Latin Names Are Your Friend

On line or in the library, you’ll find many resources that list the meanings, and it’s fun to explore them. But today what I want to bring to your attention is the way the Latin words sometimes give us a hint about gardening success.

Take rosemary, for example. The English word “rosemary” is a transliteration of the genus name, which is Rosmarinus. Now break that word apart into its two elements. Ros means “rose,” and marinus means “of the sea.” (Think of the English word “marine.”} So Rosmarinus means “rose of the sea.”