Now that winter has arrived (I think our gardening days are over for 2014!) it seems the perfect chance to sit back with a cup of tea and dig into that pile of gardening magazines or books that we have been stacking up all summer. I found a treasure by one of my favorite gardening gurus, Marjorie Harris. The book is called "Favorite Flowering Shrubs", and this small volume has a variety of beautiful shrubs listed. Some of them are zone 5, but who among us doesn't enjoy a challenge? I think I have told you about the little tree peony in my sweet Mom's garden; it was hardy for zone 4, but luckily the tree peony couldn't read and didn't know that! It grew into a breathtaking specimen and is still alive all these years later. So don't let zone numbers totally intimidate you from trying a plant that really intrigues you.
As I was looking through the book, I noticed that all the shrubs had the big two-dollar Latin name listed; not surprising, since Marjorie is such a knowledgeable gardener. I was a little intimidated, wondering why plants can't be listed with easier names. Have you even wondered that?
Time for homework: why are plants listed with Latin names? I found an easy-to-understand explanation on a gardening site called "Gardening Know How", with a great article by Amy Grant entitled "Botanical Nomenclature Guide: The Meaning Of Latin Plant Names". Don't be frightened by the title! The article makes the whole process more clear, and I'll condense it and tell you about it now while we share a cup of tea.
Latin names are used to identify certain plants and certain characteristics that they may have. Latin names are used because their meanings are the same everywhere, whether we are talking about plants in Yorkton, Saskatchewan or if we were over in Scotland talking with Prince Charles about plants at Dumfries Castle. (You never know, it could happen!) We always read about the "genus" and the "species" of a plant. The genus is the broad name for plants that have similar fruit, flowers or leaves; the species narrows it down even further, to focusing in on, say, the color of the foliage. Ms. Grant uses the example "Acer Rubrum". Acer tells us that the plant is a maple, rubrum tells us that the foliage is red. The genus will always appear in capital letters, and the species will follow in lower case. By using Latin names, we all know we are talking about the exact same plant. You know how so many plants have different common names: I might have been calling a plant one name, while you and your Aunt Sophie may have been calling it something else. The Latin names eliminate that problem. Not so important, perhaps, for the home gardener, but very important for people who work with plants as part of their education or business.
Even knowing this, you and I still might call plants by their more common name, although I am blessed to know amazing gardeners who actually do call plants by their real Latin names with comfort and ease! I admire and respect their knowledge, and talking to them gives me an opportunity and the inspiration to learn. But having a little information about what the Latin names mean makes looking at gardening books not quite so intimidating!
Members of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society are reminded that the AGM and Banquet takes place Wednesday, November 26. If you haven't already purchased your banquet tickets, call Liz at (306) 782-2830. Hopefully you can be there - it's always a fun time, a nice way to finish off the gardening season by having a good visit and enjoying a delicious meal with your gardening friends! Have a great week!
