardens and real plant lists.
Contact & company information
Legal entity: THE PLANT LABEL COMPANY LIMITED
Company number: NI691378
Email: info@theplantlabelcompany.com
Phone: +44 20 3967 2214
Registered office: 154 Ballyrobert Road, Ballyclare, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT39 9RT, United Kingdom