Gardener's Latin [Hardcover]

Bill Neal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1993

Author Bill Neal has weeded through the Latin words that describe and distinguish plants and flowers and compiled a single volume of select definitions and gardening lore. Narcissus bulbocodium or Narcissus cyclamineus? Isabellinus, iadinus, ianthinus? Basilaris or basilicus? Today's gardeners encounter Latin terms like these whenever they enter garden centres or pick up mail-order catalogues. They must still, of course, decide whether dahlias or peonies will best complete that floral border. But new questions in an increasingly technical vocabulary are sprouting up among perennial concerns and demanding attention from devoted gardeners. As Latin terms appear with increasing frequency in garden centres and on the pages of gardening catalogues, we need such brief, clear definitions for the finite number of Latin terms that combine to form the names of a seemingly infinite number of plant species. Equally welcome are the little-known horticultural facts and fables which fill the broad margins of every page. "Gardener's Latin" is a book for the gardener who needs to know that a plant with isabellinus (tawing yellow) on its nursery tag might not belong in a carefully planned ianthinus (violet-blue) border. Or that the ostensibly similar basilaris and basilicus mean 'base' and 'royal', respectively. Bill Neal leads us down the path from abbreviatus to zonatus, turning aside here and there along the way for glimpses at gardens and gardeners from Virgil to Vita Sackville-West, from Gertrude Jekyll to Gertrude Stein. Patches of garden lore and literature are scattered throughout the beds of definition: why Narcissus cyclamineus is a horticultural joke; why basil is the herb of dread and suspicion; why Cleopatra's asp arrives in a basket of figs whenever "Antony and Cleopatra" is performed. Whether it's dahlias or peonies that will best complete a garden, "Gardener's Latin" is the book to complete any gardener's bookshelf.

Editorial Reviews

Review

BILL NEAL (1951-91) was widely admired as a chef and author of three cookbooks. He was also well known as an avid gardener and edited a collection of gardening columns. BARBARA DAMROSCH is a professional landscape gardener who has written extensively about gardening. She is the author of The Garden Primer and Theme Gardens

About the Author

BILL NEAL (1951-91) was widely admired as a chef and author of three cookbooks. He was also well known as an avid gardener and edited a collection of gardening columns. BARBARA DAMROSCH is a professional landscape gardener who has written extensively about gardening. She is the author of The Garden Primer and Theme Gardens.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale (April 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709051069
• ISBN-13: 978-0709051060
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking, September 16, 2004

By 

Emily Mineer (Provo, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gardener's Latin (Hardcover)

Pretty book, but the number of latin definitions is poor. I bought this book so I could learn the latin meanings behind plant names, but there are so few definitions in this book that I'm going to have to buy another one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Gardener's Latin: Discovering the orgins, lore and meanings of botanical names, August 1, 2005

By 

K. Selwood "Kathy Selwood 'never to old to learn" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gardener's Latin (Hardcover)

Explains the orgin and meaning of the latin words (regards plants), in most cases describes the look /structure of the plant. Remembering plant names, is not so bad now after reading this book.