In Gardening news recently, I came across the results of a
survey and subsequent stories that were hardly flattering to young gardeners. The survey
found most can't recognize Latin names for flowers, while
almost nine in ten are unable to identify a hoe, and nearly half do not know
what a perennial is.
But is this a problem? By gardeners, did they mean those who
garden somewhat seriously, or did they mean casual gardeners who might only buy
a few plants to stick in the ground each spring? I suspect the latter. The fact
that a huge number are unable to spot a hoe tells me only that they’ve never
used one. I mean, a hoe is hardly something you’d forget if you’d spent any
time at all on the end of one. I have, but as I now mulch wherever possible, I
find I rarely use a hoe. Again, I’m sure most regular gardeners, young or old,
know what a perennial is, but anyone new to the hobby could be forgiven.
As for the Latin, I’m surprised
anyone can recognize the botanical name for plants. I have enough trouble
myself, even though many assume I know the Latin name of every plant in my
garden. Have I got news for you!
Just last week, when I opened
my garden for visitors, there were the inevitable questions about the identity
of plants, and in many cases I’d either forgotten or never knew. To avoid
embarrassment I might occasionally have mumbled a phony Latin word like
anonamenthenum, or casually said I’m not sure, but I believe Shakespeare called
it hedgehog bane. Fortunately, no one has ever asked which play.
Common names are certainly useful,
but can be confusing and inaccurate. For instance, I once made the mistake of
saying my Aunt Violet called a particular plant bachelor buttons. The curious
visitor told me that it didn’t look anything like the bachelor buttons she
was familiar with, and next thing you know we were arguing about half the
plants in my garden.
But seriously, when studying or
writing about plants, the correct botanical name is essential. Latin is a
universal language with strict rules of grammar and has remained virtually unchanged
since Roman times, which makes it very useful for keeping order in the plant
world — genus and species, followed by non-Latin variety — one plant, one name,
and no confusion.
And yet I’m sure we gardeners don’t
spend a lot of time thinking in Latin when in our own gardens. In fact, we’re
probably not thinking in words much at all. When I’m deciding where and how to
place a plant, I’m visualizing; when it blooms for me I feel — I feel pleasure,
satisfaction, and sometimes astonishment. That’s why I garden.
In my own back yard, I’m always
trying new things, and as most planting takes place in spring, I’m always in a
rush — empty pot goes one way, trowel another, and if I’m lucky, the tag ends
up beside the plant. Eventually, I get around to retrieving the tags and
recording what’s where, and I do note the correct botanical name, but as for
memorizing every single one, I’ll happily confess that it’s a challenge. It
doesn’t help that gardening is so seasonal. When it’s under a foot of snow, I
lose the familiarity and by spring many names have faded a little. So take
heart fellow gardeners, botanical names are important, but what’s more
important is that you enjoy your garden.
Carpe rutrum (seize the spade).