By C.L. Fornari
Sparky, a Sato, wonders why he’s being asked to sit next to a Hydrangea, tentatively identified as a H. macrophylla ‘Sandy Summer’
I went to the grocery store recently, and when I checked out, my cart contained the food I needed and a Hydrangea that I didn’t. The store was filled with living plants and cut flowers before Easter, and this particular shrub called to me. I justified the purchase by saying that it would be nice in the background for an upcoming virtual talk I was giving about Hydrangeas. In reality, I was merely succumbing to an attack of plant lust.
On returning home I took off the decorative foil that covered the pot, and looked at the tag to see which shrub I had purchased. It was not unexpected to discover that the information on this label was completely generic. It was identified as a Hydrangea macrophylla, but no cultivar name was given. The guesstimate of size was a broad 3-6 feet tall. I wasn’t at all surprised.
The Trend Toward Nonspecific Labels
It’s understandable that it’s easier for the grower and wholesaler to label a group of plants as “Foliage Assortment,” but that cheats the plant-buying public out of the opportunity to learn about those plants.
I’ve ranted about growers using all-purpose labels before. In 2018, in an article in Garden Center Magazine, I pleaded with those growing house plants to stop using a general “Tropical Plant” tag. I am sympathetic with the reasons that growers use such common labels, of course. Their stock and particular varieties can change quickly and there can be crop failures, both of which might lead to an excess of wasted labels. Additionally, their work force that prepares the plants for shipping may not be conversant with the language on the tags. But in placing generic labels on plants, our industry devalues the public’s curiosity and intelligence in a way that ultimately impairs horticulture.
The Desire to Name
Human beings love to put names to living things and objects. People who would never consider themselves “a birder,” take photos of unfamiliar birds, and post them online asking for identification. When I walk my dog Sparky in local parks, I am frequently asked what breed he is. He is a mixed breed, but even calling him a Sato, the slang term for street dog in Puerto Rico, where Sparky is from, seems to satisfy people more than just saying he’s a mutt.
As an admin of several plant-related Facebook groups, I see thousands of requests for identification each week. From the international Hydrangea Happiness group (24,300 members) to the regional Cape Cod Gardening gathering (9,000 members), daily requests for plant identification are common. Yet in these groups and others, these inquiries are about more than just genus and species; those posting want to know what variety they’ve got.
Moving Forward
It used to be that those in horticultural businesses would say that the public was intimidated by specific botanic names and long registered titles. Yet in these times when most people carry a computer in their pockets, looking up a particular plant is a matter of copying that name into Google…you don’t even have to know how to pronounce it. But for identification, having a place to start is important.
The grower of my supermarket plant did have a URL on their tag, and this website contains photos that can get the consumer closer to a specific name. But Hydrangeas are especially hard to id since the color varies so much according to the pH of the potting mix and the flower’s stage of development. It’s a step in the right direction, however, and one that I wish would be adopted by other growers. It would be wonderful if all generic labels at least contained a website where the consumer could easily find a “What Plant Do I Have?” page that contained a few photos for comparison of each plant.
For several years, members of the green industry have worried about the tendency toward “plant blindness” in the general public. This is the term given to the predisposition for many people to view plants as a nonspecific green background to their lives. Why are we so slow to recognize that in placing generic labels in plants, those in horticultural businesses have actually been encouraging this impaired vision?
Let’s get down to details.
C.L. Fornari is a garden communicator who takes pleasure in bringing the joy of plants to the general public. Find more about her books at GardenLady.com and hear the podcast she co-hosts at Plantrama.com. C.L.’s not-so-secret mission is to put horticulture back into popular culture. In the meantime, she grows plants at her property, named Poison Ivy Acres.
An update! My hydrangea has been identified as Curly Sparkle. So it’s a picture of Sparky and Sparkle!
Karma! Sparky is a doll.
but with more information we get involved in the mess of the patent name, the grower name, the cultivar name UGH!
