# What is this bush/tree/plant?



## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

It's the first thing our Nigel sniffs in the morning, and the last thing she sniffs on the way back in. Really, really deep lungfuls, complete with that open-mouthed 'oooo that's an interesting smell' look cats get when they're sniffing things onto that gland they have.

















I am wondering if it's known to be a shrub that attracts cats.


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 14, 2011)

I'd need to see a full frontal really, to get an idea of it's bark, shape, etc.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

That's a really rubbish photo   At that angle and lighting, it could be anything from privet to some kind of maple


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## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

invisibleplanet said:


> I'd need to see a full frontal really, to get an idea of it's bark, shape, etc.


OK!

Yeah, it is a really rubbish photo, ennit  It's backlit atm, and I can't get any other angle without climbing into the neighbour's garden. I'm in a dressing gown atm, so that'd be looking for a quick call to the police.

I'll give it a shot!

Also, obligingly, the cat just climbed in it. 











I will now try to get a better picture.


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 14, 2011)

Do the leaves turn red in autumn?


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

Is it some type of box?


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

No, it is not some type of box.  The leaves are too pointed, aren't they?


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## fakeplasticgirl (Apr 14, 2011)

oh my, your cat is GORGEOUS!


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

To be honest, the leaves look like ash.  But that wouldn't be a bush.

I think I'll leave this to the experts.


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## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

invisibleplanet said:


> Do the leaves turn red in autumn?


No.

The pale green growth is new. Otherwise, it's been the same all year. Kinda evergreen, with deciduous-looking leaves. NB: this is where my botany ends.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

I might do better in terms of why your cat is flehming.

My guess is that another animal has sprayed the bush.  Simple as that.


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## Libertad (Apr 14, 2011)

Buxus sempervirens?


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 14, 2011)

kabbes said:


> No, it is not some type of box.  The leaves are too pointed, aren't they?


 
I initially thought either a type of small leaved privet, or a type of cotoneaster, but I'd need to know what type of flower or berry, if any, and if the leaves change colour in autumn.


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 14, 2011)

kabbes said:


> I might do better in terms of why your cat is flehming.
> 
> My guess is that another animal has sprayed the bush.  Simple as that.


 
Agreed. I thought this, actuary


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## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

Buxus Sempervirens:






Ours:


mrs quoad said:


>


 
Yeah, that looks pretty close, doesn't it?

Does the box looks a bit more almond-shaped vs our slightly more lozenge-shaped / spearhead shaped leaves, or is that my imagination?


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## Libertad (Apr 14, 2011)

* starts 020T *


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

invisibleplanet said:


> No it's not box.
> 
> So far, I'm thinking a type of privet, or a type of cotoneaster, but I'd need to know what type of flower or berry, if any, and if the leaves change colour in autumn.


 
Privet was my first thought (see my first post!) but the leaves seem a bit big, don't they?


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## kittyP (Apr 14, 2011)

Our privet is a bit like that coz we don't look after it. It's got some really big leaves in places.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

Photos can be misleading too, I suppose.  This:






makes it look like an acer (or some type of maple, at least).  But the close up photos show that to be untrue.


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## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

kabbes said:


> My guess is that another animal has sprayed the bush.  Simple as that.


 
That'd seem like an obvious one, only... we don't have any other regular cat (or dog) visitors to our garden. Our Nigel is also massively weird about / hostile to other cats. She'll sit in front of them, making noises like a rat in a thumbscrew, until they get weirded out and leave (most of the other neighbourhood cats seem friendly but bemused).

She's like this in all weather, and has been like this for just under a year. Regardless of the weather. And I'd kinda expect snow, wind and rain to wash away much of the remaining scent, if there'd been some there to start with.

She ALSO sometimes gets up on her hindfeet, and sniffs higher leaves. And flehms them, too. And she'll sniff around every side. Wouldn't that require a prolific quantity of piss, and a cat with an inordinately high aim?

FINALLY, she clearly finds great security in the bush. As shown in the pics, she's recently started hiding in there. We'll go out into the garden and start calling for her, and suddenly this miaouing will start coming from the bush. And if it was coated in another cat's piss, I'm not convinced that'd happen. Would it?

She's never pissed there either, btw. Or, at least, I've never seen her pissing there; my ground-floor 'office' window looks straight onto that bush (which is about 3m away); and she's only recently started climbing out of view. We've both seen her pissing prolifically in our vegetable patch and the neighbour's rhubarb patch, though.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

mrs quoad said:


> That'd seem like an obvious one, only... we don't have any other regular cat (or dog) visitors to our garden. Our Nigel is also massively weird about / hostile to other cats. She'll sit in front of them, making noises like a rat in a thumbscrew, until they get weirded out and leave (most of the other neighbourhood cats seem friendly but bemused).
> 
> She's like this in all weather, and has been like this for just under a year. Regardless of the weather. And I'd kinda expect snow, wind and rain to wash away much of the remaining scent, if there'd been some there to start with.
> 
> ...


 
Maybe it's been sprayed by a particularly hunky tom cat.


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## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

invisibleplanet said:


> No it's not box.
> 
> So far, I'm thinking a type of small leaved privet, or a type of cotoneaster, but I'd need to know what type of flower or berry, if any, and if the leaves change colour in autumn.


 
Leaves don't change, at all.

Can't remember any flowers or berries, though thinking about it there might've been some white flowery offshoots 

I'll ask Artichoke.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

No, it's not artichoke.


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## mrs quoad (Apr 14, 2011)

kabbes said:


> Maybe it's been sprayed by a particularly hunky tom cat.


 
Her pathological hatred / fear of all things feline seems to know no gendered bounds. He'd also have to be pissing in it very, very regularly and all year round. And very high up. Given I work from home (99% of the time) and look out on that bush, I'd be kinda surprised if I'd missed a regular feline visitor.


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## Hocus Eye. (Apr 14, 2011)

It looks like a laurel to me.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

mrs quoad said:


> Her pathological hatred / fear of all things feline seems to know no gendered bounds.



Just because she hates other cats, though, doesn't mean she won't be interested by their scent.



> He'd also have to be pissing in it very, very regularly and all year round. And very high up. Given I work from home (99% of the time) and look out on that bush, I'd be kinda surprised if I'd missed a regular feline visitor.


Alright, some other animal then.

It's one of three things:

1) The bush itself has a special scent attractive to cats.  Unless it's a very well disguised catnip bush, however, that seems unlikely.  And if it was attractive, you'd certainly be seeing cats around.
2) Some animal is leaving its scent there, possibly as a night-time visitor
3) Your cat is mental.

To be honest, on reflection, option 3 seems like a good choice.  Because she's, well, a cat.


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 14, 2011)

kabbes said:


> Privet was my first thought (see my first post!) but the leaves seem a bit big, don't they?


So you did! Go you!  
Privets can be small or large leaved. Whatever it is, it looks hungry (chlorotic, i.e loss of chlorophil=yellowing leaves). Could be anything from nitrogen to iron. My guess is iron but I'm not an expert. Good guide here with pics for mineral deficiency: http://4e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=3&id=289


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

Ooh, is that what it means?  So that's why my house plants always turn yellow!  I did wonder...


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 14, 2011)

Lonicera nitida, I think. Very good for clipping into shapes. Faster growing than buxus.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 14, 2011)

Compare with this.

http://www.botanica.org.uk/Plants/HedgePlants/Lonicera.htm


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Compare with this.
> 
> http://www.botanica.org.uk/Plants/HedgePlants/Lonicera.htm


 
Based on that picture, I'd say it's a good call.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 14, 2011)

Also the way it sends out branches, just seems typical growing habit. I think there are a few different varieties so have a fossick about on gardening sites until you're satisfied it's the exact type.


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

Also, honeysuckle does have a very distinctive smell.  It's not known as a cat attractor AFAIK, but Quoad's cat might have a thing for it.


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## fakeplasticgirl (Apr 14, 2011)

http://www.ehow.com/about_6585625_honeysuckle-wood-cats.html


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)

Well well well.  There you go.

Mystery solved!


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## geminisnake (Apr 14, 2011)

kabbes said:


> To be honest, the leaves look like ash.  But that wouldn't be a bush.
> 
> I think I'll leave this to the experts.


 
The leaves do NOT look like ash. Ash leaves aren't shiny!! It looks to me like  box privet which has been badly neglected and in severe need of pruning back into shape or taken out totally. It won't be the shrub itself she's interested in it'll be whatever else is marking the shrub ime. It's also definetly NOT an acer or maple. Kabbes stick to your numbers mate coz you don't seem to have a clue about shrubs/trees


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## kabbes (Apr 14, 2011)




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## wayward bob (Apr 15, 2011)

i have another bush question for you garden detectives  

what's this plant? it's flowering now and smells like when i was a kid  (obvs it's not the ivy bits, i know what they are)


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Cherry Laurel.


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## Edie (Apr 15, 2011)

Jesus quoad, you are like a fountain of the most mundane, suburban queries known to man  how the hell are you?


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## joustmaster (Apr 15, 2011)

mrs quoad said:


>


this cat has a very long tongue


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Apr 15, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Cherry Laurel.


 
I've just been over the park and I'm crap at plants and flowers so you can name some of mine please


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## wayward bob (Apr 15, 2011)

cheers mrs m  the kids think it smells rank but i fuckin love it.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Well, I was in Paddington today in a garden and there's a tree that I have no idea as to what it is. Weird pale green slightly knobbly okra-like pods. My google fingers have been letting me down


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Apr 15, 2011)

wayward bob said:


> cheers mrs m  the kids think it smells rank but i fuckin love it.


 
I was in the park in the garden and there was a strong smell of wee.

What plants/flowers smell of wee?


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## wayward bob (Apr 15, 2011)

it definitely doesn't smell of wee  or spunk


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Flowering Currant smells of cats piss, but weirdly, only if you cut it and put it in a vase.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Apr 15, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Flowering Currant smells of cats piss, but weirdly, only if you cut it and put it in a vase.



Not sure what it was.  Maybe it was pee, considering some twats had decided to feed the pond some lager, maybe they decided to have a piss as well


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

I did think that was high on the list of possibilities.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 15, 2011)

wayward bob said:


> i have another bush question for you garden detectives
> 
> what's this plant? it's flowering now and smells like when i was a kid  (obvs it's not the ivy bits, i know what they are)
> 
> http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5621810159_aa9e16dd3a.jpg



There's a laurelly thing I cycle past most evenings and it honks.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Yup, cherry laurel again. It's popular in municipal plantings because it's really hardy and just gets on with it. As to the smell, not everyone's sense of smell is the same. I'm in the rank camp.


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## wayward bob (Apr 15, 2011)

mine is tinged with a massive hint of nostalgia tbf.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 15, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Well, I was in Paddington today in a garden and there's a tree that I have no idea as to what it is. Weird pale green slightly knobbly okra-like pods. My google fingers have been letting me down



Are they pods that have been set this year ?


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Yup. I was going to attach a pic but have forgotten how  They start off like tiny little green cherries. The blossom is white, similar to apple blossom.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Remembered how to do it...any ideas as to what it is? I've managed to include both a big pod and a not yet grown one. The tree is deciduous.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 15, 2011)

That's an amazing level of productivity so early in the year - I haven't even seen robinias et al. flowering yet ...


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

It's in a very sheltered courtyard in central London. I cut it back for the owners a couple of years ago. They thought it was a cherry tree, planted 30 years ago from a cherry stone. It's flourished since I cut it back and has produced its pods for the first time.


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 15, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Flowering Currant smells of cats piss, but weirdly, only if you cut it and put it in a vase.


I hate, and I mean HATE the smell of flowering currant. When I moved here, the parks were full of the blasted things. Ugh, it's a disgusting smell even if not cut & put in a vase. It's absolutely no use to humans as you can't even eat the fruits! Loathsome smelling, useless ornamental plant!


