I just use the botanical name, especially for my plants that have really long names, and hope it makes me sound smart!
My favorite plant to say right now is my Ricinodendron heudelotii...
Right or wrong, I pronounce it Rye-sin-oh-DEN-dron hew-dah-LOT-ee-eye.
My daughter-in-law calls it Njangsa, and I just can't get the correct Nj sound.
Hmmm.
Carolyn