Plant Names

One of the things that is off-putting for a novice gardener is the business of plant names. Any gardening programme on the TV or the radio seems to delight in giving plant names in latin. The speakers refer to latin forms of their favourite plant names which can switch off the amateur; "This can't be for me I don't understand Latin plant names...". Don't be intimidated!

This little section will de-mystify plant names and in no time at all you will be using latin plant names with the best of them. Why do they need these complicated plant names? Well, imagine you have just been to visit someone or someplace where you spotted a rose that is absolutely beautiful - you have to have one just like that in your garden. But where do you start? Try going to your local garden centre and asking where you can find this fantastic specimen; "Which one?" they ask. You can't tell them the plant name so you say: "It's pink with darker stripes and a yellow centre". They look at you as if you just landed from planet ignoramus and point to the rose section where you see dozens of roses, none of which looks like the one you want. When you turn round to ask for more help the assistant has disappeared. You give up and skulk off back home for a cup of tea!

Next day you go to visit a formal garden and see the rose you want. When the coast is clear you crouch down and search underneath for the label where you note it says:

Common Name: Rosa mundi rose
Genus: Rosa
Species: gallica
Cultivar: 'Versicolor'

You write the plant name down and go to a specialist rose centre; you find an assistant and ask using the plant name Rosa mundi. This time the assistant smiles and takes you to the rosa mundi section and even selects the cultivar 'Versicolor' for you. Success!

Plant names are no more intimidating than peoples names; you would not send a letter to "John" and expect it to find the exact person you had in mind; so it is with plant names.