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

Bees like it.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 15, 2011)

I've amended the thread title and made it a sticky. Hope that's OK.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 15, 2011)

Urbanites on the move are always encountering mystery bushes. :;


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## invisibleplanet (Apr 15, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Bees like it.


 
I'll revise my hatred of flowering currants to ''it's a loathsome smelling ornamental plant that bees like'' then


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

There's a flowering currant in the community garden on my estate and it's such a herald of spring. Everything has its place. It's really useful for showing people how to take cuttings from woody material too.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

I can't say I've ever noticed it smelling bad. 
Flowering currants, and black currant bushes on allotments have always been a key spring thing for me too. 

Along with the unique smell of elder when you cut it. I always seemed to be clearing elder on allotments.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

It only smells bad if you cut it and bring it indoors and bung it in a vase. Definite pong of cat piss.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

...anyway, back to the mystery tree. More pics to try and ID it. I've trawled through books, google images and anywhere else I think might help. It's crossed my mind that the fruits could be galled, eg a knopper gall doesn't look like an acorn.

Sorry it's out of focus, but it gives a better idea of shape than the previous pic.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

This is what the young leaves look like.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> ...any ideas as to what it is? I've managed to include both a big pod and a not yet grown one. The tree is deciduous.View attachment 14774




....Click on the attachment link in the quote above in case anyone missed it. White blossom which came before the leaves.  The dark brown bark is very rough around the trunk and mature branches.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

I did originally wonder if it was a type of carob, but it's just not quite right.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> I did originally wonder if it was a type of carob, but it's just not quite right.



The leaves would need to be more pea-like.

It looks curiously hazel-y ...


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

..and the white blossom, according to the owners, is apple/cherry-like, not like laburnum or robinia. From what I could see, the remnants of the stamens support that.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

Has anyone tried the fruit - and survived ?


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## RubyToogood (Apr 16, 2011)

Some kind of catalpa, Mrs M?


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

Nope, leaves not right and the pods are wrong too. Unless it's a very left of field variety.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

Perhaps that long fruit has a gall wasp inside it ?

Were there many that shape ?


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

I did wonder about that. Apart from the very immature fruits all the pods are like that (see first pic I posted above with immature fruit at the top).


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> I did wonder about that. Apart from the very immature fruits all the pods are like that (see first pic I posted above with immature fruit at the top).



oops - sorry I missed that you'd already thought of that...


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

I went looking for "guord tree" and found this :-



http://www.ifood.tv/blog/ghost_bottle_gourd_tree


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

Same principle as cuboid watermelons and very straight cucumbers for horticultural shows....


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## geminisnake (Apr 16, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> View attachment 14789
> 
> This is what the young leaves look like.


 
Looks like the cherry saplings in my garden but the other pictures don't The shaped fruit are cool!!


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## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2011)

Maybe it's a one-off mutation and you need to start taking cuttings ?


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

Well, my next step is to send photos to the RHS and the NHM.


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## mrs quoad (Apr 16, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> I've amended the thread title and made it a sticky. Hope that's OK.


 
Welcome  and delighted! Ty for the id, too. Also, it seems to've developed some blossom. Will post at some point, if relevant


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## geminisnake (Apr 16, 2011)

Little white waxy flowers??


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

I don't think so. I've not seen the flowers but they've been described as like apple blossom. They're not gardeners but the wife is a country girl of a certain age, so she knows what apple blossom looks like.


I think I know where you're going with the waxy flowers thing...I've been googling a-gogo.


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## Mrs Magpie (Apr 16, 2011)

D'oh, you mean Mrs Quoad's little flowers, not mine, innit gem?


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## geminisnake (Apr 16, 2011)

Aye Mrs M, that was for quoady


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## mrs quoad (Apr 16, 2011)

That sounds about right!


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## gentlegreen (Jun 14, 2011)

I actually knew what this was as soon as I saw it.



The groundsmen at work clearly did too and kept the mower off ...


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## geminisnake (Jun 14, 2011)

A bee orchid, isn't it??


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## gentlegreen (Jun 14, 2011)

geminisnake said:


> A bee orchid, isn't it??



Even with my glasses on I had to look really close to check it wasn't just a bee on a flower.


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## mr steev (Jun 15, 2011)

Has anyone got an idea what this strange thing is that's appeared in my garden?
It started off as an alien looking spikey stalk like this 



Then a couple of weeks ago it went a bit crazy 



and looks like it's going to flower


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## Leafster (Jun 15, 2011)

It looks like it could be some kind of Euphorbia but I have no idea which!

ETA: I think it might be this one: Euphorbia Lathyris


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## mr steev (Jun 15, 2011)

Leafster said:


> It looks like it could be some kind of Euphorbia but I have no idea which!
> 
> ETA: I think it might be this one: Euphorbia Lathyris


 
Cheers. 

Yeah, I just did a quick google of Euphorbia's and that's what it looks like... quite poisonous, so probably not the best thing to have growing around a 2 year old!


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## geminisnake (Jun 15, 2011)

There are a lot of plants that are poisonous. Do you have daffodils in the garden?? The foliage is highly toxic so keep an eye on the wee one while they're out there if you do.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 15, 2011)

Caper spurge. Not the right sort to put on your pasta ! 
And you may want to wear gloves if you're handling it. (caustic sap)

I like Euphorbias though - surreal greeny yellow bracts.

I must sow some castor oil plants next year ....

.. though ricin has been hyped up so much it gives me the willies just handling the seeds.


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## Leafster (Jun 15, 2011)

gentlegreen said:


> Caper spurge. Not the right sort to put on your pasta !
> And you may want to wear gloves if you're handling it. (caustic sap)
> 
> *I like Euphorbias though* - surreal greeny yellow bracts.
> ...


I like Euphorbias too! They come in a huge range of varieties from things like Lathyris and pointsettia through to almost cactus-like plants. 

I've got a Euphorbia amygdaloides Purpurea growing in the garden like this: 







... and as my "Crown of Thorns" had outgrown its pot indoors I've optimistically put it in the garden. 






I'm pretty sure it won't cope with a winter but I've got a couple more indoors still.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 15, 2011)

Now you've reminded me it's time to get myself another Crown of Thorns - so cheerful. 

I was a bit disappointed to find out that poinsettias don't actually have toxic sap.


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## kabbes (Jun 15, 2011)

Those euphorbia thingies are right fuckers to get to stop growing out of places you don't want them to grow.


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## Maurice Picarda (Jun 15, 2011)

kabbes said:


> Those euphorbia thingies are right fuckers to get to stop growing out of places you don't want them to grow.


 
Armpits?


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## kabbes (Jun 15, 2011)

Maurice Picarda said:


> Armpits?


 
Right Guard?  Right This Way Please Mr Euphorbia, more like.


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## Will2403 (Jun 20, 2011)

Finished giving my tree/bush a haircut today... it's only taken about a year.  But what is it???


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## Will2403 (Jun 20, 2011)

i think it's an improvement


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## gentlegreen (Jun 20, 2011)

No idea what the bush was/is from this distance, but I think I spy a lot of golden rod (solidago) in the bed in front of it ..


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## quimcunx (Jun 20, 2011)

What do you think these are meant to be?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 20, 2011)

I see a rose, and sunflowers for a start, perhaps some maize ...


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## quimcunx (Jun 20, 2011)

I don't really need so much help with roses and sunflowers...

Just googled maize and I don't think so.


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## fogbat (Jun 20, 2011)

Will2403 said:


> Finished giving my tree/bush a haircut today... it's only taken about a year.  But what is it???
> 
> View attachment 15915
> 
> View attachment 15916



I think it's a rotary washing line, Will.


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## geminisnake (Jun 20, 2011)

Maybe honeysuckle are the ones above the rose quimmy.


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## quimcunx (Jun 21, 2011)

honeysuckle looks like a distinct possibility, cheers. 

The other one, lily, lotus flower, orchid, something rhyzomy?


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## kabbes (Jun 21, 2011)

Are you sure they aren't just "generic flowers"?


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## Will2403 (Jun 21, 2011)

i think these innocent lookin dudes are going to turn into horrible spikey beasts...


i like the look of this little guy, as far as i can see, he's the only one of his kind in the wilderness


these are my favourites, what are they and how do i make more of them?


mostly golden rod and nettles, these have got to go...


what's this? is he a keeper?


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## Mrs Magpie (Jun 21, 2011)

Will2403 said:


> i think these innocent lookin dudes are going to turn into horrible spikey beasts...
> View attachment 15943


Looks like ground elder if you ask me. A bugger to eradicate, but at least you can eat it (if it is ground elder, that is).



http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/ground-elder.htm


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## Will2403 (Jun 21, 2011)

i'd like to get some branches and leaves to cover up the trunk, but how?


quite like this, the bark is very dry and cracked, looks good imo.


i like the flowers and so do the bees, but it wraps around everything and is a bit annoying really, what is the best thing to do with it?


pretty sure this is mint!


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## Mrs Magpie (Jun 21, 2011)

Pretty sure that's not mint. Looks like dog's mercury. Crush one of the leaves and if it's not minty it's not mint.


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## Will2403 (Jun 21, 2011)

more ground elder...


this is the tree/bush i cut down yesterday...


should i chop the other branches off, will it still grow back?


i like these


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## gentlegreen (Jun 21, 2011)

The thing you cut back looks like forsythia - named by one of Bruce's ancestors - yellow flowers before leaves ?

I'm never sure about how far back you can cut it or how late - I think it will flower on the new wood that grows this year.

The bottom thing looks like some sort of potentilla - strawberry relative - or a geum - I suspect it will spread all by itself ...

... on the other hand, buttercups also have 5 petals ...


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## quimcunx (Jun 21, 2011)

kabbes said:


> Are you sure they aren't just "generic flowers"?


 
No.  But they are quite specific looking for generic flowers.


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## geminisnake (Jun 21, 2011)

post112 pic 3 looks lily like to me, but could be willow herb. Hard to tell from the photo. The foliage surrounding the spiky thing in pic2 is imo a horrid weed with stinky flowers that deserves to die 100 deaths.

post 114, divert some of the white periwinkle(iirc) pic3 to the bottom of the tree, let it climb up that or get a honeysuckle, bees love that too. I'm with Mrs M on pic 4, looks herby but not mint.

post 116 pic 4 another(imo) bloody weed!!

I can send you poppy seeds if you want better wild flowers


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## geminisnake (Jun 21, 2011)

argh dp!


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## trashpony (Jun 21, 2011)

My sister wants this tree and has sent me a pic but I'm crap at trees 

Any ideas?


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## gavman (Jun 21, 2011)

i was going to suggest 'a type of fig' for the big green mutant tree...until i saw the cucumber-like fruit


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## Mrs Magpie (Jun 21, 2011)

gentlegreen said:


> buttercups also have 5 petals ...


Buttercup, of the pernicious creeping variety.


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## Mrs Magpie (Jun 21, 2011)

trashpony said:


> My sister wants this tree and has sent me a pic but I'm crap at trees
> 
> Any ideas?


Robinia pseudoacacia?
Laburnum?


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## geminisnake (Jun 21, 2011)

When was the photo taken trashy? A laburnum should have seed pods(like small dried out pea pods) on it just now, unless they've passed down there.


----------



## trashpony (Jun 21, 2011)

Today. I have thought it was a laburnum when she described it but it definitely isn't (because I showed one to her). Robinia it is! Thank you Mrs M


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## Mrs Magpie (Jun 22, 2011)

They get enormous.


----------



## 8115 (Jun 30, 2011)

Does anyone know what this is?  I'd kind of assumed someone had planted a pineapple, but it's flowering.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23457573@N07/5886649683/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23457573@N07/5887217250/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23457573@N07/5887218036/in/photostream/


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## gentlegreen (Jun 30, 2011)

yucca

possibly gloriosa

More related to an onion than a pineapple ...



