Firstly, I do like Monty's garden. I agree with those who say it's his own idiosyncratic garden that we're invited in to see. I was a bit surprised in the first show of this series when he said he was going to make a paradise garden in an area vacated by his greenhouse. But that seems to be what he enjoys, magpie-ing ideas so you get a taster of lots of different things. I've a feeling if he had the money he would create Westworld, Medieval World, etc, with the banana plant probably playing the role of Yul Brynner's evil robot.
Secondly, and sorry for hijacking the thread to latin names again. I think Liriodendron is right that we learn the names of foreign footballers by watching the teams they play for. Kids learn dinosaurs from who would win in a fight and what weapons they have (but I don't think they generally learn that many). When we first start learning about plants I think many of us lack a framework and that's what causes many to give up or not even embark on the journey. You could start with families and say learn all about the Asters, but that's like saying learn all the Russian footballers and then learn all the Italians, etc. It's just not the way people tend to learn. I guess a better way would be to learn about the things you are growing, but that is probably a little limited if you're not working in a nursery. It would be interesting to know how others approached it, though I imagine rather like Monty's garden, everyone will have their own opinion.
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
I too, like most of Monty's garden. I was surprised to see when I watched his video of his garden in winter in the Secret Garden pages, just how close he was to what looked like a large river - no wonder his garden floods sometimes. I think he planted most of the hedges as a windbreak and like most of us has had second thoughts now they've got a bit tall.
Every garden should reflect it's owner's personality don't you think and what they particularly like to grow. With me, it's herbaceous plants, roses and clematis mostly and as we are on the rural outskirts of Bath, a formal garden probably wouldn't feel right.
Regarding Latin names, I try hard to memorise the plants I have in my own garden, more so because I am petrified of being asked the names when we open for the NGS!
I might know the names but the pronounciation is what I find difficult. I do have a Latin plant dictionary but have difficulty remembering individual plant names sometimes.
How do people learn these things without going to horticultural college? Is it just experience or do you study books each evening? It would be nice to have a guide of where to start, rather than just ploughing in and trying to learn all the botanical names of all the plants.
Paul, the names just seep into our consciousness the longer we garden. I very rarely know common names. One way to try and remember them is to say the names of the plants in your head as you go round your garden. Repetition helps greatly. I have been gardening for about 50 years and I still repeat my plant names as I go round or when I am kneeling weeding. When I plant a wheen of new plants, I bury a plant label beside them so I can have a sneaky peak if I forget their names!
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
I must be awful. I just think that orange thing works with that blue thing, or that looks nice together. Verbena Bonariensis is my party piece but nobody cares, and I am just trying to be clever ☹️ and probably putting them off gardening.
My grandaughter calls her blue sweetpeas "bluebells" and if that's what she likes then that is fine. Latin names are the last thing I would care about when it comes to what environment a flower thrives in.
Never learned Latin but I'm sure I read somewhere that when reading Latin words no emphasis is placed on any part of it. That sort of makes it easier to read. It's really difficult to post on a phone with hiccups. I keep hitting the wrong key.
Your favourite was one I had to learn for college, Hosta. I found it difficult to get into my head until I looked up the meaning of each Latin element - which is one good way of learning many of them, I've found. The RHS 'Latin for Gardeners' is useful for this. My personal favourite is Ceratostigma willmottianum.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
My personal favourite is Ceratostigma willmottianum.
Another good one @LG. as is Ceratostigma plumbaginaoides and how about Catalpa bignonoides? But Eupatorium purpureum 'Atropurpureum' subs. purpureum var. atropurpureum is just getting silly.
If you're interested in plants you need to know the names. If you want 'a bit of colour' in the garden you go to the GC and buy what you see, doesn't matter what it's called
I have a plant called Petrorhagia illyrica subsp. haynaldiana 'Pink Starlets'.. which I find just rolls off the tongue... and a very fine plant it is too. Tunic flower, if you prefer..
Another favourite is Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii 'Chattahoochee' but I have difficulty keeping this one going... linguistically and horticulturally...
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Secondly, and sorry for hijacking the thread to latin names again. I think Liriodendron is right that we learn the names of foreign footballers by watching the teams they play for. Kids learn dinosaurs from who would win in a fight and what weapons they have (but I don't think they generally learn that many). When we first start learning about plants I think many of us lack a framework and that's what causes many to give up or not even embark on the journey. You could start with families and say learn all about the Asters, but that's like saying learn all the Russian footballers and then learn all the Italians, etc. It's just not the way people tend to learn. I guess a better way would be to learn about the things you are growing, but that is probably a little limited if you're not working in a nursery. It would be interesting to know how others approached it, though I imagine rather like Monty's garden, everyone will have their own opinion.
I too, like most of Monty's garden. I was surprised to see when I watched his video of his garden in winter in the Secret Garden pages, just how close he was to what looked like a large river - no wonder his garden floods sometimes. I think he planted most of the hedges as a windbreak and like most of us has had second thoughts now they've got a bit tall.
Every garden should reflect it's owner's personality don't you think and what they particularly like to grow. With me, it's herbaceous plants, roses and clematis mostly and as we are on the rural outskirts of Bath, a formal garden probably wouldn't feel right.
Regarding Latin names, I try hard to memorise the plants I have in my own garden, more so because I am petrified of being asked the names when we open for the NGS!
I might know the names but the pronounciation is what I find difficult. I do have a Latin plant dictionary but have difficulty remembering individual plant names sometimes.
My grandaughter calls her blue sweetpeas "bluebells" and if that's what she likes then that is fine. Latin names are the last thing I would care about when it comes to what environment a flower thrives in.
My favourite is Metasequoia glyptostroboides.
But Eupatorium purpureum 'Atropurpureum' subs. purpureum var. atropurpureum is just getting silly.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Another favourite is Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii 'Chattahoochee' but I have difficulty keeping this one going... linguistically and horticulturally...