sarah d says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 am

My neighbor knows a lot of Latin plant names. I think it’s great. I can barely remember the common names for the plants in my garden so it’s wonderful to have her around. I think if you’re super interested in gardening and learning plant history that Latin class would be super exciting. I’m just going to stick with remembering which seeds I planted and which plants are weeds.

Mary Schier says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 am

I did take that course at the arb a couple of winters back and it really helped me understand why plants were called what they were. Knowing the Latin is helpful for figuring out how a plant will look. Grandiflora equals big flowers; digitalis equals finger shaped. The second word in the plant name often says something about the plant’s appearance or habitat. Also, I’m finding more nurseries don’t use the common name. For example, they say Monarda, not beebalm.

Interesting thing about the class: it was packed the time I took it, so obviously somebody wants to learn Latin.

Jaime Chismar says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 11:47 am

>> Go out and water the taxus brevifolia!

That totally cracks me up! Kids brains have this amazing ability to memorize complicated dinosaur names. No wonder you have the Latin name for primrose stuck in your head!

Connie Nelson says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 11:57 am

I took the botanical Latin class at the arb, too. Like Mary said, it really helps you learn more about a plant — whether it’s white (”alba”)or low-growing (prostratus). Sometimes, I get the Latin name stuck in my head and can’t remember the common name. “Look at that lovely Tiarella cordifolia” still sounds goofy to me . . .

Karin says:

July 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 pm

I’d take the class! I started out using common names but after a few years am finding Latin works better for communicating with precision. Many good reference books are alphabetically organized by Latin names, and some internet search engines give faster and more accurate results with Latin than common names.

Amber says:

July 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am

Working in a small, local greenhouse/nursery during high school and college exposed me to both Latin names and many variations on common names. For example, cornflower, bachelor’s button, and centaurea are all the same thing and you never know which name someone will use. So I’ve found that knowing both is useful because it’s all about being able to communicate, not about showing off. My favorite story, though, was of the woman who cam ein looking for clematis, but who asked for it by the name of a similar-sounding STD. Boy, did we have a hard time keeping a straight face! So, make sure you know your names, Jaime!

Diane says:

July 27th, 2008 at 9:56 am

I’d like to second Amber’s experience. Sometimes it’s not common vs botanical name…it’s pronunciation of those words you’ve only read in a book so you have no idea how to pronounce them. I had a customer come into the garden center just the other day looking for a plant that nobody could recognize — until I realised she was putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable. Happens at least once a week. Check out http://www.finegardening.com/hearlatin — in addition to matching common and botanical names, you can get audio — hear the botanical name pronounced. Why didn’t somebody think of that sooner! Come to think of it, why didn’t I? It coulda been my million dollar idea and I could be funding my plant habit from the proceeds;