> Botanical Name:
> Yucca gloriosa
> Other names:
> Palm lily, Roman candle, Tree lily, Adam's needle, Lord's candlestick, Mound lily
> ...


----------



## 8115 (Jul 1, 2011)

Thanks.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 25, 2011)

Another unlabelled plant in Bath Botanic garden.

For some reason I'm thinking "soapwort" / saponaria.



It had an over-powering perfume - just a bit too much for me to want it in a small garden.


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## Mrs Magpie (Jul 25, 2011)

I just can't see that well enough but Phlox?


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Jul 25, 2011)

Anyway, this is what phlox looks like.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 25, 2011)

You could be right, I should have spent more time getting some good close-ups. 
The phlox seems to have a tidier habit though - but the plants I saw may well have been past their best ...

THe gardens specialise in lime-loving plants and also plants from the "New World" ..

They borderline honked - like bathroom air-freshener. There's something called "moss phlox" that had the police kicking in an elderly couple's door - suspecting it was a cannabis factory ...


----------



## gavman (Aug 1, 2011)

my next door neighbour has a lamb factory and a cow factory






although he considers himself a farmer


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## xes (Aug 18, 2011)

I saw a thingy the other day, looked like it was growing on the end of a rose type plant. It looks like a ball of moss, green and red, where a rose would be on the plant. I did take a pic, but I can't upload at home until my internets is back up. Anyone have a clue what it might have been?


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## gentlegreen (Aug 18, 2011)

'tis a gall. An irritation caused by a wasp. 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ro...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=860


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 18, 2011)

When I was a child we called that a Robin's Pincushion.


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## xes (Aug 18, 2011)

I know those pesky wasps would be behind it


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 18, 2011)

There are thousands of different kinds of wasps. I love the kind that parasitise aphids.

Sorry, I could only find a corny US video about them.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com...gs-animals/bees-and-wasps/wasp_parasitic.html


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## xes (Aug 18, 2011)

I have to admit that I feel a little violated after watching that.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2011)

I cycled past this today - some of the leaves towered over me ...


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 28, 2011)

Bit blurry. Some sort of big petastites? Big leaves are often Gunnera manicata but even with the blurriness I don't think it's Gunnera.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 28, 2011)

Spelled wrong, but I was right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites_japonicus


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## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2011)

Blimey ! I thought I could recognise butterbur - after discovering a load of young ones the other year and assuming they were some sort of parasitic plant ... didn't recall the leaves being so big and tall...


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 28, 2011)

It's not a native butterbur though.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> It's not a native butterbur though.


Oh I see - a garden escape then.

It was in St Catherine's valley - above Bath - I had to wade through mud on the way there, and the valley is generally rather lush - verges were solid with wild garlic back in April...

Had it been Cornwall, doubtless it might have been gunnera ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2011)

Amazing how it appeared from nowhere ...



Though this must have been several years earlier ..


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Aug 28, 2011)

Well, they're summat that dies down in winter.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2011)

I suppose they aren't much different from cardoons in scale ... I briefly had a gunnera, but I have free-draining soil and no back lane to get barrowloads of muck in ...


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 28, 2011)

Nah, cheat! Fill a dustbin with soil (small drainage hole in bottom) et voila! Gunnera!


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Aug 28, 2011)

Forgot to say...sink the bin in the ground so it doesn't show that you're cheating


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## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2011)

I think I half-heartedly buried some polythene down there, but it wasn't nearly enough. There's a huge pile of bamboo trimmings there now - amazingly it does appear to be rotting down a  bit ...


----------



## retribution (Sep 11, 2011)

Inherited this from an old housemate, ID please? The leaves are quite waxy, and new leaves unfurl beautifully to form big ones in the space of a couple of weeks. I'm guessing it needs a bigger pot?


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## Mrs Magpie (Sep 11, 2011)

Pretty sure that's something in the Schefflera family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera


----------



## campanula (Sep 11, 2011)

mmm bigger pot and some general plant food.


----------



## gavman (Sep 11, 2011)

and some bigger speakers


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 11, 2011)

campanula said:


> mmm bigger pot and some general plant food.


Bigger pot. certainly some fresh compost - generally a less risky way to feed them than actual fertiliser- though it looks like it's been starved and/or over-watered .

Best to see what the root system is like - may be better to shake off some old compost rather than going up too big a jump in pot size and hence making watering problematic ..


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 17, 2011)

Another unlabelled plant at Bath Botanic gardens yesterday :-


----------



## campanula (Oct 17, 2011)

Callicarpa bodinieri, aka Beauty bush.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 17, 2011)

Thanks. 

Apparently it used to be grouped with the verbenas, but now is in with deadnettles.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Oct 19, 2011)

Makes sense if you think about the arrangement of flowers on stems.


----------



## Biddlybee (Nov 11, 2011)

*bump*

Can anyone recommend a British flower / wild flower ID book? I'm forever taking photos, but have no idea what the plants are. Thanks


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 11, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Makes sense if you think about the arrangement of flowers on stems.


Oh yes, sort of whorled .. I'll have to make a point of taking a look at it next spring.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Nov 11, 2011)

@Biddlybee

My very favourite is the Reverend Keble* Martin's Concise British Flora
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Keble_Martin

*pronounced keeble

...but the Readers Digest Field Guide to Wild Flowers is really good, easier to use for general ID and less unwieldy. Get the older edition that looks like this, I like it much more than the more recent edition.






I bet you can get it from abebooks.co.uk which is an online bookshop of masses of secondhand bookshops. I use it all the time....


----------



## Biddlybee (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks Mrs.M, I'll start with the smaller Reader's Digest one


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Nov 11, 2011)

Biddlybee said:


> British flower / wild flower ID book?


Although there's plenty here who love the diverting parlour game of "Name That Plant!"


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Nov 11, 2011)

Biddlybee said:


> Thanks Mrs.M, I'll start with the smaller Reader's Digest one


You could always come over and look at my vast collection of books botanical


----------



## lizzieloo (Nov 11, 2011)

Biddlybee said:


> *bump*
> 
> Can anyone recommend a British flower / wild flower ID book? I'm forever taking photos, but have no idea what the plants are. Thanks



Great pocket guide, my dad's a real wild flower buff and swears by it.






http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/alastair fitter/marjorie blamey/marjorie blamey/richard sidney richmond fitter/wild flowers of britain and northern europe/4255138/


----------



## Biddlybee (Nov 11, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> You could always come over and look at my vast collection of books botanical


Thank you Mrs M, it's more to take with me (like my bird book ).

Have you got that one lizzieloo?


----------



## Biddlybee (Nov 11, 2011)

oooh, look though: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/second-hand-books/589433


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Nov 11, 2011)

Biddlybee said:


> oooh, look though: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/second-hand-books/589433


It is the best


----------



## Biddlybee (Nov 11, 2011)

I put it in my basket, along with this one (because I think I'll like the illustrations), thank you.

I will post some pics up if I still can't work out what the flower are


----------



## geminisnake (Nov 11, 2011)

gentlegreen said:


> Another unlabelled plant at Bath Botanic gardens yesterday :-
> 
> View attachment 14093



Think they've got them in at Lidl atm if you wanted one gg


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## gentlegreen (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks , but I'm not sure I can do it justice. I'm really not gardening at the moment - and in these times of austerity I'm feeling inclined to concentrate on edibles ...

I don't suppose it's edible ?


----------



## geminisnake (Nov 11, 2011)

No idea, maybe for birds?? Google should tell you


----------



## lizzieloo (Nov 11, 2011)

Biddlybee said:


> Have you got that one lizzieloo?



Yes, my dad has had a few, when he spots a plant he notes it down in there, the first one has dates from the early 70s in it and kind of tracks where he's/we've been for years


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## Biddlybee (Nov 11, 2011)

This might become yet another hobby


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## gentlegreen (Nov 14, 2011)

I had a look in Google Earth, but the streetview photo was taken early in the year when the bank had also been mown ..


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 14, 2011)




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## Biddlybee (Nov 16, 2011)

this wasn't quite what I was after...







does anyone want it?

The Keble book is good though, and think I've ID-ed 4/5 of my photos so far


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Nov 17, 2011)

Biddlybee said:


> this wasn't quite what I was after...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes please!


----------



## Biddlybee (Nov 17, 2011)

Sold (ok free) to the lady with maybe a few too many books on flora (I promise I won't tell your husband ).


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Nov 18, 2011)

thank you kindly 
I've been having a book cataloguing discussion with Very Tall Lodger. I refuse to have anything to do with Excel in a non-work context, but he's going to build a little database for my library. This will cheer Pickman's Model who knows the saga of my books (not sorted in any way but a mad jumble on bookshelves around the house for nearly nine years). I think Pickman's estimated I had 3000 but that was some time ago and I just can't help myself.


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## scalyboy (Nov 28, 2011)

Anyone know what this is called? Have seen it quite often in London gardens.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 28, 2011)

Some sort of Fatsia ? - related to ivy and slightly to ginseng ..


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## scalyboy (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks gg for the tip, I think you're dead right. Peculiar thing, flowering in autumn/winter. Looks like Fatsia Japonica now I know what to look up.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 28, 2011)

Is that the light making the flowers look purplish. ?

Yes it's a bit freaky how hardy it is ...


----------



## scalyboy (Nov 28, 2011)

That's just the twilight. Really they are cream/white.


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## sylvan (Dec 21, 2011)

eta: oops I didn't see the other 6 pages of conversation until I posted - my bad


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## shakespearegirl (Dec 23, 2011)

Anyone know what this is? we put in a raised bed a couple of months ago and loads of its coming up. Mr Shakes is worried it will take over the garden


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## Mrs Magpie (Dec 23, 2011)

I think it might be feverfew. Very pretty, easily pulled up if you don't want it. Basically nature abhors a vacuum and if there's not something else growing there, weeds will establish themselves.


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## shakespearegirl (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks Mrs M, we did put down weed matting, but this and loads of bulbs seem to be coming through


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## shakespearegirl (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks Mrs M, we did put down weed matting, but this and loads of bulbs seem to be coming through


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## geminisnake (Dec 23, 2011)

I've got loads of feverfew in my garden and something about the photo isn't quite right imo. It's not as compact as mine but could that be coz I'm further north? 
Have you got plastic/rubber gloves you could put on and go and crush the leaf to see if it smells??(just in case it's summat not good for you)

I have been out and found a wee plant, just going to take a photo. I can't link it since they changed flickr.
'Xcuse my foot, I wanted to get the plant to stand right!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76184378@N00/6560519533/in/photostream


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## Mrs Magpie (Dec 26, 2011)

I've got a fantastic book about weeds with photos of weeds in all stages of develeopment but I've got to track it down.
 nine years since moving and my books are still not in order


----------



## Leafster (Dec 28, 2011)

I've been meaning to post this up for months.

Any idea what this is? It popped up in the summer. It was about a metre tall when I took the photo. It seems to be deciduous although it could be the deer have eaten all the leaves.


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## Leafster (Dec 28, 2011)

Here's another photo. (with evidence of deer munching!)


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## geminisnake (Dec 31, 2011)

Possibly some kind of sycamore type sapling. I'm not good with all the trees you get down south.


----------



## Leafster (Dec 31, 2011)

geminisnake said:


> Possibly some kind of sycamore type sapling. I'm not good with all the trees you get down south.


I don't think it's a sycamore. If you look in the background at the top right of the first photo I posted you'll see some sycamore saplings. We get a lot of them and I'm always getting rid of the them. The young leaves on the sycamore are reddish brown at first and the leaves are broader than this "thing".


