IF you are about to have a baby, and are struggling to agree on a name, why not take a leaf out of the Leafs book?

The Leaf family, who lived in York in Victorian times, decided to fully embrace their horticultural theme and name their children after plants and flowers. Historian David Poole traced the trend back to James Leaf, a railway wagon wheelwright from Brompton-by-Sawdon who lived at various addresses in the Holgate Road and South Bank districts of York.

He had five children with wife Annie, and their three girls were called Rose (born in 1875), Violet (1879) and Lily (1882). The sons, Joseph and Edgar, were floral-free.

After Annie died James married Margaret and continued his family. Now even the boys were given flower power: Fern was the first, in 1885. Four years later his brother Adonis was born and named, David speculates, after adonis annua, a cornfield flower often called Pheasant's Eye. In 1891 a lad called Nolana arrived, most likely named after the border plant nolana paradoxa.

Vine climbed into the world in 1896 and lasted longer than poor Basil, who died in infancy. Meanwhile, three more daughters had bloomed: Daisy, Laurel and Ivy.

"The girls obviously married and changed their surname," said David. "The floral males (apart from Basil) all lived locally into retirement. I do not think this trend was continued in the next generation."

Do any modern families have naming traditions? We'd love to hear from you.

THESE aren't the only eccentric names David has come across in his research. "In 1893, a young boy, son of a fruiterer in Bootham, was named Oliver Twist Holmes, but he did not have to bear this cross for long as he died at four weeks old," he tells the Diary. Then there was the York resident, born in Grimsby in 1900, named Christmas Holliday. His wife was Minnie Holliday.

SOME have missed the outcome of the campaign to erect a George Hudson statue in York.

We can offer this update. Councillors generally approved of the idea at the recent leisure and heritage meeting. So the Railway King's statue could yet form part of the official York Central daydream. Sorry, masterplan.

Perhaps the steering group could put the idea to York Central patron Prince Andrew over another Buckingham Palace blow-out.

Alternatively, if Hudson campaigners would prefer to see the memorial raised within their lifetime, it might be placed at a readier site, such as the railway station.

We are told the petition in support of the idea was deliberately restricted to 71 names because Hudson was 71 when he died. (Note to egomaniacs: if you want a posthumous statue, die young. It saves campaigners so much work). Now the idea is to be put to city residents.

DESPITE York-based comedian Tommy Cannon's double Diary denial that he and Bobby Ball were lined up for I'm A Celebrity - seemingly confirmed by the fact that they aren't in it - the rumours keep on coming. The latest gossip says that Cannon & Ball will be parachuted into the television show a few days into its run.

Could someone out there keep an eye on the jungle happenings and let us know? Don't get us wrong, we would love to watch ourselves. But we are busy, er, de-fleaing the goldfish.

Updated: 10:32 Wednesday, November 23, 2005