When giving a plant as a gift to a friend, I have always enjoyed trying to match up the name of the plant to the recipient.
I thought I would put together a selection of ideas for Primula Auricula which have some wonderfully varied and inventive descriptive names.
FOR YOUR FRIEND WHO LOVES ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL:
Bookham Firefly, Chaffinch, Cuckoo Fayre, Eden Goldfinch, Eden Greenfinch, Greenpeace, Green Parrot, Hetty Wolf, Kingfisher, Laverock Fancy (A Laverock is a Lark), Mersey Tiger, Piglet, Queen Bee, Skylark, Snooty Fox, Snowy Owl, Starling, Tawny Owl, Tay Tiger, The Raven
.... AND ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL:
Autumn Fire, Eden Blue Star, Forest Fire, Moon Glow, Money Moon, Northern Lights, Spring Meadow, Sweet Pastures, Scorcher
FOR YOUR DELICIOUS FOODY FRIENDS:
Blackcurrant, Butterwick, Brownie, Caramel, Cherry, Cinnamon, Curlie Wurlie, Curry Blend, Honey, Hopley’s Coffee, Lemon Sherbet, Mandarin, Old Mustard, Pink Fondant, Pumpkin, Rosemary, Salad, Stromboli
FOR THE STYLISH FASHIONISTAS:
Blue Bonnet, Blue Jean, Blue Velvet, Chamois, Doublet, Headdress, Leather Jacket, Pinstripe, Royal Velvet, Taffeta
FOR YOUR FRIEND THE ROYALIST:
Grey Monarch , Holyrood, Kingcup, Old Gold, Pharaoh,
Queen Alexander, Queen Bee, Rajah, Royal Velvet, The Czar
FOR THE ROMANTIC, OR MAYBE FOR SOMEONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO WOO:
Angel Eyes, Blossom, Blush Baby, Cutie Pie, Dark Eyes, Dusky Maiden, Favourite, Lovebird, Rosebud
FOR THE AFICIONADO OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS:
Astolat (Legendary city in Arthurian legends), Excalibur, Fiddler’s Green (Legendary afterlife), Golden Fleece, Golden Hind, Guinea, Nymph, Old England, Old Gold, Remus, Sword
OR SCI-FI / GAME OF THRONES FANS:
Star Wars No 1, Pippin, Hetty Wolf (ok ok, it’s not a Dire Wolf, but it’s as close as I could get), Queen Bee, Sirius, The Raven
FOR THE ROUGH AND THE TOUGH:
Border Bandit, Charles Bronson, John Wayne, Geronimo, Raleigh Stripe, Red Gauntlet, Rodeo , Sherwood, Super Para, Sword
FOR YOUR FAVOURITE CULTURE VULTURE:
Chorister, Doublure (bookbinding), Galen (Greek Philosopher), Marmion (Poem by Walter Scott), Margot Fonteyn, Red Gauntlet (Novel by Walter Scott), Sugar Plum Fairy, Tarentella, Tosca, Wedgewood
SCOTTISH ROOTS:
Glenelg, Portree, Slioch, Gizabroon (maybe not a real word, but it sounds Scottish to me), Sandwood Bay, Tummel
ENGLISH HERITAGE:
Butterwick, Southport, Brookfield, Finchfield, Idminston, Lepton’s Jubilee, Minley, Trafalger Square, Yorkshire Grey, Sherwood, Old Suffolk Bronze, Rabley Heath, Shalford, Southbarrow, Walton Heath
IRISH ORIGINS:
Fiddler’s Green, Green Isle, Nantenan, Old Irish Green, Old Irish Scented
FROM WIDER AFIELD:
Brazil, Everest Blue, Mojave, Prague, Zambia
CHRISTIAN NAMES:
Of course you might hit lucky and have a friend who is a Mary or a Sandra and they can plant a little bit of themselves in the garden. Here are some more possible match-ups:
Alicia, Adrian, Beatrice, Helen, Erica, Greta, Joyce, Delilah, Joannie, Ling, Margaret, Mary, Nigel , Peggy, Rene, Rufus, Rosemary, Sandra, Sheila, Sirius, Tim, Trudy, Winifred
And a lot less likely, but maybe you hit the coincidence jackpot and have a friend with the same name as the original person whom the auricula was named after:
Alice Hayson, Bill Bailey, Bob Lancashire, Douglas Black, Ellen Thompson, Fanny Meerbeck, Fred Booley, Joan Elliot, Karen Cordrey, Lee Paul, Lisa Clara, Lucy Lockett, Margaret Faulkner, Matthew Yates, Neville Telford ,Piers Telford, Rachel Kinnen, Sarah Lodge
And if nothing else quite matches, why not go with the most simple statement of all:
Primula Auricula My Friend!
As a wee disclaimer, I have no idea as to the original eponyms and no offence is intended by my classifications.
CD
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