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## Mrs Magpie (Dec 31, 2011)

My first thought was some sort of garden escape...there is something familiar about that...yellow flowers? I thought something Ligularia-ish maybe, because at the base the leaves look a bit roundy but I'm not sure if it's part of the same plant.


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## Leafster (Dec 31, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> My first thought was some sort of garden escape...there is something familiar about that...yellow flowers? I thought something Ligularia-ish maybe, because at the base the leaves look a bit roundy but I'm not sure if it's part of the same plant.


I've had a google-look at photos of Ligularias and the thing in my garden looks more shrubby or tree-like. It didn't have any flowers. I think the leaves around the base are probably other weeds. It's on a very steep chalky bank which leads to the woods and it's impossible to "garden" so I try to keep it free of tree saplings but otherwise let it go wild as you can probably tell from the photos!


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## gentlegreen (Dec 31, 2011)

My first thought was mallow, but that's more straggly - definitely looks tree-like - some other kind of maple ?

I did once buy a ligularia for the nearly black stems ..


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## Leafster (Dec 31, 2011)

gentlegreen said:


> My first thought was mallow, but that's more straggly - definitely looks tree-like - some other kind of maple ?
> 
> I did once buy a ligularia for the nearly black stems ..


I wondered about other types of maple but I wasn't able to find any images with matching leaves. Maybe I should look again.


----------



## TruXta (Jan 5, 2012)

I got a bonsai tree from Tescos ( ) before Christmas, but have no idea what species it actually is. Any ideas? Also, how much water do these feckers need?


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## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2012)

Because of the root pruning and constraint, they take a lot of work - and watering.
Full-on bonsai are strictly outdoor - need treating a bit like alpines.

Presumably that's supposed to be an "easy"  / "indoor" one ?

The photo really isn't good enough ...


----------



## TruXta (Jan 5, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Because of the root pruning and constraint, they take a lot of work - and watering.
> Full-on bonsai are strictly outdoor - need treating a bit like alpines.
> 
> Presumably that's supposed to be an "easy" / "indoor" one ?
> ...



Click for a larger version  Presumably it's an easy job yes, but really I have no clue. Also, what do you mean "like alpines"?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2012)

A bit of googling suggests it may be a "Chinese Elm"

http://www.bargain-bonsai.co.uk/Bargain-Bonsai-Chinese-Elm-Care-Sheet.htm

Alpines can also be very specialised. People have special greenhouses that allow them to get cold, but not constantly wet and mucky ..


----------



## TruXta (Jan 5, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> A bit of googling suggests it may be a "Chinese Elm"
> 
> http://www.bargain-bonsai.co.uk/Bargain-Bonsai-Chinese-Elm-Care-Sheet.htm
> 
> Alpines can also be very specialised. People have special greenhouses that allow them to get cold, but not constantly wet and mucky ..



Hmmm... the leaves look different, the ones on mine have smooth edges, whereas the Chinese Elm seems to have leaves with serrated edges.


----------



## TruXta (Jan 5, 2012)

A little bit of googling suggests it might be a Sagaretia. http://www.bargain-bonsai.co.uk/Bargain-Bonsai-Sageretia-Care-Sheet.htm


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## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2012)

Do you only have a phone camera ?

Difficult to identify a tree like that with just leaves.

It looks a bit poorly.

The standard error is keeping them too warm. It may even need to be outdoors.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2012)

TruXta said:


> A little bit of googling suggests it might be a Sagaretia. http://www.bargain-bonsai.co.uk/Bargain-Bonsai-Sageretia-Care-Sheet.htm



Oh yes .. it does look a bit plummy ..


----------



## TruXta (Jan 5, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Do you only have a phone camera ?
> 
> Difficult to identify a tree like that with just leaves.
> 
> ...



It does look a little poorly, it hasn't been fed any fertilizer since I bought it and I've been a bit shit with watering too. If I've got the species right this one should be kept indoors. It's definitely not been kept too warm! I'll try and get some fertillizer in, maybe even make my own? Wish I had some nettles around here, soaked in water they make for great fertilizing.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 5, 2012)

When you're starting out with a plant, it's likely to be easier to buy some ready-formulated fertiliser - Chempak is a reliable brand . It's low nitrogen and relatively high potash - so nettles might work - but you need phosphate too ... urine ?

Chempak has all the trace elements in as well ..

Their tiny pots of bonsai fertiliser aren't very good value - their number 8 is very similar ..

http://www.greendragonbonsai.co.uk/BONSAI_FEED_AT_GREEN_DRAGON_BONSAI.htm


----------



## geminisnake (Jan 5, 2012)

A problem with some shop bought plants can be that they simply haven't been watered enough while 'on the shelf' and are therefore suffering before anyone actually buys them.

Can you gather rain water at all? This is generally better for bonsai than tap water iirc. They DO need quite a bit of water so it would be worth getting a saucer, bowl, marg tub big enough to fit the tree into so it can have a bit of a reservoir iykwim


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## TruXta (Jan 7, 2012)

Good advice everyone. I can gather rainwater, no problem. Will look into what fertiliser it needs. It's already sat on a tray that retains some water, should I get a bigger one?


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## gentlegreen (Jan 7, 2012)

Not sure the roots should be sitting in water - best do some reading - quite  a specialist hobby.


----------



## TruXta (Jan 7, 2012)

I didn't want a hobby, I just wanted a wee tree!


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 7, 2012)

TruXta said:


> I didn't want a hobby, I just wanted a wee tree!



Wee trees take a lot of looking after - root-pruning as well as top pruning ...


----------



## TruXta (Jan 7, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Wee trees take a lot of looking after - root-pruning as well as top pruning ...



Pruning roots? What kind of devilry is this?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 7, 2012)

TruXta said:


> Pruning roots? What kind of devilry is this?



That's how you keep it small, but healthy. You repot it back in the same container in fresh compost so it can put out new roots.


----------



## TruXta (Jan 7, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> That's how you keep it small, but healthy. You repot it back in the same container in fresh compost so it can put out new roots.



Goodness. What have I done?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 7, 2012)

It's art innit ...


----------



## geminisnake (Jan 7, 2012)

You don't HAVE to do the whole root pruning thing. You can limit growth simply by keeping a tree in a small tub. I have some trees that are over 10 yrs old but look like saplings because they are still in small pots. I simply ran out of room in the garden for more trees. The couple that got planted(after about 3 years!) are heading towards proper tree size though.

Proper bonsai is a lifestyle ime!  People devote themselves to it!


----------



## TruXta (Jan 26, 2012)

geminisnake said:


> You don't HAVE to do the whole root pruning thing. You can limit growth simply by keeping a tree in a small tub. I have some trees that are over 10 yrs old but look like saplings because they are still in small pots. I simply ran out of room in the garden for more trees. The couple that got planted(after about 3 years!) are heading towards proper tree size though.
> 
> Proper bonsai is a lifestyle ime!  People devote themselves to it!



It's religious for some peeps, Zen style. It's still alive anyway, tho not looking much better. Have been watering it with rainwater collected in a bucket full of old flowers and shit to give it some nutrients - is this wise do people think?


----------



## lizzieloo (Jan 26, 2012)

(((((((((Bonsai trees)))))))))


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 26, 2012)

TruXta said:


> full of old flowers and shit to give it some nutrients - is this wise do people think?



Get some proper fertiliser !


----------



## TruXta (Jan 26, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Get some proper fertiliser !



Bah! They didn't have fucking fertiliser in 16th century Japan did they?  Yeah yeah, I'll think about it.


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 27, 2012)

Blooming alongside celandine and the very first bluebells in English woodland fringe....


----------



## lizzieloo (Mar 27, 2012)

Wood anemones


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 27, 2012)

Thanks.


----------



## geminisnake (Mar 27, 2012)

I thought wood anemones are blue/purple?? Mine are.


----------



## lizzieloo (Mar 27, 2012)

I have white ones, they can be either colour.


----------



## Bingo (May 29, 2012)

my mate's tree has just sprouted these lovely blue flowers...wow! Any ideas?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 29, 2012)

ceanothus - "Californian Lilac" ..

They don't do a lot the rest of the year though.


----------



## Mr.Bishie (May 29, 2012)

Bingo said:


> my mate's tree has just sprouted these lovely blue flowers...wow! Any ideas?


 
A Ceanothus


----------



## mr steev (May 29, 2012)

There are a few of those in peoples front gardens round here. They get completely covered in dusty blue


----------



## gentlegreen (May 29, 2012)

Can't eat it or smoke it...


----------



## Bingo (May 29, 2012)

it makes you stoned just looking at it


----------



## Mrs Magpie (May 29, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Can't eat it or smoke it...


You can eat the berries on this, Mahonia.







It's also known as Oregon Grape.


----------



## Mrs Magpie (May 29, 2012)

gentlegreen said:


> Can't eat it or smoke it...


Fuchsia berries are also edible.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 29, 2012)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Fuchsia berries are also edible.


Somewhat insipid though - but then so is the fruit you buy in the shops ...


----------



## Mab (Jul 6, 2012)

mrs quoad said:


> OK!
> 
> Yeah, it is a really rubbish photo, ennit  It's backlit atm, and I can't get any other angle without climbing into the neighbour's garden. I'm in a dressing gown atm, so that'd be looking for a quick call to the police.
> 
> ...


 Wow these are gorgeous pictures hes a doll!


----------



## Biddlybee (Aug 19, 2012)

is this tarragon?


----------



## geminisnake (Aug 19, 2012)

Have you tried rubbing the leaves to see if they smell??


----------



## Biddlybee (Aug 19, 2012)

Not yet, I ate one but couldn't tell


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 19, 2012)

Looks like it could be. I had a huge tarragon bush once that I never did anything with ...


----------



## Maggot (Mar 12, 2013)

What is this bird?


----------



## Leafster (Mar 12, 2013)

Maggot said:


> What is this bird?


It's a Bullfinch.


----------



## Callie (Mar 12, 2013)

Maggot said:


> What is this bird?


its gorgeous! my favourite birdy. was he in your garden?


----------



## Maggot (Mar 13, 2013)

Thanks Leafster!



Callie said:


> its gorgeous! my favourite birdy. was he in your garden?


 
Yes, he was in my garden with 2 of his mates.


----------



## ringo (Apr 3, 2013)

what's the proper name of the  common palm tree seen around South London?


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 3, 2013)

cabbage palm - Cordyline Australis ?


----------



## ringo (Apr 3, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> cabbage palm - Cordyline Australis ?


 
Reckon you're right, thanks. I bought a couple of small variegated cordylines at the weekend which are more like phormiums; don't have trunks, but the foliage is similar. They'll be going around the Cordyline Australis with some other small stuff.


----------



## Brixton Hatter (May 7, 2013)

Anyone got any ideas what this is please?

Got it for a few quid from the shop down the road - guy in the shop didn't know what it is either! Looks fairly common....I think it grows into a big bush. Just want to find out where to put it....whether it needs full sun or can handle partial shade etc. Cheers


----------



## Leafster (May 7, 2013)

It looks like a Euonymus (pronounced Yewonimus) to me. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours.

Check this out for care and possible identification: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/searchbynameresults?nm=Euonymus&op=0


----------



## Brixton Hatter (May 7, 2013)

Leafster said:


> It looks like a Euonymus (pronounced Yewonimus) to me. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours.
> 
> Check this out for care and possible identification: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/searchbynameresults?nm=Euonymus&op=0


brilliant - thank you


----------



## gentlegreen (May 7, 2013)

I wonder if you can make spindles from the ornamental varieties ...


