TheEasyGarden Member Titles! **Voting Closed....Stay Tuned!**

[Reinbeau]

Hmmmm. I am one of those 'edumacated' latin name using gardeners, and actually prefer to use them as opposed to cutsey common names that are so often used on completely different plants - Moonflowers, anyone? I haven't seen any pretention yet in these names - I think we can keep it light while still passing on valuable information. No one is asking to be named Linneaus or anything like that!

 

[Buff Shallots]

Reinbeau, yes, Latin names get right to the nitty gritty of a plant's identity. But before I got edumacated, I had a Master Gardener friend who used them exclusively and I felt very clueless and hopeless. She seemed to enjoy that. Using both terms (Latin and common) when talking with a diverse group is not only compassionate, but educational in a nice, subtle way.

Also regarding using Latin (sorry to hijack the thread Tutter), but some people are just not verbally (word) oriented. They're never going to care about a non-English name, no way, no how, and they'll just be annoyed by your attempts to get them to understand why it can be helpful to try. That's what I've found anyway.

So far, everybody on EasyGarden has been more than wonderful, even though I know a few of them could botany-broadside most of us if they wanted to.

Now, back to Member Titles. How about "On a Latin Soapbox"?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I just thought I'd follow the rest of you off topic for a minute. I think everyone should know the scientific names of plants. That is really important, in terms of being on the same page with other people when discussing plants. HOWEVER, no one will probably EVER use one system exclusively. Who refers to tomatoes as Solanum lycopersicum?

Back on-topic
It might be fun to mirror the titles from BYC. For example: "overrun with chickens" would become "overrun with chickweed" or whatever.

 

[Reinbeau]

Lording horticultural knowledge over anyone is just plain rude! Never has been a point I've wanted to make, it's just that along the way, if both proper and common names are used, sooner or later some of it oozes in and you become more knowledgeable.

Overcome with chickweed is a great one! row

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Oh, "overcome with chickweed" is even better than "overrun with chickweed"!

 

[Reinbeau]

Ha! Ooops - I guess now you know what happens in my garden if I don't pay close enough attention!

 

[Tutter]

Keeping it light, hmmmmm, how about, 'knee deep in compost'?

I know, and use, Latin names for plants here at home, but to finish out this thought (Unless someone wanted to start a special thread for it, but I think it's about talked out, constructively...) maybe we could just add the "common" name when we use Latin, unless we are giving someone a name to do a search with?

I rarely refer to cabbages and their ilk, when referring to them all, as anything but Brassicas/brassica family, but try to remember to write cabbage family, or say, 'brassicas/cabbage family' when talking to anyone I don't personally know, since we may not be on the same page.

We all get busy, and could forget when writing many posts in a short period of time, but I'll double my efforts to check on myself, now that this has come up.

I don't, however, know what to do about cacti and succulents, as I know common names for very few of them! Ack!

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts on the subject, Buff Shallots, I can see where there could be more seriousness than intended, if we aren't careful. This should be an inviting site to everyone, even someone who is new and has just pulled the corn and left the weeds! (I remember the first time my sister did that...oops!)

Reinbeau, I think there is room for using both together, especially, as you pointed out, since there are misleading common plant names. What one common name means to someone may be a totally different plant to another. Stores attach names to things, some are regional....it would be impossible for everyone to know what we all mean, unless it's something very obvious, like tomatoes.

And yes, Lording *anything* over someone else is rude. Past rude, actually.

We aren't really disagreeing here at the root of this. As long as we are as kind and helpful to those who ask a question as we can be, then all should be well.

 

[Tutter]

Boy are some of these good; keep the ideas coming! :happy_flower

 

[Beekissed]

I like all the suggestions!

Seedling
Sprout
Budding
Full Bloom
Gone to Seed


That sounds like a good progression! Maybe someone who is especially helpful on the boards can be deemed: Knee Deep in Compost....as someone who nourishes the budding gardeners
( or are completely full of manure, I don't know which !! ) We could even nominate folks and their helpful posts for the honor of being KDC on a monthly basis. I was a member of one forum who used little badges at the bottom of the titles to indicate folks who had been awarded for helping others, for submitting the best blog of the month, etc.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I like all the suggestions!

Seedling
Sprout
Budding
Full Bloom
Gone to Seed


That sounds like a good progression! Maybe someone who is especially helpful on the boards can be deemed: Knee Deep in Compost....as someone who nourishes the budding gardeners
( or are completely full of manure, I don't know which !! )

Now that's funny. I think everyone's suggestions are great! And I think folks have made very good points for concerns going forward. Unfortunately I don't have that much creativity when it comes to names and stuff. I'm the kind of person who names my cat *cat* and dog *dog*.

I think they're all great especially these ones. Gone to Seed is a little bit on the edge of like being put out to pasture though. I mean, when I think of something going to seed I think of my lettuce, cabbage or other brassicas shooting up and ruining themselves after we have a week of temps in the 90's.