How did you get your plant knowledge?

For me it was self taught. None of my 5 employers sent me to train.

Starting in 1980, I learnt not what the plant was, but where it was on the Nursery. This way when a customer came in for something, I could find it instantly.

Over time I learnt my plants, the first 30 were the hardest, then the first 100.

To tell one Hydrangea from another, in leaf, and not in flower was one of my first tasks.

Moving on to an Acer/Rhododendron Grower was fun!!! To be able to tell in November a Rhodo Blue Peter from a Rhodo Gomer Waterer or a Rhodo Nova Zembla as a young liner with no flowers was a learning curve.

Moving onto to a Retail Tree specialist, I knew about 5 trees. However within a year I was responsible for ordering them, labelling them and selling them, along with running an 11 acre Garden Centre, and answering questions over the walkie talkie from my Sales staff about ultimate Tree heights etc, etc.

Then, taking Landscapers and Designers to Italy, umm. Nurseries so big, you drive around on golf buggies all day, and see half of it. Nothing is labelled, no descriptions, nothing is priced. I had to know everything, answering questions from 3 or 4 customers at the same time. If I did not kno, I would make it my mission to find out that day, and give my customer the correct answer.

I love to learn, and want to learn everyday and can probably ident around 90% of Trees, Shrubs Grasses and Climbers and I guess 60% of Herbaceous on first sight.

For a Landscaper or Garden Designer we offer expertise in plants, that is all that we do. The odd paving slab or bit of wooden decking is fine, but plants make a Garden.

I started off with my plant knowledge by checking off danish trolleys of plants against a delivery note, as they came into the garden centre. If you didn't know the plant, you had to check the label and that took 3 times as long. When I got to Wisley, I thought I knew loads. My boss put me behind the information desk for the first time on a bank holiday monday, - I found myself saying, "i'll just ask my colleague", or "I'm not familiar with that plant" on a very regular basis, - had to learn very fast. When I left 6 years later, I was worried that I wouldn't continue learning plants if I didn't see them in front of me in a pot every day, - but in fact, my plant knowledge has grown, as I now get to see plants at every size from 1 litre to full grown, and I get to work with them on a monthly basis, and see the same plant in lots of different gardens. - Every day is a learning experience.

Replies

Dan Pearce December 5, 2010 at 9:43pm

I would like to think that I am self taught from books and experiance. But I also know that in the back of mind, my mum and my grandfather are their. Learning about fuchsias and apple trees from my grandfather probably started it all for me.

Still learning and probably will for the rest of my life.
Claire Brown December 5, 2010 at 9:45pm

I started off with my plant knowledge by checking off danish trolleys of plants against a delivery note, as they came into the garden centre. If you didn't know the plant, you had to check the label and that took 3 times as long. When I got to Wisley, I thought I knew loads. My boss put me behind the information desk for the first time on a bank holiday monday, - I found myself saying, "i'll just ask my colleague", or "I'm not familiar with that plant" on a very regular basis, - had to learn very fast. When I left 6 years later, I was worried that I wouldn't continue learning plants if I didn't see them in front of me in a pot every day, - but in fact, my plant knowledge has grown, as I now get to see plants at every size from 1 litre to full grown, and I get to work with them on a monthly basis, and see the same plant in lots of different gardens. - Every day is a learning experience.
T & S Plants December 5, 2010 at 10:02pm

The great thing is in Horticulture, nobody knows everything, and we all learn everyday.

Wouldn't have it any other way.
Lawncare-4u.co.uk December 5, 2010 at 11:09pm

garden design - 1 yr evening course. plant identification / planting plans on A3 etc.

learnt as a child from yr dot and within gardens working from start of business.

forever learning about trees/ plants/ flowers and shrubs etc -oh and worked at BRIDGEMERE nursery !!

and DR.Hessayon expert of course , whom we should all thank very much for the excellent books :)
Busy Bee Garden Services Limited December 6, 2010 at 7:13am

I worked for a small shrub/tree nursery a long time ago doing prop and the labels were hand written and the old boy made sure I could say them, spell them and even write them in the proper way, so went I went off to hort college I was one step ahead in there plant ident tests which I still feel is not the best way to learn.
Boxelder Landscapes December 6, 2010 at 9:17am

I assume your talking about the Pistoia region in Italy, where you take clients? I use to be contracted to do a lot of planting for nurseries like Piante Mati and Rose Barni travelling a lot through mainland Europe to do rather large installations. Unfortunately for me the plant names won't stick! I know the basics and being fluent in Italian gives me a head start with Latin but for what ever reason I can't seem to remember all the plant names. When I was doing planting on the scale that I was in Italy I relied totally on labels and lists, now I've shifted all my focus to hard landscaping and I'm always straight up with clients about my plant knowledge. I can plant them and kill them for anything in between I call on my maintenance gardener friend (who calls on me for hard landscaping tasks) no point trying to bluff it as everyone has some knowledge, to easy to get caught out!
Ian Howes December 6, 2010 at 10:39am

Did a National Diploma in Amenity Horticulture at Writtle College, we had all the plant tests and experience.
Vanessa Langford December 6, 2010 at 11:55am

By reading books, completing an RHS horticulture course years ago and from my Parents and Grandparents. Also working within the trade I learn every day and can name most plants and shrubs,how to propagate and prune. Not so good with trees but always learning.
Lawncare-4u.co.uk December 7, 2010 at 1:18am

digitalis was one of the first !
PRO

Phil Voice December 7, 2010 at 9:09am

I made learning plant names an obsession and achieved 98% in my plant ident tests at college.

The first Latin plant name I learnt was Alysum saxatile - it was flowering in the dry stone wall of Mrs Herd's garden opposite Petersfield Heath. We did a garden restoration job there in the spring and it brightened up the place.