Writing a book starts with research, and while digging deeper into the plant families for The New Heirloom Garden, I had to learn a little Latin to help keep everything straight. To say two plants are in the same family is not to say they are the same, yet they may share similar characteristics. It’s a way to help gardeners make sense of the plant world and can make a difference when you select, start and ultimately save the seeds from your garden.
On a recent photo shoot with Matthew Benson for my new book, our assignment was to gather as many examples of plants for each family. It required thinking like a plant because luckily, plants are like (most) people: they enjoy the company of other “like” plants. Just like in the wild, grouping similar plants in the garden together sets up a naturally complementary pairing, because often what grows together goes together at the table. The results of our photos shoot, hosted by Philo Ridge Farm were magnificent, and have set the tone for the rest of the book. Here are two examples.
Knowing how to identify a plant’s characteristics based on anatomical features by observing the way they grow, the type of flowers, the shape of the stem, or the leaf structure tells me alot. Then grouping plants into whether they are annual, biennial, or perennial is an ideal way to organize in the garden.
