Ah, those dreaded Latin names...intimidating, hard to pronounce, hard
to remember, and who needs them anyway? If everybody knows what a Foxglove
is, why call it "Digitalis"? Sure, this may be true
for people in English speaking countries, but it certainly does not
apply anywhere else.
As a former Dutchman, I can assure you that nobody in The Netherlands
would have a clue when asked for "Foxglove", not even if he
or she were given a literal translation. Long ago, someone in The Netherlands
decided that the flowers of "Digitalis" resembled
sewing thimbles, so from then on the common name of the plant was "Vingerhoedskruid"
or "Thimbleweed". However, when given the name "Digitalis",
one would either know what was requested or at least be able to look
it up. This simple example illustrates the usefulness of a global horticultural
classification system (i.e. Latin names).
The Swedish botanist Carl von Linne (1707-1778) is
considered the father of botanical nomenclature, as he named a great
many plants. Since it was fashionable in those days to "Latinize"
one's name, he is more commonly known as Carolus Linneaus.
The system he developed gave plants a first and a last name, in order
to distinctly identify and classify them. The advantage over common
names - which are indeed easier to remember - is that botanical names
are less confusing. Each plant is identified according to a binomial
system ("bi" meaning "two" and "nom" meaning
"name"). Just as we have a first and a last name, so do plants;
i.e. the genus and the species. Your last name identifies you generically
as being part of a particular group (Smith or Jones) and your first
name identifies you specifically (as Sally or John). The exact same
thing applies to plants.
Mint, for instance, was named Mentha in Latin.
Since there are several species belonging to this genus, they were all
given their own name, based on their individual characteristics. Peppermint
is known as Mentha piperita, apple mint is
called Menta rotundifolia (rotundifolia meaning it
has round leaves), whereas spearmint is known as Mentha
spicata.
What we have neglected to mention is that before the genus and the
species comes the family; we rarely see a plant's family name mentioned
on the tag in garden centers. Who really cares that the Fritillaria
bulbs we buy are members of the Liliaceae family, aka Lilies,
or that the Lady's mantle - Alchemilla mollis
- in our back garden is actually a member of the family of Roses,
the Rosaceae?
To recap what we have been saying so far; first there is the family,
then the genus, and then the species. Once we have determined the plant's
genus and species, we can take it one step further and look at its variety.
A variety is nothing more than a subgroup within a species, in which
the plant differs only slightly from its parent species. For example,
there is a Mentha piperita that has variegated leaves, so, in order
to distinguish it from the regular peppermints, it is known as Mentha
piperita variegata.
Fear not, I am almost done...
Another thing we regularly come across in plant names is the cultivar
- short for CULTIvated VARiety - meaning it is a variety
that can only be maintained by human cultivation, and cannot be reproduced
in nature, as it does not come solely from seed (the so-called hybrids).
Cultivars are normally the result of propagation manipulation, performed
by professional growers, in order to improve a plant's characteristics.
This ranges from prolonging the period during which the plant flowers
to making it resistant to certain diseases; it can also be done simply
to add a specific shade to a plant's natural range of colours. The cultivar's
name is set off by putting the abbreviation cv. before its
name, as in Ilex cornuta cv. Barfordii or - more commonly -
by enclosing it in single quotes, as in Camellia japonica 'Debutante'.
Once we become a little more acquainted with plants' names, it soon
becomes clear that the genus is often named for the person who "discovered"
the plant or, (as was very often the case) introduced the plant to medieval
Europe. The genus Tradescantia for instance, was named after
the English botanists John Tradescant (1570-1638) -
a gardener to Charles I - and his son John (1608-1662), who actually
discovered the plant in Virginia and brought it back to England.
In the name of the species and/or variety one often finds a description
of the appearance of the plant. For example: "macrophylla"
means "large leaves" ("macro" being "large"
and "phylla" being "leaves”). So, from now on.
while walking around in a nursery or garden canter you come across a
plant labeled "Hydrangea macrophylla", you will know
you are looking at a Hydrangea with large leaves
How to plant
Last week I explained what to look for – and what NOT to look
for - when buying plants, so this week we will take a closer look at
planting them. I am sure most of you are quite capable of planting perennials
and shrubs, but there are a few issues you may not be aware of that
will ensure a speedy and successful start for your new plant material.
Plant as soon as possible, but not during the hottest hours of
the day. Do not let plants sit in your car - or anywhere else for
that matter – too long. In one of the previous columns, I explained
how a plant takes up water from the soil with its roots and evaporates
(transpires) moisture through its leaves. Obviously, it is fighting
a lost battle when it is baking in the sun without any moisture in
its container.
Prepare a plant hole that is bigger than the plant’s container.
Water the hole before the plant goes in and add some fertilizer (blood
meal and bone meal). Also, water the plant itself while it is still
in its container.
Take the plant out of its container by gently tapping the bottom
of the pot (do not attempt to pull the plant out of its pot). To ensure
the plant will quickly start to grow new roots, carefully loosen the
root ball (preferably without breaking off roots).
Plant your new perennial or shrub to the same depth as it was in
its pot; don’t bury the stems or leaves and don’t allow
the root ball to stick up above the soil.
Once the plant is in its hole, add some soil and water this in.
Gently – GENTLY! – press the soil down with your hands
so as to avoid having air pockets around the root ball. Remember,
you do not want to “set the plant in concrete”, as the
roots need to be able to penetrate the surrounding soil in order for
your plant to grow.
Once this is all done, add more soil and thoroughly water the plant.
A common mistake is to plant Irises too deeply; contradictory to most
other plants, they like to have part of their root ABOVE the soil.
Plant of the week: Platycodon (Chinese Balloon
Flower)
Perfectly hardy, the balloon flower is a great plant for our herbaceous
borders. This perennial is a native to China, eastern Siberia and Japan.
It grows from 18 to 24 inches high with elliptical, blue-green and neatly
toothed leaves. Its foliage opens late in the spring, while in summer
large, bell-shaped flowers open from balloon-shaped buds.
Happy Gardening!
René Trim
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About René René Trim was educated and trained in The Netherlands,
before moving to Canada in 2000. After studying the differences in climate
and season faced by Ontario gardeners he established Trim Garden Design
and Rescue in May 2002. A gardener since the 1980’s, he has a
wealth of knowledge and experience, a vast library of reference materials
from which to draw answers to various garden situations as well as an
enthusiastic and professional staff.
August
4 , 2004
Family:
Campanulaceae 
