clay plant markers: old hands vs. new crafts in my garden

When I was a child, my grandmother used to tie little scraps of cloth to her tomato stakes—her way of remembering what she’d planted. It was simple, a bit messy, but it worked. Now, decades later, my wife has taken a different approach: she spent last weekend at the kitchen table, rolling out clay and shaping it into neat little plant markers for our backyard beds. I’ll admit, I felt a pang of nostalgia watching her. There’s something comforting about the old ways, even if they’re not as tidy. But these new clay markers—each stamped with the plant’s name—look almost too perfect, like something from a magazine. I wonder if we’re losing a bit of that homemade charm in favor of aesthetics. Our neighbors have already weighed in. Some love the new look, saying it makes the garden feel modern and organized. Others miss the wild, homegrown feel of the past. In our North American climate, where spring storms can wash away paper tags, maybe clay is more practical. But I can’t help but think about how every generation leaves its mark—literally and figuratively—on the land. What do you think? Is it better to stick with tradition, or embrace these new crafts? Do you feel torn between the old and the new, too? #gardeningdebate #familytraditions #modernvsclassic #Gardening