[John J]

One of the subjects guaranteed to annoy me is that of plant labelling in 'garden centre/nurseries'. They usually range from no labels at all through mis-spellings to mis-identification, taking in the use of local, colloquial names on the way. On a recent visit to one not too far from us I took the following photos. The first one uses a local name, maybe some of you will recognise it, those living in Greece anyway. The second shows 2 labels from the same plant. One that I didn't get a picture of is one that I have come across in several establishments. A shrub with white flowers that is commonly labelled simply, Montana. I have, however, seen it in one centre as Montana taverna.
Possibly the most annoying, or at least disappointing, aspect in many cases is the apparently careless attitude displayed by the majority of the staff in these places. Surely anyone selling any product, no matter what it is, should take an interest in finding out exactly what it is they are selling, what it does, how it works, etc, so that when asked questions by a potential customer they do not have to resort to the customary shrug of the shoulders and raising of the eyebrows.
Climbing down from high horse now.

[Daisy]

You are right John. I get annoyed also.
But it doesn't make any difference. I find that when I tell them which plant it is and show it to them on their computer, via Google, they are not interested. The next time I visit, the plants are still not labelled and are showing signs of stress from indifferent watering.
The garden centres here are very different to the ones I knew in England. Whereas the garden centres in England can diversify and sell everything from chemicals to Christmas decorations, here they only sell plants, pots and bagged compost.
One would think that they would make the most of what they have.
I do accept the different outlook and way of life here, and am happy to do so, but I must admit, I find this attitude baffling.
Daisy

[David Bracey]

Surely this should be a goal, written or unwritten, official or unofficial of members and branches of the MGS? 

When it comes to attitude towards clients spending their money come and live in France. 

[Alice]

John, from a search on google.gr it appears that Coralli is Russelia equisetiformis.
I also wondered if your Montana or Montana taverna was Tabernaemontana.
 

[John J]

Exactly, Alice, one of the common names of Russelia being Coral plant in Cyprus, and I believe in Greece, it is generally known as Coralli. As you also rightly deduced the Montana is indeed Tabernaemontana. I knew the plants and I'm sure that yourself and the majority of the contributors to this forum would have recognised them too but why should others, who may be coming across them for the first time, not be given the correct name so that they can go away and look them up to see how they perform. Anyone looking for a plant called Montana would be looking for a very long time without finding the correct one.
David, several years ago members of the Cyprus Cactus & Succulent Society along with members of the MGS did look into the possibility of introducing a standardised labelling system that also incorporated a drought tolerance code for each plant. Needless to say it met with resounding indifference from those who would have had to instigate it.

[Alice]

Another thing which can be most confusing is the description of a plant, apparently indicating a place of origin. I have come across "Chiotiko" yiasemi (Jasminum grandiflorum) and Rhoditikos Fikos (Ficus retusa) which can lead one to believe erroneously that these are native species, originating in the Greek islands of Chios and Rhodes, respectively. It could be that many of these plants are grown in these places or that a supplier was based there or there could be some other obscure reason. Perhaps your Thai jasmine was imported from Thailand, John. Well, it keeps one amused!

[Umbrian]

When I first came to live in Italy over 15 years ago I too was very disappointed at the lack of UK type Garden Centers but gradually came to appreciate visiting nurseries where plants were the only things on offer with no temptation to spend money on other things. The poor choice of plants, badly labelled and often badly cared for however was more frustrating. Gradually things have improved and there is even a UK style Garden Center in my local town now where the staff, in the main ,seem to have a genuine interest in their work.  I have also built up a list of worthwhile nurseries that specialise in material suitable for Mediterranean gardens. As regards labelling/naming of plants, the use of "local" names was a cause of great frustration and only with an increased ability to converse in Italian did I start to make headway when trying to acquire specific things.
I think those of us who care about such things should persevere by talking to the staff and pointing out examples of bad labelling, hopefully those businesses eager to be successful will start to take note and improve.

[David Bracey]

I  wonder what comes first , the chicken or the egg?  Growers are not going to label correctly unless there is a demand from the public.  Perhaps, John you could ask Filippi at the AGM "did he create the demand" or "was the demand always there and he just satisfied it"?

