PIECES OF A PUZZLE

January 31, 2016

Ann Crammond, second executive director of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, was looking forward to a post-retirement trip to the Antarctica. The trip was scheduled one year after her 11 year tenure as executive director. She was an avid horticulturist featured on Atlanta's WXIA TV "Noonday Gardener." In her lighthearted style, she quipped that she was looking forward to the Antarctica because, "No one would ask her to identify any plants."

Understood.

There are thousands of plants in cultivation and exponentially more in the wild. Gardeners are prone to share bits and pieces of a plant hoping for a positive ID. Horticulturists can be like a dog with a bone if they cannot immediately provide an answer. Plant keys are an old tried-and-true method, but slow and laborious.

Today, one of my favorite gardeners presented a lovely clipping of a shrub neither of us could name. Next came an internet search for a plant key. In the process, I found an intriguing app I could not resist, although one review was less than stellar: "photo was submitted of a common yellow leaf" and purportedly, the app "said it is a cookie." Interesting. Other reviews were very good.

I downloaded the app thinking, wouldn't Ann Crammond have loved this technology! Step 1 - take photo of plant. Done and loaded. Response: photos of possible matches, all of which were grass-type plants, including Thorney Bamboo. Not even close.

Rest in peace, Ms. Crammond. You missed nothing with these new fangled apps. In fact, if you were here today, I'm fairly certain we would have our answer.

The search continues for identification of this cutting. And, recommendation of a worthwhile app.

[Carolyn Fjeran, LowTide explorer/reflective writer; horticulturist & gardener; former writer for Cooperative Extension Service, Master Gardeners and The Newnan Times Herald]