Have no fear of using the Latin, or botanical, names of plants.  It’s quite easy to pronounce; if you can say indefatigable (in de fat ig a bull – 6 syllables), you can say albovariegatus (al bo vare ee a gat us - 7 syllables); don’t allow the unusual arrangement of letters to unnerve you.

Learn some of the main terms so that you can easily distinguish what you are buying when you look at the label, or when you see something in a book and need to know whether or not it will suit your particular climate conditions.

Then there are other terms giving shapes, texture or markings:

And for height and direction:

Choose carefully for fragrance and taste:

...And even more carefully for habit:

General chacteristics:

And some prefixes and suffixes:

Thus, if I tell you I am going to give my neighbour a Magnolia stellata ‘Rubra’, you will see from the above that it will be the Star Magnolia, with star-shaped flowers in dark pink, not the goblet-shaped flowers of the soulangeana species.  The tree I will give to my friend will be the Magnolia salicifolia – willow-like leaves.  What sort of leaves would a Geranium variegatum have?  And where would be the best spot in your garden to plant a Geranium pratensis?  Hibiscus coccineus is obviously going to have deep scarlet flowers, and why did my Salvia do so well next to my neighbour’s fence?  Because she had a broken pipe and the ground became quite marshy there – and my Salvia was the uliginosa species.

Remember, the name or label will show the genus first, the species second, and the variety third.  Latin is not used in construction, but here is a simple, easy-to-understand example of what I mean:  the genus (What is it?) would be ‘building’; the species (What kind of building?) would be ‘house’; the variety (What kind of house?) would be ‘Bungalow’.  This might give you a perspective of the botanical terms.  (Magnolia stellata ‘Rubra’)

As always, I urge you to find a good book, one which explains botanical names if you want to become a serious gardener.  It’s useful to be informed; not all plants in nurseries are grouped together as ‘dry habitat’, ‘moist conditions’, etc., and having a basic knowledge of Latin could often help, particularly if it’s difficult to find an assistant at just the right moment.

Miscellaneous Tips

Remember that, although wood chips are excellent for suppressing weeds and retaining moisture, if digging over that plot for more planting, do not dig them into the ground because they can reduce the nitrogen level, producing yellow leaves.

Parsley or chives, grown in or near a rose bush, will help to prevent black spot.