Land O'Lakes Garden Club

The challenge was to find a wind indicator for the garden that made no noise. The indicator had to be able to last outdoors in Florida weather and I wanted it to be colorful. While at ACE Hardware one day, I spotted surveyor's tape, which is commonly seen at building sites. Surveyor's tape is made for the outdoors, it can withstand most weather condition, and it comes in bright colors (pink, orange, yellow, red, and green).

My next problem was what was I going to use for a base to attach the surveyor's tape. I had gotten some new drapes, and as I went to throw away the hangers they came on, it occurred to me that the hangers might make a good base for the indicator. Here's what I ended up with.

At this point, I thought I was on to something interesting. So I started looking around as I went about my daily life. It turns out that there are all sorts of things that can be used for a base for what my garden club eventually nicked named garden streamers. For example, Lowe's sells sign holders that you can stick in the ground. When I saw it, I thought plant pick. Here's a picture of what I came up with.

If you're interested in adding a bit of color and movement to your garden without noise, here are the instructions for making a garden streamer of your own.

Supplies:

A few rolls of surveyor's tape. I found five colors at ACE Hardware. The rolls are about $2 for 50 yards.
An item to decorate (tie strips of surveyor's tape onto). I've found that hardware stores are a paradise of possibilities.
A yardstick to measure the strips.
A sharp pair of scissors to trim strip ends.
Any additional decorations (beads, buttons, etc.) If the item is metal, be sure to spray it with a sealant so that it stands up to the weather.

Construction:

Measure and cut strips of surveyor's tape. I usually cut 36" strips (the length of a yardstick). I have found that if I precut the strips constructing the garden streamer goes faster. The average garden streamer needs between 20 and 40 strips.
Consider decorative items first. In the orange hanging garden streamer above, I used dental floss (practically indestructible) to tie plastic beads in place before I wrapped the item or added strips of surveyor's tape. However, in the second "Good Vibes" garden streamer, I added the metal buttons afterward. Just remember that if you need to hide an attachment item like dental floss, you'll want to add decorative items first or figure out how to conceal it later. A small crochet needle can be helpful because you can use it to gently move around pieces of the surveyor's tape to cover the attachment item.
Wrap as much of the surface of the base in the surveyor's tape as you'd like to have covered. I like the look of a padded hanger. So, I cover lots of the base.
Tie the strips of surveyor's tape to the base. See instructions below.
After all of the strips are tied, trim the edges as needed. I like even edges. You may not.

Tie Strips:

Grab the two end so that there's a loop at the top of the strip.
Place the loop over the top of the edge of the base item.
Slip the two loose end through the loop.
Tighten the loop carefully. The surveyor's tape is sturdy but it can stretch.
To make the knot snug, grab the base of the knot and rock it up and down and right and left to tighten gently.

For the purposes of aesthetics, you want a knot that looks like a man's tie in a Windsor knot. The piece will also look better if all of the knots are on the same side of the base.

I've had garden streamers in my garden for almost two years now. If a streamer is in the Florida sun, it will last about six months before it fades. If it's in the shade, it lasts a little more than a year. Here's a picture of one that's been in my garden for nine months mostly in the shade.