----------



## wayward bob (May 7, 2013)

Brixton Hatter said:


> Anyone got any ideas what this is please?
> 
> Got it for a few quid from the shop down the road - guy in the shop didn't know what it is either! Looks fairly common....I think it grows into a big bush. Just want to find out where to put it....whether it needs full sun or can handle partial shade etc. Cheers


 
looks suspiciously like the bastard thing that grew across from next door. ugly, deep shade, massive summer growth, full of snails, impossible to fucking kill


----------



## Brixton Hatter (May 7, 2013)

wayward bob said:


> looks suspiciously like the bastard thing that grew across from next door. ugly, deep shade, massive summer growth, full of snails, impossible to fucking kill


lol


----------



## wayward bob (May 7, 2013)

plant it if you hate your neighbours  or plant it in the bin


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 7, 2013)

wayward bob said:


> looks suspiciously like the bastard thing that grew across from next door. ugly, deep shade, massive summer growth, full of snails, impossible to fucking kill


 
I've "accidentally" stood on half a dozen snails today.  They particularly like my Harts Tongue Fern


----------



## trashpony (May 7, 2013)

ringo said:


> Reckon you're right, thanks. I bought a couple of small variegated cordylines at the weekend which are more like phormiums; don't have trunks, but the foliage is similar. They'll be going around the Cordyline Australis with some other small stuff.


that'll grow a trunk eventually although the coloured varieties don't seem to be quite as hardy as the green ones


----------



## gentlegreen (May 7, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I've "accidentally" stood on half a dozen snails today. They particularly like my Harts Tongue Fern


I have a veritable schmorgasborg of "petits gris" in my front garden - they keep gravitating to my recycling boxes so I could possibly arrange for them to marinade themselves ...


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 7, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I have a veritable schmorgasborg of "petits gris" in my front garden - they keep gravitating to my recycling boxes so I could possibly arrange for them to marinade themselves ...


 
in beer


----------



## gentlegreen (May 7, 2013)

Seriously though ... I discovered by accident last year when I deliberately put open used jars of yeast extract in the shrubbery so the slugs would clean them out for me, but instead they ended up as traps for an insane number of baby slugs - tiny ones.
It was Essential Vitam-R, but doubtless other varieties might work.


----------



## Corax (May 7, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> Seriously though ... I discovered by accident last year when I deliberately put open used jars of yeast extract in the shrubbery so the slugs would clean them out for me


You did _*what*_?


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 7, 2013)

Corax said:


> You did _*what*_?


 

Saves on water


----------



## gentlegreen (May 7, 2013)

Vitam-R goes like concrete, and I tend to go with the impulse to get it out of the house, before procrastination kicks in ..


----------



## ringo (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> that'll grow a trunk eventually although the coloured varieties don't seem to be quite as hardy as the green ones


 
Yes, that was the plan, two of these (one red, one green) and a Chinese fan palm with smaller yellow grass like plants inbetween. I also finished the other tropical bed at the weekend - two phormiums which should grow pretty big and some hostas, red hot pokers and a few other things planted around them for more colour/height.

Almost lost the red cordyline in the high winds when I  planted it and it was yet to establish its roots but its looking better now.


----------



## trashpony (May 8, 2013)

ringo said:


> Yes, that was the plan, two of these (one red, one green) and a Chinese fan palm with smaller yellow grass like plants inbetween. I also finished the other tropical bed at the weekend - two phormiums which should grow pretty big and some hostas, red hot pokers and a few other things planted around them for more colour/height.
> 
> Almost lost the red cordyline in the high winds when I planted it and it was yet to establish its roots but its looking better now.


That sounds good 

They have really shallow roots and I think the red ones might need some protection in winter - if you tie up all the leaves with a couple of pieces of string/raffia into a topknot and pop a bit of fleece over the top, that would work. I've lost both my red ones in the snow (but the green ones have all survived)


----------



## ringo (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> That sounds good
> 
> They have really shallow roots and I think the red ones might need some protection in winter - if you tie up all the leaves with a couple of pieces of string/raffia into a topknot and pop a bit of fleece over the top, that would work. I've lost both my red ones in the snow (but the green ones have all survived)


 
Cheers, I've read conflicting reports on how hardy the more colourful ones are. Looking at the examples near my house some have survived the winter and some didn't. I think position and shelter might be the difference and although my front garden gets full afternoon its also very windy and a bit exposed so I reckon I should protect both cordylines in the winter. I reckon the Chinese fan palm will be alright.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

ringo said:


> Yes, that was the plan, two of these (one red, one green) and a Chinese fan palm with smaller yellow grass like plants inbetween. I also finished the other tropical bed at the weekend - two phormiums which should grow pretty big and some hostas, red hot pokers and a few other things planted around them for more colour/height.
> 
> Almost lost the red cordyline in the high winds when I planted it and it was yet to establish its roots but its looking better now.


 
I can't seem to grow red hot pokers.  Maybe they don't like containers?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 8, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I can't seem to grow red hot pokers. Maybe they don't like containers?


It'll depend how big the container is.
I believe they're from coastal South Africa - probably like well-drained soil.
They form enormous clumps..
Same plant family though.

My Cordyline has always been stunted growing in a huge builder's tub.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> It'll depend how big the container is.
> I believe they're from coastal South Africa - probably like well-drained soil.
> They form enormous clumps..
> Same plant family though.
> ...


 
Have just come across this as you were posting this post



> *Pots, Barrels, Tubs & Urns*
> 
> Kniphofia are generally not recommended for containers because mature plants grow into large clumps that often measure 2-3 feet across.





My cordyline's in a pretty small pot as well.  Don't know whether to repot it into something bigger.  It's there under the Walliachiana fern, looking a bit battered


----------



## trashpony (May 8, 2013)

ringo said:


> Cheers, I've read conflicting reports on how hardy the more colourful ones are. Looking at the examples near my house some have survived the winter and some didn't. I think position and shelter might be the difference and although my front garden gets full afternoon its also very windy and a bit exposed so I reckon I should protect both cordylines in the winter. I reckon the Chinese fan palm will be alright.


I live on the coast which has what's done for my red cordyline (it gets *very* windy here unsurprisingly!). My Chinese fan palm doesn't seem to mind it, even though it's taller than the fence. The older leaves get tatty in winter with the wind/snow so I just chop them off close to the trunk in spring.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> I live on the coast which has what's done for my red cordyline (it gets *very* windy here unsurprisingly!). My Chinese fan palm doesn't seem to mind it, even though it's taller than the fence. The older leaves get tatty in winter with the wind/snow so I just chop them off close to the trunk in spring.


 
What about cordylines, are you supposed to cut them back or just chop off tatty leaves or leave them?


----------



## trashpony (May 8, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> What about cordylines, are you supposed to cut them back or just chop off tatty leaves or leave them?


Chop off the tatty leaves


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> Chop off the tatty leaves


 


Who was it who told me to cut my lily right back?  I did that last year and they never grew back


----------



## trashpony (May 8, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Who was it who told me to cut my lily right back? I did that last year and they never grew back


Was that me?  

If you chop off tatty leaves, you're not actually hurting the plant (providing you don't cut off *all* the leaves )


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> Was that me?
> 
> If you chop off tatty leaves, you're not actually hurting the plant (providing you don't cut off *all* the leaves )


 
I don't know who told me to, but I was reluctant to, but did it anyway (ie. I cut the trunk right down) 

Anyway, it's sprouting this year, but whether it will actually grow anything  Then again, last year was such a crap summer, that that may have had more to do with it


----------



## geminisnake (May 8, 2013)

ringo said:


> Cheers, I've read conflicting reports on how hardy the more colourful ones are. Looking at the examples near my house some have survived the winter and some didn't. I think position and shelter might be the difference and although my front garden gets full afternoon its also very windy and a bit exposed so I reckon I should protect both cordylines in the winter. I reckon the Chinese fan palm will be alright.


 
The cordyline trashpony sent me some years ago has been VERY hardy but it's a normal one. It survived that bad winter(6 weeks below 0 degrees) 

Minnie I don't think my lilies did much last year and they are grown from a corm so cutting them back shouldn't be bad for them, unless you cut them too early?? Let the foliage start to die off maybe top 5/6 inches before cutting them.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

geminisnake said:


> The cordyline trashpony sent me some years ago has been VERY hardy but it's a normal one. It survived that bad winter(6 weeks below 0 degrees)
> 
> Minnie I don't think my lilies did much last year and they are grown from a corm so cutting them back shouldn't be bad for them, unless you cut them too early?? Let the foliage start to die off maybe top 5/6 inches before cutting them.


 
Well you'll have to remind me about that at the end of this year if it grows back 

I'm only joking about whoever telling me to cut them back.  I know they were telling me for my own good and the good of the plant


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> Was that me?
> 
> If you chop off tatty leaves, you're not actually hurting the plant (providing you don't cut off *all* the leaves )


 
It was you, I found the evidence!  

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...he-new-gardeners.278384/page-11#post-11023998


----------



## trashpony (May 8, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> It was you, I found the evidence!
> 
> http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...he-new-gardeners.278384/page-11#post-11023998


As I went on to say though:


> If the bulbs are soggy, then it sounds like they've rotted off. But that isn't because you cut them down.


 


You don't kill herbaceous perennials by cutting them down in autumn/spring. Honestly. But you can blame me if you like, I don't mind


----------



## lizzieloo (May 8, 2013)

Won't the salt in marmite pop the slugs?

((((slugs))))


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

trashpony said:


> As I went on to say though:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I wouldn't blame you at all.  I trust you to give honest advice 

I can't even remember which one I cut down, the orange one or the red one.  I think I binned one, but I've no idea which one


----------



## gentlegreen (May 8, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> Won't the salt in marmite pop the slugs?
> 
> ((((slugs))))


pop, pickle, marinade ....


----------



## lizzieloo (May 8, 2013)

I've always cut all my ferns right back Minnie_the_Minx, gives the new fronds lots of light


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> I've always cut all my ferns right back Minnie_the_Minx, gives the new fronds lots of light


 
I've never cut the Wallichiana (pictured in post 275) back and that's got over 20 new fronds as you can see!

I've never cut back the 'Cristata' Golden Male Fern either (bottom left of picture), although that just seems to stay as it is. I don't seem to get any new fronds on that.

I thought last year I had killed my Irish Tatting Fern by cutting it right back, but new fronds started, but really late. Didn't cut back the Japanese Painted Fern either. There's three I cut back this time, but I can't remember which is which as writing on labels has faded


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> I've always cut all my ferns right back Minnie_the_Minx, gives the new fronds lots of light


 
oh, and loads of moss grew on top of one so I tried hacking that away off the top of the soil yesterday as I wasn't sure what I was meant to do with it


----------



## lizzieloo (May 8, 2013)

My ferns are big and look bloody awful if I don't cut them back, it's not essential, I chop everything down to the ground 

My thyme has all died cos of my scorched earth policy


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> My ferns are big and look bloody awful if I don't cut them back, it's not essential, I chop everything down to the ground
> 
> My thyme has all died cos of my scorched earth policy


 
But I *want *them to be big!

Sounds like it'd be easier for you to just get a flame thrower


----------



## lizzieloo (May 8, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> But I *want *them to be big!
> 
> Sounds like it'd be easier for you to just get a flame thrower


 
Yeah, mine started off little, they grow bigger every year even with the chopping, they're just last year's fronds.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 8, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> Yeah, mine started off little, they grow bigger every year even with the chopping, they're just last year's fronds.


 
I've compromised. I've cut half of them back and left the others as they are. I ain't cutting back my Wallichiana. It's taken nearly 3 years to get from this


to this



I did cut off maybe 10 fronds though that were getting tatty or that had got bent and were drooping


----------



## tendril (May 16, 2013)

Anyone able to tell me what this is. Seen at Barbican Conservatory but no name on it and no-one to ask:


----------



## gentlegreen (May 16, 2013)

tradescantia purpurea

Unusual triangular flowers - and the vegetative growth phyllotaxy is odd too.


