On Breaking the Rules (Occasionally)

My Friend Swamp Milkweed
(Asclepias incarnata)

I believe it’s important to follow rules—whether they be laws, regulations, procedures, shared guidelines, or really…whatever.

But, sometimes, it’s OK to stretch them or break them. Sometimes it’s OK to set your own rules, when you own the property, the idea, and the consequences. There are many acceptable reasons, but some include greater clarity, no harm to others, innovation, spirit of the rule, individualism. Although, I believe it's always important to be consistent.

I’m not talking about anything terribly earth-shattering here. So please pardon the drama of my opening words. I merely want to share that I try to carefully follow the rules of botanical nomenclature and the horticultural norms of describing gardens and plants.

But sometimes I break the rules—both unintentionally and on purpose.

Regarding the former: My aim is to correctly report the scientific names of plants, using the standardized binomial system. This is something I want to do and need to do. I recognize the importance of ensuring we’re all talking about the same plants!

My Friend Golden Alexander
(Zizia aurea)

I also try to follow Associated Press (AP) style. But I make mistakes, and plant categories change and shift. Please forgive me, as I adjust and correct errors along the way.

Here’s where I break the rules, intentionally, although it’s a struggle: I use initial capital letters for common names of plants. There are several reasons for this: 

● This is my blog. I created it. I set the style, and I try to be consistent.

● I think of plants as characters. No, they’re not people, but they are unique old and new “friends.”

● It’s easier for me to read and understand information about plants when I picture them as proper names, i.e., St. John’s Wort, Highbush Cranberry, Rattlesnake Master, and so on. There are challenges to using this rule-breaking method, and one of them is figuring out what to do with simple categories of plants, like “Maples,” “Coneflowers,” or “ Ferns."

My Friend Prairie Rose
(Rosa setigera)

Again, I include the Latin names, but I tend to capitalize even categories of plants. I waffle a little on this one: I apologize for that.

All this to say that I think it’s OK to break the rules sometimes, and I own the consequences of my actions. Thanks for your patience, humor, and acceptance of my human foibles!

Do you ever break the rules?