Local Life - Wigan - August 2018

64
Name That Plant
by Angie Barker
Award Winner
What’s in a name? Well with regard to the
Latin names of plants quite a lot actually.
Part of my job as a garden designer is to think about
the plants which will complement a design. This
also means choosing those plants which will suit
the particular location in the garden in terms of
size, colour, texture, flowering season and growing
conditions. (There is more to this garden design
milarky than meets the eye). I am often asked why
plants have such complicated names and at first
sight they can be meaningless.
We have history to thank for the continued use of
Latin plant names in an otherwise ‘dead’ language,
but when you delve deeper, you can actually begin
to understand the properties of a plant and where
it originates from, just by its Latin name. Below are
some examples of Latin words used to describe
plants - you may recognise some.
Mollis means soft and/or hairy – hence Alchemilla
mollis
Bonariensis denotes that a plant originates from
Buenos Aires, Argentina. As in Verbena bonariensis
Sempervirens means evergreen – so we have Buxus
sempervirens (Box)
Gracilis is graceful or slender – as in Deutzia gracilis
Reptans means creeping – Ajuga reptans
Angustus refers to narrow leaves and so we have
Lavandula angustifolia
Macrophylla means large leaves – Brunnera
macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ for example
Niger means black and so we have Sambucus nigra
Nanu means dwarf so if you are looking for a smaller
version of a Berberis you need to look for Berberis
thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea-Nana’
Only those of a certain age (yes I include hubby and
myself in this) will remember doing Latin at school,
but far from being a dead language, it certainly lives
on in the plant world. If however you would rather
refer to Aquilegia vulgaris as Granny’s Bonnet, or
Digitalis purpurea as Foxglove or Ophiopogon
planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ as Black Lilly Turf, I
wouldn’t blame you. On the other hand, if you find
Latin derivatives as fascinating as I do, then carpe
diem. (If you are not of a certain age – google it!)
Angie is a qualified
award-winning garden
designer who will
plan your garden to
your needs from start
to finish, supplying
reputable contractors
and the ideal plants.
Call Angie now for your free consultation!
Angie Barker Dip GD
(Inst GD) BA (Hons)
Garden Design For All Seasons
Tel: 01942 522 405
Mob: 07857 008 383
Award Winner
www.angiebarker.co.uk