The ongoing discussion about the elusive Nanaimo Peach has me wondering whether we can ever completely trust that any plant we purchase is, in fact, what the label or the vendor says it is. At one time or other, I think we have all discovered a plant we thought was X that turned out to be Y. Sometimes it takes years until the dang thing blooms and reveals its mistaken identity. It almost doesn’t matter whether the label says the plant is trademarked or copyrighted because ultimately we have to rely on the expertise and integrity of the nursery selling it. Some plants are very easy to recognize and some gardeners very knowledgeable about subtle differences but many of us might never be the wiser if we inadvertently bought something other than what we thought. In many cases it doesn’t matter but sometimes, to some of us, it does.
Mislabeled fruit trees and vines are particularly annoying but, fortunately, do not occur too frequently. In my 45+ years of gardening in Burnaby, I can only remember two such cases. My first purchase of male and female fuzzy kiwi vines resulted in a pair of females, revealed after several years of growth, when the first blossoms appeared. And a Jonafree apple turned out to be a Granny Smith, which didn't ripen in our climate 35 years ago and several years after planting; I was aware that the latter was not suitable and grafted several appropriate varieties as soon as possible. Ironically, I left a small branch of Granny Smith on the tree and have found that it now ripens sufficiently in our globally warmed climate.