----------



## tendril (May 16, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> tradescantia purpurea
> 
> Unusual triangular flowers - and the vegetative growth phyllotaxy is odd too.


ta muchly. Now to find some for sale


----------



## gentlegreen (May 16, 2013)

In the good old days you would always come across people with trailing cuttings to spare.
Though maybe not such a good cultivar as that.


----------



## tendril (May 16, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> In the good old days you would always come across people with trailing cuttings to spare.
> Though maybe not such a good cultivar as that.


I googled and found a couple of online sellers.


----------



## clicker (May 16, 2013)

no idea what this is, but it's popping up everywhere in all my nooks and crannies, flowering now and about 8 inches high...any ideas?


----------



## rioted (May 16, 2013)

Herb Robert


----------



## clicker (May 16, 2013)

rioted said:


> Herb Robert


wow that was quick - thank you, just looked it up, what an interesting little flower. Glad it's got a long flowering season and when the leaves tinge red it's quite lovely.


----------



## rioted (May 16, 2013)

clicker said:


> wow that was quick - thank you, just looked it up, what an interesting little flower. Glad it's got a long flowering season and when the leaves tinge red it's quite lovely.


It's a bit of a stinker.  But lovely.


----------



## clicker (May 17, 2013)

rioted said:


> It's a bit of a stinker.  But lovely.


must admit i read that, but havent noticed - maybe because it's so low, or not warm enough yet....I've got wild geraniums all over the place and these herb Roberts tiny pink flowers really contrast with them - I think this is almost my favourite time of year in the garden, just as things are coming into bloom and doing their thing.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 17, 2013)

clicker said:


> no idea what this is, but it's popping up everywhere in all my nooks and crannies, flowering now and about 8 inches high...any ideas?


 


Already posted about on Minnie's Gardeners' Question Time

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...ime-help-for-the-new-gardeners.278384/page-16


----------



## gentlegreen (May 20, 2013)

I encountered this on my travels over the weekend.
This one is moderately smelly - and I'm guessing it's in the mint family ...


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

These two small trees at the bottom of my garden grow as weeds don't they?  i quite like them though, the one on the left with the purple flowers has that wizened, bent bonsai look which will go well with the Japanese plants I'm putting in.  What are they?


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

I think this might bea variety of Lime,  what do the Suburban experts think?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

We would need a closeup of leaves and flowers ...
Looks a bit "full-on" compared to the limes near me ...


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

ringo said:


> These two small trees at the bottom of my garden grow as weeds don't they? i quite like them though, the one on the left with the purple flowers has that wizened, bent bonsai look which will go well with the Japanese plants I'm putting in. What are they?


 
Buddleia Davidii

Except it isn't in flower for months yet - is that a lilac ?

Are you in the UK ?


----------



## geminisnake (May 22, 2013)

Sorry photos too far away to tell. Azaleas might grow big down south(the purple one), you're Londonish iirc aye?


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> Buddleia Davidii
> 
> Except it isn't in flower for months yet - is that a lilac ?
> 
> Are you in the UK ?


 
I'm in south London. I'm sure I've seen both of these grow as weeds in the UK. Don't think it's an Azalea, flowers don't look right.

It was Buddleia I was thinking of, for the smaller with the purple flowers, but you're right, shouldn't be in flower yet.

I'll get out there with my tree identifying book now that I've found it.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

If it's in flower now it's a lilac - syringa - the pong should be a dead giveaway..
glossy instead of rough foliage and a tendency to sucker from the base.

although having said that, I haven't noticed any lilacs near me in bloom - funny old year this...


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

The "lime" looks like it started out as a trained tree ..


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> If it's in flower now it's a lilac - syringa - the pong should be a dead giveaway..
> glossy instead of rough foliage and a tendency to sucker from the base.
> 
> although having said that, I haven't noticed any lilacs near me in bloom - funny old year this...


 
I reckon you & geminisnake are right, it must be. Here's another on the web with similar gnarled old trunk, must be pretty old  :







Nice one, that's one down


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

You may have to actually go to the end of the garden - they won't bite !


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> The "lime" looks like it started out as a trained tree ..


 
Definitely. It had started to go a bit wild but I've given it a quite severe prune to get it back to shape. It functions well as a screen against the neighbours on that side, but it was starting to grow out into the garden and I didn't want it or its shade to dominate the new bed I've cut under it against the wall. You can also just make out the twisted hazel to its right that I've just planted.



gentlegreen said:


> You may have to actually go to the end of the garden - they won't bite !


 
I did have a proper look at the leaves the other week, but couldn't decide what it was. I did notice when I mowed the lawn at the weekend that it was about to flower. My work colleague has just pointed out to me that its clearly an Elderberry. The one near our uni is blindingly obvious as elderflower now as its just budding, I reckon I'll get home and realise the same, I just needed to wait another week for the flowers to turn up


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

Elderberry jam & wine win


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

I doubt anyone would ever try to train an elderberry - even a black one. (sambucus nigra)
It's another short-lived tree that's often a weed.


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I doubt anyone would ever try to train an elderberry - even a black one. (sambucus nigra)
> It's another short-lived tree that's often a weed.


 
The tall one next to the Lilac is the Elderberry, pretty sure the trained tree is a Lime of some sort.


----------



## geminisnake (May 22, 2013)

If it is an elderberry treat it with respect and never fall asleep under it. I would love an elderberry tree in the garden. It's the only one I want that I am missing and there really is nowhere for it to go


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

geminisnake said:


> If it is an elderberry treat it with respect and never fall asleep under it. I would love an elderberry tree in the garden. It's the only one I want that I am missing and there really is nowhere for it to go


 
Just looked that up 

"There is a bit of folklore from Europe that says never to fall asleep under an elderberry shrub when it is in bloom at midsummer or you’ll fall asleep for a hundred years and dream of Faerie land. This is not so much a myth as code for a lot of information about this plant. The flowers have soporific properties (they help you get to sleep), bloom at approximately midsummer (most years a little earlier here in BK), and are also reputed to be mildly narcotic (dreams of Faerie land?)."

http://nonabrooklyn.com/foraging-brooklyn-elderflower-champagne/#.UZzCZMqop8E


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

Quite a lot of cyanide in various parts of the elder.
It used to be one of the smells of spring for me when I had an allotment - cutting it back.
When we were kids we used to make fishing floats from the pith.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2013)

ringo said:


> The tall one next to the Lilac is the Elderberry, pretty sure the trained tree is a Lime of some sort.


Oh yes - its _de rigeur_ to have a pleached lime avenue at one's country pile.


----------



## ringo (May 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> Oh yes - its _de rigeur_ to have a pleached lime avenue at one's country pile.


 
All part of the Brixton/West Norwood Village gentrification programme. It'll be _artisan_ elderberry jam too.


----------



## geminisnake (May 22, 2013)

ringo said:


> Just looked that up


 
I know, which is why I warned you  I'm glad you found the right info. I was going to offer to scan bits of my book if you didn't.
I like trees.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 23, 2013)

I noticed a lilac in bloom on my way home last night :-


----------



## ringo (May 23, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I noticed a lilac in bloom on my way home last night :-


 
I've seen loads since you two ID'd mine


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 25, 2013)

Weed?


----------



## Leafster (May 25, 2013)

Yes, it's a weed. Can't remember what it's called though.


----------



## clicker (May 27, 2013)

anyone know what the red bush is called please? small red rounded leaves and no bloom. thanks


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (May 27, 2013)

Leafster said:


> Yes, it's a weed. Can't remember what it's called though.


 
Ivy-leaved toadflax according to gentlegreen


----------



## Leafster (May 27, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Ivy-leaved toadflax according to gentlegreen


 
That's the one!


----------



## Leafster (May 27, 2013)

clicker said:


> anyone know what the red bush is called please? small red rounded leaves and no bloom. thanks


 
It could be a cotinus.


----------



## story (May 30, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I encountered this on my travels over the weekend.
> This one is moderately smelly - and I'm guessing it's in the mint family ...
> 
> 
> View attachment 32809


 

That's ground ivy. _Glechoma hedera_.

It's labiatae, as you say.The stem is square when you twirl it through your fingertips, a characteristic of this family.

Good medicine. One of my favourites.

The flavour is more minty this year than ever I recall in the past. Maybe because of the wet? But the smell results from the volatiles, a defence against the heat  of summer so....


----------



## gentlegreen (May 31, 2013)

Thanks.


----------



## clicker (May 31, 2013)

I've kind of ended up with these ...what are they?



Is the bottom one just the same type as the top one, they are getting on my nerves a bit as they're like rabbits - they look ok in the top one, but get all these straggly bits hanging down, hundreds of the blighters, have run out of people to pot them up for and give away....and they end up looking manky and worn out - i feel sorry for it....is there an ideal way to keep them loking like the top one? thanks


----------



## clicker (May 31, 2013)

Leafster said:


> It could be a cotinus.


 
thanks i reckon you've nailed it, a friend is coveting it in her neighbours garden .


----------



## gentlegreen (May 31, 2013)

sempervivum


----------



## clicker (May 31, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> sempervivum


ooh thanks...are they both the same thing...why is one all rosette like and the other a bit manky?


----------



## clicker (May 31, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> sempervivum


just googled them..are they for outdoors?  That would make things so much easier, i've been trying to contain them in indoor pots, outdoors i could let them do what they wish in a pot...but the ones i've googled havent got the dangly bits?


----------



## geminisnake (May 31, 2013)

the bottom pot is too small for the plant imo


----------



## gentlegreen (May 31, 2013)

Pretty sure they all are. hardy.
Also called houseleeks and apparently only do well "in houses where the woman wears the trousers" 
They will want free-draining soil - popular for living roofs as they're slow-growing .


----------



## gentlegreen (May 31, 2013)

They're probably pretty diverse in the way they grow - and it probably depends how much space, nutrition and water they get.


----------



## clicker (May 31, 2013)

It does actually make perfect sense what you've said, for them to mat form as a living roof....i've been trying to keep them in pots and they get all heavy ended and the rosettes growing down the strands get not much water/ food i expect...they shrivel and go sorry for themselves...will shove one in a sink out the back tomorrow and wish it well.


----------



## tendril (Jun 2, 2013)

Shrub ID please :







Ta muchly O knowledgeable folk of suburban


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 2, 2013)

The one with the jaggedy leaves and berries is a mahonia.


----------



## Leafster (Jun 2, 2013)

I agree with gg on the mahonia and the other one is probably a photinia (I think)


----------



## tendril (Jun 2, 2013)

Leafster said:


> I agree with gg on the mahonia and the other one is probably a photinia (I think)


Yup, looks like it. Thanks


----------



## kittyP (Jun 2, 2013)

clicker said:


> thanks i reckon you've nailed it, a friend is coveting it in her neighbours garden .


 
My parents have one and they are really beautiful.


----------



## geminisnake (Jun 2, 2013)

Leafster said:


> I agree with gg on the mahonia and the other one is probably a photinia (I think)


The second one is a photinia. Got two in the garden. Also got a mahonia but it doesn't look like that(possibly because I've been trying to kill it for a while)


----------



## May Kasahara (Jun 4, 2013)

WTF is this tree please?

Sorry, hang on...new Photobucket is ever shitter than the old one...


----------



## May Kasahara (Jun 4, 2013)




----------



## clicker (Jun 4, 2013)

is it a monkey puzzle tree? if so I think jet is meant to form underneath it ...but am probably wrong.


----------



## toggle (Jun 4, 2013)

monkeypuzzle i think


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 4, 2013)

Yes- Araucaria araucana.
The nuts are apparently tasty if you can get hold of them.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 4, 2013)

I had no idea that jet is specifically petrified monkey puzzle - but the vegetation was very different back then.


----------



## clicker (Jun 4, 2013)

Maybe it's a strong survivor....not sure where they are originally from though?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 4, 2013)

clicker said:


> Maybe it's a strong survivor....not sure where they are originally from though?


