Written by Ashley Basil

Published: 16 August 2021

Growing from spores, Success and Failure

Pterrarium of sporlings

How it all started
Jo my wife at college did, a project on ferns and soon joined the BPS. The British Fern Society. Soon she was trying to sterilise bricks with boiling water then keep them damp with no success. She then tried clay pots covered with pieces of glass that I had cut for her, messing up the kitchen and sterilising with Potassium permanganate. But yet again they would dry out or grow moss. But with advent of the microwave oven and disposable food containers, she had her first success.
Growing from spores fuelled my growing interest in Ferns >>>>>>>>>

See whole article showing my Growing from Spores Method, tips on successes and failures - printable PDF download here.

Written by Ashley Basil

Published: 18 March 2020

Corona Virus - Sorry you will miss all the great RHS exhibits - you can see our Virtual stand and products right here!

After all our preparations for the Royal Horticultural Society London Spring Launch and Orchid Show we were really disappointed to learn that it's cancelled due to the virus! To make up for it and us all being stuck at home, here is our Virtual Stand so you can see all our products in detail. Just like the real thing but with less hats!
Having produced a great range of Laser Engraved garden based products in Stainless Steel, Wood and Terracotta, we now need to sell everything off to help “put a shilling in the meter”!
There is a 30% Discount Offer on all products for March and April 2020.
Bored at home (or maybe happy in the garden) - let us show you some new gardening and craft ideas. Stay well and all the best in these worrying times. Yours Ashley and Jo Basil.

Our Stainless Steel Plant Labels

Our standard plant labels are 17mm wide, 135mm long and 1mm thick. They are made of 316L stainless steel which is a Marine grade, resistant to corrosion even in a high salt environment. These Plant Labels have been extensively tested to provide a quality product.

Our testing shows that currently, the labels can ONLY be damaged by full submersion into wet fertiliser or Cola. Even in these instances it took approximately a week for this to happen.

We supply holders which are specifically designed for these plant labels. The holders are firmly affixed to the labels and inserted into the ground.

Mounting accessories such as, stainless steel cable ties and screws are also available to secure your labels.

Standard Labels (double sided): Price £25.00 for 10 Labels, delivery included
Grower Labels (single sided 3 lines): Price £20.00 for 10 Labels, delivery included
30% Discount Offer
Click here for Order Instructions and Terms and Conditions
See Our Plant Label Products and Prices

Framed Botanical Prints on Wood

These are classic Botanical Prints by Williams Benjamin Samuel and others, Laser Engraved onto a fine Baltic Birch ply wood. Mounted in a nice but simple black or light wood photo frame (included in price).

And, Oh dear! What a time we had with making these: First you have to get a good image that will engrave well; Then make sure you are allowed to use the it; Then align the pixels, Then fine tune the settings...

Err! Then they come out wrong try again. Err! What’s going on.....? A dying laser tube. Well fit a new tube - £££. So then we get to take apart a Laser, great these things can hold a charge of 22,000 volts! This machine can blind you in your remaining good eye and kill you!! I love it.

Well I hope you like the results.

These are a LIMITED PRODUCTION RUN - order soon. All being well we'll put these in our shop in the future - further technical tests and reliable packing/mailing tests at the moment.

Price £25 Each, including frame and postage
30% Discount Offer
Click here for Order Instructions and Terms and Conditions
See Full Set of Framed Botanicals

Here are the Information Sheets

For completeness, here are the information sheets from our stand. Useful technical details about our labelling products.

As we were were winning the battle with the laser, why not do the Information Sheets in Birch Ply too. Nice results I think. Sticking on the small items had it rewards - like picking the glue off my fingers - never ending fun at Basillabels.co.uk


See all the Show Information Sheets

Custom Clay and Terracotta - Flower pots and Plant bed labelling Tiles

This one has been a goody - well clay is made up of Aluminium and other stuff - So if all metals can be engraved with the fibre laser, can we do a flower pot, a quarry tile and a brick?

Yes its all possible with quite nice results - but some materials are better than others.

So what would you engrave on a brick?

Look at our Custom Engraving Page - Call or Email for a Quote

30% Discount Offer
Click here for Order Instructions and Terms and Conditions
See Our Custom Engraving Products

**NEW** We also do a sample range of this CUSTOM ENGRAVED labelling on the ETSY shopping site

Custom Stainless - Credit Card Sized

We were asked By Kevin Hughes of Cally Gardens for a bigger format label but not as big as the 'Horrid' black plastic ones you see in Botanic gardens.

The credit card size was used, they can hold a lot more information and have space for a logo, too.

Look at our Custom Engraving Page - Call or Email for a Quote

30% Discount Offer
Click here for Order Instructions and Terms and Conditions
See Our Custom Engraving Products

Marine Grade Stainless Steel Abrasion Test Corner

I hate “Guaranteed for Life”, what life? A Mayfly? The cat's. Your life?

A Bristlecone pine, that's more like it! We give you the chance of damaging one during normal garden usage - Best of Luck!

Oh Yes, if you want a label to try pop over to the Contact page, Email me your text and address, and I will send a FREE sample in the post.

Cola will take the Dark surface off after a week or two - but can not remove the engraved text!

That was our Virtual Show Stand

Well I hope you enjoyed the tour? Try a free sample or take the plunge and buy something nice.

Don't forget - 30% DISCOUNT off everything, for March and April 2020.

Stay well and all the best in these worrying times. Yours Ashley and Jo Basil.

To Purchase View Plant Label Products View Custom Engraving Products

**NEW** We now do a sample range of this CUSTOM ENGRAVED labelling on the ETSY shopping site