There’s the so-called language of flowers, as in the symbolism or sentiment attributed to a rose versus a pansy or a daisy. And then there’s the actual language of flowers in botany, as in what’s a sepal or a tepal and a bract, or what’s a perfect flower technically speaking?
Those are some of the many eclectic lessons, both scientific historical and just plant fascinating, that I took away from a new little book with a big name, “Florapedia,” by Carol Gracie, with the subtitle “A Brief Compendium of Floral Lore.”
Carol is a naturalist and photographer and popular lecturer who has written several previous books on wildflowers, including “Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast” and “Summer Wildflowers of the Northeast,” two favorites in my cupboard here.
You know the routine: I ring up my longtime friend Ken Druse on Skype each month and then we tackle your Urgent Garden Questions....
As more gardeners shop for native plants each year, more plant descriptions in catalogs and on nursery labels use the blanket phrase “pollinator-friendly” to...