South America now I believe, but Scarborough (where a lot of Jet is found) was tropical back then ..


----------



## May Kasahara (Jun 4, 2013)

Ah, thank you! For some reason I thought it was a monkey puzzle despite having almost no knowledge of trees at all. It just looks like it should be  Why the fuck anyone would want something that big growing outside their house and blocking all the light is beyond me, but it's an amazing thing.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 4, 2013)

May Kasahara said:


> Ah, thank you! For some reason I thought it was a monkey puzzle despite having almost no knowledge of trees at all. It just looks like it should be  Why the fuck anyone would want something that big growing outside their house and blocking all the light is beyond me, but it's an amazing thing.


They're _*relatively*_ slow growing ....


These were probably about 6 feet high when I was a kid in the 60s ...

It's like the towering bamboo in my garden. I know I have to bite the bullet and chop it down this year to have any chance of getting the roots out before I have to sell the house, but it's going to be traumatic.


----------



## geminisnake (Jun 4, 2013)

clicker said:


> Maybe it's a strong survivor....not sure where they are originally from though?


 
Chilean pine they are  I love them have a few 3/4 yr old ones in the garden(from seed), still need to find homes for a few of them I suppose. Not that they are going to grow massive in my lifetime.


----------



## ringo (Jun 5, 2013)

what is this shrub?  i love the shape as it splits & branches out


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 5, 2013)

rhus typhina - sumac
You can get delightful photo-dermatitis from the sap !
I believe it's related to "poison oak" .


----------



## ringo (Jun 5, 2013)

Top marks today gentlegreen


----------



## geminisnake (Jun 5, 2013)

Commonly known as stags horn coz the flower bits get a velvety covering like antlers on them


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 11, 2013)

After years of walking past this garden I've just figured out what the yellow-flowered one on the left is, but it's the trumpet-flowered one at the back I have yet to identify.


----------



## prunus (Jun 11, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 33544
> 
> After years of walking past this garden I've just figured out what the yellow-flowered one on the left is, but it's the trumpet-flowered one at the back I have yet to identify.


 
Try running it through this - I find it's really good:

http://www.botanicalkeys.co.uk/flora/content/SEARCH.ASP


----------



## _pH_ (Jun 11, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 33544
> 
> After years of walking past this garden I've just figured out what the yellow-flowered one on the left is, but it's the trumpet-flowered one at the back I have yet to identify.


 
Phygelius?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 11, 2013)

_pH_ said:


> Phygelius?




I think you're right.


----------



## Callie (Jun 11, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> rhus typhina - sumac
> You can get delightful photo-dermatitis from the sap !
> I believe it's related to "poison oak" .


 sumac as in the lemony herb thing??


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 11, 2013)

Callie said:


> sumac as in the lemony herb thing??


Nah, that's another of those annoying popular names things.
It would be rather nasty if someone made that assumption !


----------



## BoatieBird (Jun 27, 2013)

Papaver somniferum?


----------



## Callie (Jun 27, 2013)

Some sort of ornamental poppy aye. There's a bunch growing freely on a park verge on my way home, tempted to try and pinch the seed pods to grow some at hone (free plants) but not sure how well they'd do? Presumably you need to wait for the pods to dry out properly before getting the seeds?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 27, 2013)

I chucked out a dried flower arrangement about 10 years ago and ended up with a whole front garden-full.
Even when they were finished and had become a pile of poppy straw, they attracted no interest from the locals making their way to and from the chemist around the corner.
(More than once I actually had empty methadone bottles dumped in my garden.)


----------



## idumea (Jun 29, 2013)

I brought this plant of these today at a market - forgot the name as soon as I got home   - any ideas? It began with an S.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jun 29, 2013)

Sempervivum?

eta:  (dunno what type though)


----------



## idumea (Jun 30, 2013)

Thank you!


----------



## Callie (Jun 30, 2013)

if you want any more i can give you some....they breed


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Jul 22, 2013)

What kind of tree is this, if you please?  I am in south China at the moment and there are masses of these trees which grow huge vines off their branches. Maybe I've always been walking round with my eyes closed, but I don't think I've ever seen trees like this before.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jul 22, 2013)

Banyan?

dunno, just a guess


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 22, 2013)

sorry no pics but there's broadleaf tree i see on my walk that's totally laden with white fluff atm. the ground underneath it looks like someone's had a _massive_ pillow fight  any ideas?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 22, 2013)

Poplar ?

I keep mishearing the species of tree in this song :-



Now I remember I used to think it was "cutler tree" - whatever that was - I suppose I assumed it was a local name.

http://www.lyricstime.com/culture-two-seven-clash-lyrics.html


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> Poplar ?


 





that's the one  cheers gg


----------



## geminisnake (Jul 22, 2013)

BoatieBird said:


> Papaver somniferum?
> 
> View attachment 34411View attachment 34412View attachment 34413


 
Yes, commonly known as opium poppy.
Callie, nip some seed heads once the petals are all off then put them inside on open envelope to dry  Put them on a shelf(if you can)so the cats don't scatter seeds everywhere if they knock them.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jul 22, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> Poplar ?


 

Is it?

I'm sure someone told me that fluffy stuff came from plane trees.  I used to suffer badly when I worked next to St James's Park.  Itching and rashes from that stuff coming off the trees


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 22, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Is it?
> 
> I'm sure someone told me that fluffy stuff came from plane trees. I used to suffer badly when I worked next to St James's Park. Itching and rashes from that stuff coming off the trees


 
the leaf's wrong on a plane tree, looks like a maple, the leaves on this one look like that ^ pic.


----------



## nadia (Jul 22, 2013)

mrs quoad said:


> It's the first thing our Nigel sniffs in the morning, and the last thing she sniffs on the way back in. Really, really deep lungfuls, complete with that open-mouthed 'oooo that's an interesting smell' look cats get when they're sniffing things onto that gland they have.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
This looks to me like the Osmanthus Burkwoodii. As where I work, we grow this plant. (And I'm not Nadia, just borrowed her id...)


----------



## BoatieBird (Jul 23, 2013)

geminisnake said:


> Yes, commonly known as opium poppy.


 
That what I was hoping they were 
I wasn't 100% sure if they were somniferum or orientale.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 23, 2013)

nadia said:


> This looks to me like the Osmanthus Burkwoodii. As where I work, we grow this plant. (And I'm not Nadia, just borrowed her id...)


A quick Google suggests it isn't.
It looks like box (buxus sempervirens) - but there's a similar small-leaved shrub that's also used for topiary.
Box has a very distinctive aroma.

Perhaps a male cat is marking it ?


----------



## Bingo (Jul 31, 2013)

How about this one? it was growing in clumps 2 to 3 feet high in a young ash woodland plantation in Yorkshire...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63881028@N04/9407224018/in/photostream/


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 31, 2013)

A tough one that.
Ideally you need open flowers and a clear photo of the leaf arrangement ...

there's a lot in that photo - wood aven, cleavers etc.
The foliage behind looks a bit like "Enchanter's Nightshade" - which is a sort of willowherb - but I'd expect to see it flowering ...


----------



## Bingo (Jul 31, 2013)

Yeah sorry didn't realise it was such a shoddy pic... its Dog's Mercury in the background... there were big clumps of this stuff up to 3 ft tall, totally got me stumped!

This pic doesn't really show it but the leaves of it were quite dark in colour in relation to the other stuff


----------



## Bingo (Jul 31, 2013)

One more of it here can see leaf arrangement a bit better, flowers not open tho....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63881028@N04/9404667385/


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 31, 2013)

Bingo said:


> its Dog's Mercury in the background...


Oh yes - curiously the Wiki entry for that specifically mentions its ability to "shade out young ash seedlings,[1]"


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 31, 2013)

Bingo said:


> One more of it here can see leaf arrangement a bit better, flowers not open tho....
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/63881028@N04/9404667385/


What a curious looking plant .


----------



## Bingo (Jul 31, 2013)

Its the characteristic ground flora in ash woodland... the DM that is!


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 3, 2013)

I'm cross with myself for not stopping and getting a photo of this two days ago before it had started to turn to mush.
It was positively luminous orange on a dull day.




Google suggests "Chicken of the Woods" - but I wouldn't have risked potential toxicity or consuming dog pee or spoiled what was a very attractive sight.
The core wood of this tree that fell several years ago is riddled with fungus so hopefully it will get better and better over the next few years.


----------



## Callie (Aug 3, 2013)

I think ive only ever seen chicken of the woods on standing up alive trees rather than dead ones on the floor.

Does anyone know anything about kalmia? its an ever green shrub similar to rhodedrendrons/azaelias. theres one growing in a little garden at work and the flowers are ever so pretty.

anyway i managed to pick on up the other day and now im a bit worried ill either kill it or treat it badly itll just go brown and never flower  Im not sure whether to put it in a largeish pot or stick it in the ground

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmia_latifolia







 does it need acidic soil? maybe better in a pot? the one at work is potted


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 3, 2013)

They look like cake icing !


----------



## Callie (Aug 3, 2013)

so they do


----------



## _pH_ (Aug 3, 2013)

We had Kalmia latifolia when I worked in the Isabella Plantation at Richmond Park, it was known as the Iced Gem plant  
It does need acidic humus rich soil so in a pot with ericaceous compost would be best.


----------



## Callie (Aug 3, 2013)

thanks, thats excellent _pH_! also the plant is pretty small at the moment but the instructions say it can get to 150cm, which is probably about the size of the one at work. How do I know what size pot to put it in? can it go straight into a big one? or is it better promoting it to bigger pots as it gets bigger?


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 3, 2013)

They're very pretty flowers


----------



## _pH_ (Aug 3, 2013)

Callie said:


> thanks, thats excellent _pH_! also the plant is pretty small at the moment but the instructions say it can get to 150cm, which is probably about the size of the one at work. How do I know what size pot to put it in? can it go straight into a big one? or is it better promoting it to bigger pots as it gets bigger?


Is it in a 3l pot now? Start it off by transplanting into a 10l pot and take it from there. They're quite slow growing iirc so it should be ok for a while in a 10l. Given that it's a woodland shrub layer species, it probably needs a bit of shelter from wind & direct sun.


----------



## geminisnake (Aug 3, 2013)

Gorgeous flowers


----------



## Callie (Aug 3, 2013)

Bit of misjudgement on my part it is now is a facking great pot 

and while I was purchasing the pot and the dirt I also got a delphinium and a Plumbago which I have a sneaking suspicion will just DIE but its pretty too


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 3, 2013)

Bingo said:


> How about this one? it was growing in clumps 2 to 3 feet high in a young ash woodland plantation in Yorkshire...
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/63881028@N04/9407224018/in/photostream/


I wonder what golden rod - solidago would be like growing in shady conditions ?


----------



## _pH_ (Aug 4, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I'm cross with myself for not stopping and getting a photo of this two days ago before it had started to turn to mush.
> It was positively luminous orange on a dull day.
> 
> 
> ...


 
Chicken of the woods is really nice. We found one growing on a tree in Dulwich on boohoo's Effra walk a few years back, it fed quite a few of us. No-one died.


----------



## Callie (Aug 4, 2013)

yet


----------



## _pH_ (Aug 4, 2013)

Oh shit I just died.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 4, 2013)

Was just watching a film and noticed this strange plant/bush/tree (the one with red flowers)

Curious to know what it is


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 4, 2013)

It looks like a cactus (cereus ? ).
Some of them do have fancy flowers - rather than ones that are stuck on...


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 4, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> It looks like a cactus (cereus ? ).
> Some of them do have fancy flowers - rather than ones that are stuck on...


 
It's in Burma if that helps narow the type down.

