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One day there will be an app where one could speak into a phone with a description and get the answer - saying that, there are some good mobile apps for plant idents around.
I do get metal blocks though, as Phil says, when on the spot it can go haywire.
I can always identify that one from college days.....
Yes, Rubus cockburnianus is a star of the College ident days aswell as Malus 'Golden Hornet' and Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'. Also, we had to do a photographic collection of 50 plants during our 'sandwich year' placement and this involved me spending many an hour at Kew and Cambridge Botanics etc. photographing strange plants I knew nothing about.
I must know the latin names of thousands of plants, but must admit that I do not know the common names of even the most common of everday garden plants (especially bedding plants) and this is very embarising sometimes when talking to the elderly/keen amateur gardeners who thrive on such knowledge.
With regard to how I remember latin names? It just kinda happens when you've been doing it for a while and it impresses the pants off customers who think that you are the next David Bellamy or Magnus Pike whenever you start dropping them into conversations!
Understanding few ''keywords'' in latinie can help- such as white, big and so.
I did new all names of plants in garden center, in the past (back in israel) .
Must say that I found that far more useful than the name was the knowledge about things like: how fast does it grow? how deep are the roots? how easy is it to transfer it? and how does it look all year around? and even is it tend to spread? does it make a mess?
Some of this knowledge is harder to find in books- and i think is what make someone professional.
True it might look impressive when someone shoot names! But I always tried not to make my customers confused with names.
Brilliant thread, so glad it’s not just me that struggles. If I like a plant then I’m usually OK but that’s it, otherwise when put on the spot I just stand there looking at it.
Most embarrassing moment was some kind soul, who pointed out a wrongly named palm on the website, it had obviously been driving him mad and he had to email…it had been wrongly named for 3 years!!!!!!!!!!!!! The shame.
When I was at college, we were doing a walk around the college gardens with our new (and nervous) lecturer. She pointed to a Prunus and called it a name...A very likeable and knowledge student said to her that she has got the particular Prunus' name wrong...and went on to prove it (poor girl was rather embarrassed).
And we all have a blank spot - mine's Hibiscus - I can write that down straightaway here but get myself in a garden with a client and I've conditioned myself over the years to forget the word!
Always you get caught out somewhere, so I keep one of the very small picture id books around if I'm going to look at a site or discuss planting schemes. I learnt that if you try to bluff it it looks worse than saying I don't know but I will check and get back to you. Gives you the chance to research and an excuse to talk again to client - they seem to like that. Most know you can never be a total expert and appreciate the effort.
My pronuciation on latin names was terrible, but at college we where introduced to the small 'Black Book' called "Plant Names Simplified". It helped termendously..I recently purchased a new copy while back at the RHS bookshop a Wisely. This is now also kept close to hand....
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