valleylynn said:Ask before buying. And the original names are on the back of the tags. The only ones that will not have a name on the back of the tag are the ones that are new cultivars, like Chick Charms® 'Gold Nugget'
Being a newbie to this forum, it's not my intent or desire to antagonize anyone, let alone a moderator, nationally known authority on semp cultivars and names, as well as one of the prime keepers of the semp DB, and last but not least someone whom I have found to be genuinely, kind and welcoming to any and all.
@valleylynn Your above statement, along with Chris' statement regarding the true cultivar names on the backs of all tags is untrue. Your reiterating of this claim does not make it any less untrue. The following photos are of C.C. tags. You will have to take my word regarding the C.C. names on the front of the tags, as I have not developed the skills to photo both sides of a tag simultaneously.
Semp Reinhardt aka C.C. "Appletini" It's pretty clear there is not original cultivar name on the back of this tag.
Semp Director Jacobs, aka C.C. "Berry Bomb"
Semp Prairie Sunset aka C.C. "Plum Parfait"
If it hadn't been for my fortuitous serendipity of finding this forum, and this thread in particular, I would have been left to believe these might be patented cultivars, they are not. They are rebranded, trademark names.
"Ask before buying."
My wife gifted me with my first Chick Charms as she saw them at a "Big Box" store and thought I might like to have them. At her urging I went and looked for myself and saw several more that I liked, not because of some cutesy name, but because I thought them attractive, in good health and on sale for less than half the original retail. The cutesy name had no bearing whatsoever on my purchase. I would have bought C.C. "Appletini" if it had been labeled Semp. Reinhardt. I actually think "Prairie Sunset" a more attractive name than Plum Parfait, the same is true of a very well known cultivar in "Director Jacobs." Even though I'm somewhat of an experienced horticulturalist, it never occurred to me to look on the backs of tags for the true named cultivar. Chris' claim of wanting to bring in more people to the hobby and proposing that his cutesy renaming as enticement is bogus at best.
As Chris was not at the "Big Box" store, who was I supposed to ask?
As a backyard gardener, I've been known to take cuttings from various plants in our landscape. Some varieties are patented cultivars that I can't under any circumstances propagate as it would be patent infringement. Others are rebranded known cultivars with trademarked names. I can propagate and resell these BUT I CAN'T use the trademarked name, I can only sell them as the original cultivar. This rebranding is exactly what Chris has done. The average hobbyist would most likely not know to look at the back of the tag for the true name. A child, new to the hobby would not know this.
The following is just my opinion. Lynn although it may offend you, I feel you're defending the indefensible. Had I, like you have, committed much of my life to keeping the true cultivar names correctly identified, I would not welcome someone who in order to create a brand, renaming known cultivars, and muddying the waters of my life's work. You enjoy a hard won reputation as an authority. You breathe the rarefied air of working with giants like Kevin Vaughn, something most of us will never be able to do. You're invited into the inner sanctums of big named growers, to evaluate, correctly identify named cultivars so they don't sell NoIDs that are incorrectly named. Yet, in spite of all of this, you defend Chick Charms. Years from now these will appear on benches at nurseries, greenhouses, and pop up garden centers at "Big Box" stores being sold under incorrect names. People will buy them believing they have a new, named cultivar to add to their collection. Meanwhile they might very well have the true named cultivar sitting right beside it in their garden.
What was the name of the store your wife bought them from? 