Any name – registered or trademarked – would give people a place to start.
Amen! CL. The name is crucial
The full name of a plant is essential in my opinion. For example, there are many lycoris cultivars that do well in my area, but one that won’t grow here. The same can be said for phlomis and alliums. Some will grow here and some won’t.
Any of those – trademark name or the patent name would give people a place to start!
SO true. For many plants, the difference between one species or cultivar can mean the difference between life or death.
Thank you, this has long been an annoyance to me. I’ve been known to put a plant back on the shelf if it isn’t “named.”
I avoid buying or ordering plants when the Latin name is not supplied. Why is this information deemed unimportant? BTW, C. L. recently addressed our garden club via Zoom and I was blown away by her presentation. Thank you!
Totally agree. I learned hundreds of plants by reading labels at nurseries. Was taken aback last summer when I saw a pot at Home Depot that just said ‘sun perennial’. How’s a person supposed to learn what’s what?
Yikes! That’s appalling. In the past the perennials were the group that you could rely on for accurate labeling. Trickle down dumbing down!
I love to know as much about a plant as I can only learn. There is so much fun stuff to know, beyond information on fertilizing, pH numbers or location requirements. Thus, the true plant name is absolutely essential. I even love to learn about all the common names – there is so much history in all this.
Sometimes it is hard to walk away from a plant in the grocery store or at one of the big-box places. But I am usually much happier when I can go to a nursery where they still provide most of the information I am looking for. Let’s hope nurseries will never follow the cheaper trend of just going for the generic names…
I agree, Evelyn – there is value in knowing the botanic names and the common names. Who can resist a plant whose common name is “none so pretty,” for example. And the botanic names make it possible to all be on the same page and get the exact plant we’re looking for. Yes, often it’s the box stores that have these generic labels, but it bleeds down to our local ICG’s as well. Let’s make noise about this!
If you think hydrangea No ID are bad, try phalaenopsis orchids…
You mean there’s actually no genus “Succulent” and no species “assorted”? ;^)
Ha! Love it.
And we always need to know size…….
The margin on these plants is tiny and there is no expectation that they will last longer than a cut flower. The “outdoor” plants are produced with artificial everything to accelerate their growth and seldom thrive or even survive outside the lab conditions of their production. Do the planet a favour and just leave them be.
What I find especially annoying is when a plant nursery catalog only has the common name!! They have no excuse for not putting the full Latin name and cultivar name!!
Glad to know the proper name for this interesting hydrangea. Wonder where I have 3 to 6 feet of space?
ceci
Agreed. Nothing infuriates me more than the label “red peony” or “white peony” instead of actual cultivar.
Here here! Thank you C.L. for shining a spotlight on this alarming trend. Chiming in from the tree-growing world, I am in complete agreement with those of you who insist on having plants that are properly and completely labeled with Latin names (Genus, species, cultivar and patent number if applicable) and Trade name (yes, even those pesky TM’s and ®’s!) Our company does our best to make sure that our customers represent our trees in the same way – correctly! To all of you who believe that botanically correct labeling is an essential nursery practice, THANK YOU. Our company doesn’t do business with the big box stores, so please correct me if I’m wrong: It’s my understanding that these one-size-fits-all generic labels are mandated by the chain stores in order to reduce the number of SKU’s, and perhaps to simplify their pricing structure and acquisition methods and streamline their supply chain. Please don’t throw all of us growers under the bus. Quality growers care about the details and want consumers to ask for the outstanding species and cultivars that we work so hard to develop and market. Thanks to all for greening our world!
When I started gardening, I didn’t realize there were different cultivars of the “same” plant. Bought many the wrong one. (Hello fall-flowering azalea and the three white-blooming dogwoods that don’t bloom together b/c they’re different kinds.) So 20 years later, when I DO know exactly what I’m looking for, yes, it really bothers me to not have a plant identified correctly.