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I say potato, you say Solanum tuberosum
Guest post by Erin Fisher What is Binomial Nomenclature? Binomial nomenclature is also referred to as the latin or scientific name. Latin was at one time the universal (read: European) language of science. All scientific treatises were written in Latin. If you know your latin roots, looking at scientific names can be fun and can give you a clue for the common name or identifying characteristics of the plant: Toxicodendron diversilobum is poison oak. The scientific method of naming plants is related to the study of taxonomy. Taxonomy is a systematic way of classifying all living organisms. Based on set theory, taxonomists group plants into divisions, families, genera, and species. The characteristics used to group plants have changed over the… More
Seven Years!
I have been so caught up lately in prepping for early spring presentations, working on site-wide changes, and other goings-on that I completely forgot that sometime within the month of February, this site reached its seventh year online! Every year I say I will remember, and every year I get so busy that the date passes unannounced. I did a quick search through the archives and here’s the earliest version of the site that I could find. Thank you all for joining me on this crazy seven year ride! Here’s a short list of some articles from that first year: Save Your Poinsettia The Crocus 8 Easy Care Dorm Plants Wilda and Lois More
Caladium in the Lawn
You know, I’ve never much cared for caladium. They’ve always been a “whatever” plant in my book, a humdrum bit of foliage most often seen crammed into decorative baskets and seasonal greenhouse exhibits. Who cares? (Perhaps many of you. In which case, I’m a monster and a tasteless fool. Sorry.) In all honesty, my eyes pretty much just skimmed over them, even during desperate mid-winter greenhouse trips when I was literally scratching at the walls for some greenery. Even then they just barely registered on my visual radar. I’d sooner cuddle up to a massive pachypodium with deadly spines or grow a circle of impatiens surrounded by ring of decorative plastic edging before I’d go for a caladium. That’s just… More
