L., Baltimore, Md: "How should Deutzia be pronounced? We have always said it as if written Dootzia, but our German gardener insists that it is a German name and should be pronounced Doytzia?

[You are right; the gardener is wrong. It is not a German but a Latin name. It makes no difference whether the name is derived from the "Rooshun or the Prooshun," when it becomes Latin it follows Latin rules. The rule is that every vowel is sounded in a distinct syallable. In this case Deutzia is really De-ootz whole the first syllable would be indistinct, and the pronunciation sound as "Dootzia." Jones, in English, is but of one syllable: but when in a Latin nominative for a plant it would sound Jo-nees-i-a. - Ed. G. M].