Latin for Gardeners—A useful, surprising, and beautiful resource
Monday, October 22, 2012 - 03:20
in Biology & Nature
Mastering a small amount of Latin provides a big benefit for gardeners. Not only is it empowering to walk into a nursery and speak like an expert but, without it, they could buy a Hellebores foetidus and be unprepared for its fetid smell, or a Potentilla reptans with the expectation that it will stand straight as a sentinel rather than creep along the ground. Understanding the naming conventions can unlock a wealth of information as the Latin names give clues to color, shape, fragrance, taste, behavior, functions, and more.