About plant names

Herb: If it has two legs it is called Herb. If it grows in your garden and flavors your meals it is called herb, (silent h)

Even though the h is silent in herbal you need it when pronouncing herbaceous.

Clematis: Several pronunciations are acceptable. Horticulturists usually refer to the plant as clem a tus. I often hear it referred to at garden centers as clem mat us. Either pronunciation produces the same beautiful plant when its feet are cool and its foliage is in the warm sun. Somewhat like me!

Cotoneaster: That hardy, lovely, winter berry shrub that is loved by birds is not cotton easter.

Co tone e aster is how you say its name.

Agastache: Also known as Hyssop, agastache is a great plant for pollinator gardens. I like to think of agastache as a rhyming word for mustache.

Eschscholzia: I don’t even try this one! The California poppy’s bright orange and sometimes yellow flowers are favorites of many pollinators. I have found California poppies do indeed do just that. They pop up everywhere and reseed themselves readily.

If you really want to dazzle your friends at your next cocktail party, just throw out the delightful marvels of the Houttuynia cordata. Its creamy, pink, green, yellow and red foliage are an especially attractive ground cover in moist shady gardens.

My all time favorite plant name to really make me seem like an expert is Microbiota decussata.

This low growing, nine syllable, Siberian cypress has feathery, scalelike green leaves that sometimes turn reddish brown in winter. The Microbiota decussata is one of only a few evergreen shrubs that prefers shady conditions.

Sometimes Siri or apps on your phone can help with plant pronunciation but be careful. I have found myself off the beaten path on journeys when I was without a “paddle.” A plant pronunciation guide is usually a better tool for plant jargon.

-- Margaret Swenson is a WSU Master Gardener. To contact here, log onto http://spokane-county.wsu.edu/spokane or call 509-477-2181.