Growers do not like being told that they, the "Expert" have got it wrong, especially by a foreigner.  Yes things are improving.  Many of the staff at the pan national garden centres are now trained at least at a Technical school however the old cooperatives are pretty bad.  Some of the smaller growers and there are not many do try.  I did buy a P.alopercuroides correctly labelled recently.

Labelling could well be covered by an "Education group" within the MGS, but perhaps that is a question for the other Forum.

[John J]

I omitted to mention that the plant with the 2 labels proclaiming it to be 'thai jasmin' is actually a Wrightia religiosa which is, I believe, very popular in Thailand. Less popular in Cyprus as this is the first one I have come come across here. Not surprising as one of its requirements is constant watering, not for nothing is it known as Water Jasmine. Where this guy got his from I have no idea.

[Umbrian]

Surely growers such as Filippi will always make sure their plants are properly labelled whether they are destined to be bought by casual gardeners or experts seeking specific plants/varieties? A matter of professional pride and commitment to their work that must be encouraged throughout the industry and, yes, perhaps with some help and encouragement from the MGS

[Alisdair]

David, Well worth continuing to talk about ways to encourage nurserymen to label plants better, etc, on this forum (as well as / instead of the other forum)! Good idea.

[Fleur Pavlidis]

John, much as I hate to disagree with you – I do! Having never gardened in England I don’t expect to find plants labelled and the nurseries I frequent are run by their owners who may not know the Latin names but can tell me lots of other useful growing information. I exchange plants with a few of them and visits usually turn up something interesting. Inevitably I find well-labelled English garden centres pretty soulless – and the plants usually die when I get them to Greece - just the labels live on.

[Umbrian]

I find all your points vaild Fleur, when I first came to Italy I was lost when visiting local nurseries and finding no "proper" labels My Italian was very poor in those days and I really struggled. However just like you I now have built up a good rapport with some of the owners.and it is a pleasure to visit them. Some of the more business minded ones have realised that good labelling does help them with the considerable expat community here who are often frequent customers. 
UK garden centres vary considerably, some being mere commercial ventures whilst others do pay attention to staff training and quality of service. Howver small, specialist nurseries still abound where you can find good personal attention. I soon realised however that importing plants from the UK was not always a good idea as they are raised in conditions very different to those in which they will be growing here. The same applies to many of the plants that are increasingly being imported here from the Netherlands where many of the more ambitious nurseries/garden centres are sourcing plants. I try now to get specific "wants" from specialist Italian nurseries to avoid disappointments.
Overall I am in favour of well labelled plants. The use of the latin names is considered snobbish and elite by some but it does avoid confusion  - however plant/garden enthusiasts usually manage to find common ground in these matters as I think we agree

[John J]

I haven't had much experience of English garden centres over the last couple of decades so I can't comment on your soulless tag, Fleur. On recent visits to UK I've made a bee line for a specialist nursery near Newark in Notts, mostly to scope out his Hedychium stock. You are fortunate to find nursery owners who can give you useful growing info. Apart from our friend Yiannos Orphanos the ones here seem to range from clueless (they give out totally spurious info) to heartless (they don't care that the info is spurious). One that I visited recently was proud of the fact that the majority of his stock was imported from the Netherlands (just as you say, Carole), Israel and Thailand. Israel I have no problem with but I was not aware that either Holland or Thailand had a mediterranean climate.

[Umbrian]

No John, Holland certainly does not have a Mediterranean climate but does have acres of fertile land and some very experienced growers producing many wonderful plants. It is all part of a vicious circle really,  we like it when nursery owners/garden centres in countries such as ours look to widen their stock and offer more unusual plants and cannot really blame them when growers in Holland offer many tempting things in a very professional way. They do not stop to consider if the plants they order are suitable for a Mediterranean climate, but, in my experience ,just go for the showy things in many cases that they know will sell readily.
Perhaps this is an area where we members of the MGS could be active in trying to educate receptive nursery owners on the merits of stocking plants adapted to the country where they operate?