Ericaceae members Enkianthus campanulatus var. sikkokianus; pink Rhododendron amagianum; a pink Robin Hill rhodendron hybrid; red-orange azalea R. kaempferi tachisene; and white Eubotrys racemosa.

 

Of the hundreds of thousands of plants on earth, gardeners are concerned with those in cultivation—either as ornamental or edible crops. Most of the plants in this book are considered ornamental, even if they have uses other than feeding our souls, such as herbs for culinary or medicinal purposes. We grow these plants, or hope to, in our gardens.

Plants are classified in a system of scientific categories, the first being class, and all with the most general characteristics in common are sorted together. There are two classes—plants with seeds inside fruit and those with naked seeds. Then there are the subclass, superorder, order, and next comes family. Family is where we begin to recognize our garden plants and where we can distinguish which ones are related. The number of plant families varies depending on whose organizational structure you are following— after all, these things change over time as new details are uncovered. There may be 150 to 300 families (we are showing some popular ones), followed by subfamilies that further distinguish the plants by common traits. Then there are the tribes, subtribes, genera, species, varieties, forms, and cultivars. Cultivar (cv.) is a contraction of the words “cultivated” and “variety” and refers to plants selected by horticulturists and introduced to the trade. So, you might grow a cultivar named Kalmia latifolia ‘Snowdrift’: a white mountain laurel in the genus Kalmia, of the species latifolia, and the Cv. ‘Snowdrift’.

What’s with all of this Latin? The problem with common names is that they may be regional or local, and not universally consistent. Imagine if a third-grade teacher called all of her students “kid.” She might use a more descriptive name like “third-row boy.” If the child got lost, and she stopped a police officer to ask for help, she might be out of luck. The officer knows that youngster by a different name: “redhead.” But if everyone were searching for Jason Quimbly, they would have a better chance of finding him.

There are other reasons to know Jason Quimbly’s actual name. For instance, when the teacher knows her students as specific individuals, she can better provide for their needs. (Jason Quimbly loves ice cream.)

The same is true in the garden. When you learn the scientific name of a plant, you will be better able to care for it: That’s one of the best tips for successful gardening.