Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties
199 episodes
1 month ago
Join CCE Master Gardeners’ conversations about all aspects of gardening, ecology, and nature. This weekly podcast is designed to entertain, inspire, educate and inform listeners who want to begin or enhance their gardening journey and/or explore other aspects of the Hudson Valley’s natural resources.
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Join CCE Master Gardeners’ conversations about all aspects of gardening, ecology, and nature. This weekly podcast is designed to entertain, inspire, educate and inform listeners who want to begin or enhance their gardening journey and/or explore other aspects of the Hudson Valley’s natural resources.
Episode 185: It's All Greek Retrospective (Part 2)
Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley
18 minutes
5 months ago
Episode 185: It's All Greek Retrospective (Part 2)
In this episode, part 2 of the “It's All Greek Retrospective” series, Master Gardener Jean Thomas talks about jargon and acronyms with the help of some examples from our own New York gardens. These previously aired short segments have been grouped together as they all focus on a common topic: helping to better understand gardening nomenclature.
From the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptrostroboides) to the vast Iris family, nicknames and descriptions abound. The Latin name of the Dawn Redwood is great and grand, but when translated, it turns out to be fancy words that repeat themselves. Iris fanciers discuss the German or the Russian or the Dutch or the Japanese types and rave about their standards and their falls. 'Standards' are the three upright and 'falls' are the three down-facing petals. Part of the fun is peeking into the mythology surrounding Iris. Did you know that the Harpies, famously terrible, were related to the famously beautiful goddess of the rainbow?
The next two segments focus specifically about other perennials we know and love. Echinacea is named for a hedgehog (which has no population in North America where the Echinacea was “found”). Hemerocallis is Latin for “Beauty for a Day,” although we commonly call it the “Daylily.” Hostas also have identity issues, being often called Funkias in Europe. Peonies have a long history in China as well as some wild mythological rumors in Greece about Zeus and his shenanigans. And while the Greeks are being discussed, there is a wonderful story about the famous doctor Asclepias and how the milkweed got its formal name.
The very last segment of this episode delves into the common Rudbeckia and Phlox, both of which have a habit of traveling because of their prolific seed production. Then the episode goes to the Dutch... language, that is. The Dutch nation has always been at the forefront of garden development and production. , And the Hudson Valley of New York State has a special connection going back four centuries. Food names, place names and historical characters call the Hudson Valley home, like the Roosevelts and Van Burens and even Sojourner Truth in her unique way.
Listen, learn, and enjoy!Host: Jean ThomasGuest:Jean ThomasPhoto By: Jean ThomasProduction Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Tim Kennelty, Amy Meadow, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski
Resources
Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley
Join CCE Master Gardeners’ conversations about all aspects of gardening, ecology, and nature. This weekly podcast is designed to entertain, inspire, educate and inform listeners who want to begin or enhance their gardening journey and/or explore other aspects of the Hudson Valley’s natural resources.