Why Latin?
by Leslie Cox; Thursday, August 16, 2012
There are many gardeners who do not like to call plants by their scientific name. Perhaps it is the uncertainty of getting the pronunciation correct that scares them off. It may also be some of the long names with multiple syllables. But heck…who knows which pronunciation of the common name for Lycopersicum lycopersicum, tomato, is really correct? It depends on which side of the Atlantic Ocean you live, doesn’t it? And we are both right.
There are a couple of good, solid reasons why every gardener should make at least some effort to learn the scientific names of their plants. First, there is no confusion about what plant you are talking about when you use the Latin name. It refers to one plant and one plant only. Use the common name and you could be talking about two, possibly even three totally different plants.
Starting Over in a Garden
by Leslie Cox; Thursday, August 16, 2012
Life begins the day you start a garden. ~ Chinese Proverb
How true for us.
Oh, we have gardened off and on since we were kids, depending on where we were and our particular situations throughout the years between then and now. But in turning to our garden after both losing our jobs on the shutdown of the Gold River pulp mill, Life really did begin for us as we embarked on the garden make-over.
Getting down to ground level in a garden literally grounds you. Life begins in the soil with the sprouting of seeds and Life ends with the decomposition of plant material returning nutrients back into the soil from which it came…in readiness for the birthing of a new seedling.
Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
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Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ Family: Poaceae Common name: golden Japanese forest grass |
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Description: An herbaceous perennial with slowly spreading, mounding habit. Boasts brightly variegated foliage, gold with green stripes near leaf margins, on deep purple stems. Open panicles of reddish-brown flower spikes may appear in early autumn through winter but not here in our Zone 7a garden.
Special Notes: Native to Japan. Slow growing, often taking 3 years to form a nice clump, but well worth the wait. Gold colour of foliage will fade to lime-green if sited in deeper shade. Good autumn colour; leaves age to reddish-brown. Propagate by division in spring or autumn.
Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit 1993
In our Zone 7a garden: This is a favourite plant although we have yet to see any flower spikes on even our well-established plants. If sited in full sun, Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ bleaches out in the heat of the summer. Provided with some shade, the leaf blades retain their golden colour better. Plant in full shade and the leaves will lean more towards a lime-green colour.
Posted on August 13, 2012; updated April 27, 2022 |
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Euphorbia myrsinites
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Euphorbia myrsinites Family: Euphorbiaceae Common name: donkey tail spurge; myrtle spurge |
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Description: An evergreen perennial with floppy stems in a mounding form. Chalky blue-green, semi-succulent leaves are arranged in close spirals around stems. Showy, bright chartreuse-yellow bracts appear at the branch tips in early spring through early summer.
Special Notes: Native to southern Europe through central Asia. An unusual plant for the rockery, container or front of the border. Drought tolerant. Few pest or disease problems. May suffer some snow damage. Deer and rabbit resistant. Propagate by seed or by division in early spring.
Caution: Milky sap can cause skin and severe eye irritation. Wash immediately with water. Toxic if ingested.
RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Posted on July 31, 2012 |
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