Project 2 Making Sense of Plant Tags

Project 2: Making Sense of Plant Tags

Plant tags can give gardeners invaluable information.  The climate, sun and space requirements are essential to make sure a certain plant will survive in your garden. Understanding the name (distinguishing one plant from another) and flowering information help the gardener plan for a yard aesthetic.  For this project I will use the one plant that seems to survive in my dark basement apartment: Morris "Moishe" the houseplant.

Tag from Burnaby Lake Greenhouse Ltd.

Details:
Common Name: Dracaena
Scientific Name: Dracaena species
Sun Meter: Sun to partial shade
Temperature: 64˚-75˚
Watering Instructions

Breakdown:
The common name is printed first in large letters.  A plant's common name tends to vary from country to country and one plant can have several common names.  This is why the scientific or botanical name is so important.
The scientific name is made of up the plant's genus (capitalized) and species (lowercase), both in italics.  The genus is the name of a group of plants that have similar characteristics.  The species is a subdivision of the genus and in turn, the species may be further defined by the variety, subspecies or form of the plant, if applicable.  If the species is a hybrid then it will be preceded by an x.  To indicate a specific cultivar, the name will be printed in single quotations after the genus and species.
The sun meter shows us what level of sunshine the plant can handle (more to come on this!). 
The temperature shows the hardiness of the plant.  In Hardiness Zone terms, the dracaena would technically be in zone 11 (anything above a low of 40˚) but it is really a tropical or indoor plant.
The watering instructions simple remind the houseplant owner not to overwater; this plant likes to dry out.

Most outdoor plants will have the information above as well as an indication of the natural height and width of the plant.  It is important to think about your garden and yard several years down the road when installing plants--don't overcrowd the plants and force them to compete!

The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers and Stearn’s Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners by William T. Stearn are both great resources for plant classification and names.