Anyway, I don't think it's something I'd be wanting in my garden.  It might be prickly


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 4, 2013)

- and you would have to keep it indoors for half of the year.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 5, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> - and you would have to keep it indoors for half of the year.


 


I'm just looking into the hibiscus I got at the country show (the one with different leaves).  Label says tmeps of between 15-30 degrees.  I'm wondering if it's not going to get through the winter like the other ones.

Also went through all my bulb packaging that I've kept, and there's no orange dahlia in the orange dahlia bag


----------



## trabuquera (Aug 5, 2013)

Callie - your plumbago will very probably not JUST DIE, they can live for aaages and be brought back from the dead, almost - just don't pay attention to it browning or bits falling off, you can prune them back really brutally (like 2-3cm up from soil level ) and they'll usually sprout again if given enough water. I've got some family ones which have lasted most of two decades even though I was convinced they'd given up the fight several times.

They do like some sun though, and prefer not to be completely frozen (don't know where you live or how warm it is, but a cold frame would be protection enough in most  of the southern UK for most un-freak winters)


----------



## Callie (Aug 5, 2013)

Thanks trabuquera, I dont think I know anyone with one so its good to hear some first hand experience. Its so pretty, a really nice blue colour so I hope it stays.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 5, 2013)

I'm disappointed - having looked it up - I rather hoped "leadwort" would actually have an appetite for lead ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 11, 2013)

Bingo said:


> How about this one? it was growing in clumps 2 to 3 feet high in a young ash woodland plantation in Yorkshire...
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/63881028@N04/9407224018/in/photostream/


Bingo

Any updates on this ? Or was it just a one-off visit to the site. ?

I had a similar thing a few years back - photographed it on a cycle ride 10 miles from home in the autumn or late winter.



This was my desktop wallpaper for some time and it was over a year before I found myself back there, but earlier in the year and figured out what it was.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 11, 2013)

So what's that then? I thought my mystery plant might be Golden Rod??


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 11, 2013)

I'm pretty certain that's what mine was.
I pass it all the time on rides, but I'd never seen it look like that before. 
And if you google it, you'll struggle to find any images that look like that.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 11, 2013)

No way!


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 11, 2013)

I'm sure when I went back to the site I took photos of young plants, but I'm struggling to find the photos at the moment.
Unfortunately Google street view is a winter shot in a year when they'd scythed the verge.


----------



## _pH_ (Aug 12, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I'm pretty certain that's what mine was.
> I pass it all the time on rides, but I'd never seen it look like that before.
> And if you google it, you'll struggle to find any images that look like that.


Looks like Solidago that's gone to seed to me.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 12, 2013)

That's the Latin name for golden rod.


----------



## existentialist (Aug 13, 2013)

I have a mystery plant/tree for Urbanz to identify. It grows in a garden in Brittany, and the main plant looks like this:






(don't be confused by the ivy-covered trunk)

It seems to put out runners, which look like this (these are getting a bit big, so here are clickable thumbnails):-





And here's some detail of the leaves:-





TIA, Urbans!


----------



## Leafster (Aug 13, 2013)

It's a sumach (rhus) existentialist. It might not have been on this thread but someone else asked for an ID.

See here for details of one variety: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=3984


----------



## _pH_ (Aug 13, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> That's the Latin name for golden rod.


I know, I was just adding confirmation to what you said.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2013)

I've read conflicting reports about that particular member of the sumach family and photo-dermatitis, so best be careful with it.


----------



## existentialist (Aug 13, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I've read conflicting reports about that particular member of the sumach family and photo-dermatitis, so best be careful with it.


Interesting - it has a smell that says (to me) "stay away", so I have. 

Thanks for such a quick response!


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2013)

Are you on holiday in Brittany ?

(jealous  )


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2013)

I know what it is, but didn't know where else to post it.
I simply had to stop on the way in to point my bike-cam at this very impressive urban weed growing out of a remarkably small gap.



I'll go back and get a proper photo before someone cuts it down or the council comes and poisons it.


----------



## Brechin Sprout (Aug 13, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> That's the Latin name for golden rod.


Your photo looks more like Meadowsweet.


----------



## Brechin Sprout (Aug 13, 2013)

Coltsfoot


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2013)

Brechin Sprout said:


> Your photo looks more like Meadowsweet.


Actually you could be right ...

Photos certainly show brown stems. I've never seen it massed like that - or up on a dry verge... but then I've never seen a solid bank of golden rod either.

My photo suggests it was March 2012 so after a fairly unpleasant winter.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2013)

I think I know where my Sunday cycle ride will be this week.


----------



## trabuquera (Aug 13, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 39020
> 
> I'll go back and get a proper photo before someone cuts it down or the council comes and poisons it.


 
Coltsfoot or Gunnera? (can't tell myself) - more megaleaved monsters here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/223/


----------



## existentialist (Aug 13, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> Are you on holiday in Brittany ?
> 
> (jealous  )


Yep, 3½ weeks in a little cottage owned by some friends of ours. 25 days of apèro, nice patisserie, cheese, dégustation de vin and sunshine (hopefully)


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2013)

trabuquera said:


> Coltsfoot or Gunnera? (can't tell myself) - more megaleaved monsters here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/223/


Definitely coltsfoot - but tussilago, not petasites (damn these "country names" ! )
Same plant family though (asteracea - daisy)

I encountered  petasites (butterbur) for the first time a few years back.
It emerges looking like this - when I first saw it I wondered if it was a variety of the parasitic plant broomrape.



The native variety makes big leaves along riverbanks.



But on the same ride where I saw the meadowsweet (?), there was a garden escape of the giant Japanese variety.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 15, 2013)

Ok I've got a better pic of my mysterious yellow one!!


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 15, 2013)

It's a clovery thing. 

it has trilobed leaves - so trefoil ?



Lotus corniculatus "Birdsfoot trefoil"


----------



## Bingo (Aug 15, 2013)

well it kind of looks like it but that's a few inches high, this is up to 3 foot!! Arg


----------



## Bingo (Aug 15, 2013)

I think it might just be a big one of them


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 15, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 39024
> 
> The native variety makes big leaves along riverbanks.


 
I do like that.  Don't think I'd have much room for my sun lounger though


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 15, 2013)

Bingo said:


> well it kind of looks like it but that's a few inches high, this is up to 3 foot!! Arg


Yes - the lotuses I usually see are close to the ground on impoverished, fairly open situations, so it's an odd business all around.

There are rather a lot of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_(genus)

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - I used to think willowherb was willowherb, but I now have 4 species in my front garden, one more in the back - and I've just noticed I'm cycling past a 6th every evening.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 15, 2013)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> I do like that. Don't think I'd have much room for my sun lounger though


 
It's the oddest thing - you just can't tell it's a glorified daisy.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 16, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> It's the oddest thing - you just can't tell it's a glorified daisy.


 
Ihave no objection to daisies


----------



## ringo (Aug 17, 2013)

any ideas?  the leaves feel sticky.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 17, 2013)

cleome ?


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 17, 2013)

I don't know why I know ....

Apparently it's in the cabbage family - like stocks

You could really wind someone up by removing the flowers.


----------



## ringo (Aug 17, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> cleome ?



nice one gentlegreen, mother in law is impressed


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 17, 2013)

The Torygraph rates it as a very well performing half hardy annual.
Is it at all fragrant ?


----------



## ringo (Aug 17, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> The Torygraph rates it as a very well performing half hardy annual.
> Is it at all fragrant ?


Smelled of mint, so we thought it would be related to that, not a brassica.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 17, 2013)

By all accounts it used to be grouped closer to the caper - which are unopened flower buds.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 21, 2013)

Ok here's a couple more I can't figure out! They're from a youngish ash plantation woodland from which half the trees were removed for timber a couple of years ago, so there's quite a few weird things coming up due to increased light levels...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 21, 2013)

The first one is ragwort of some kind - possibly "Oxford" - famously spread by the railways.

Going by the leaf, the second one looks a bit like a primrose that's gone to seed ...


----------



## Bingo (Aug 21, 2013)

Yeah I agree about the first one, think its so leggy cos of the weird light conditions... would primrose have such a long stalk do you think? Cheers for the help again by the way!


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 21, 2013)

I only wish I wasn't too lazy to learn to accurately identify all five willowherb species in my garden.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 21, 2013)

That's a matter for the professionals  I had considered something similar... for about 1 second


----------



## Leafster (Aug 21, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> The first one is ragwort of some kind - possibly "Oxford" - famously spread by the railways.
> 
> Going by the leaf, the second one looks a bit like a primrose that's gone to seed ...


 
Primroses (Primula Vulgaris) only have one flower per stalk. As it's a multiflower plant it could be a Cowslip or Oxlip but the flowers are usually more pendulous (I think). It might be a hybrid with a cultivated Polyanthus.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 21, 2013)

I've heard there were hybrid oxlips in a nearby wood so that might be a possibility!


----------



## Leafster (Aug 28, 2013)

Anyone know what this is?




IMG_0381 by Leafster2008, on Flickr

It's a rather majestic plant which must be at least four feet tall maybe more.

Here's a close up:




IMG_0381a by Leafster2008, on Flickr

It's growing wild on a steep chalky bank if that helps.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 28, 2013)

Hemp agrimony - eupatorium cannabinum. 

(A member of the daisy family)

I saw an "out and about" programme once where the presenter authoritatively informed viewers that it was actually related to its namesake - whereas it's only so named because of the superficially similar leaf arrangement.


----------



## Leafster (Aug 28, 2013)

Thanks gentlegreen !  

We've been attempting to clear the bank it's growing on but thought we'd leave it as it looks so good.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 30, 2013)

another one from my ash woodland.... sorry about the awful quality you can hardly see the flower but its a very pale greeny/yellow, almost white...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 30, 2013)

That's a pretty tall order - would need to know if the stem was round or square, hairy or smooth ...
It looks a bit like a member of the mint / dead nettle family ... but from here the leaves on the tall one look a bit dock-like...


----------



## Bingo (Aug 30, 2013)

its just the tall one I was looking at, the other stuff's dog's mercury... thought it might be white dead nettle


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 31, 2013)

Bingo said:


> its just the tall one I was looking at, the other stuff's dog's mercury... thought it might be white dead nettle


I can see at least one more - bottom left - and one just behind and to the left of the tall one.

I'm guessing this was taken a while ago too ?


----------



## IC3D (Aug 31, 2013)

lol ganja plant as obv been pointed out. boom.


----------



## Bingo (Aug 31, 2013)

Not a while ago, just knocked the focus and didn't really know what I was doing! I think that yellow one from before might have been Yellow Loosestrife


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 31, 2013)

Bingo said:


> Not a while ago, just knocked the focus and didn't really know what I was doing! I think that yellow one from before might have been Yellow Loosestrife


My neighbour had that in his garden - it's quite a leafy plant ...

just had a google and perhaps the garden variety has been bred a lot ...


I suppose all these plants are going to look a bit drawn because of their location ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 5, 2013)




----------



## Leafster (Sep 5, 2013)

Did you post that photo up for an ID gentlegreen ? If so, it's a seed pod from a Lime Tree (not the citrus sort).


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 5, 2013)

Bloody hell - and I was only looking at some lime tree flowers the other day. 

Thanks..


----------



## Brechin Sprout (Sep 7, 2013)

Lime tree flowers in September? Antipodean?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 7, 2013)

I meant I was looking at the fruits developing from where the flowers had been ...


----------



## ringo (Sep 21, 2013)

Saw these at a school today.  I think I once had the first one as a house plant but no idea what is called.


----------



## Callie (Sep 21, 2013)

the first one is a cheeseplant!  or Monstera deliciosa  i had no idea they fruited with edible fruit. My nan had one.

Dunno about the other one?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 21, 2013)

looks like a tradescantia - from the triple (whorled) leaf arrangement.

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/what-is-this-bush-tree-plant.272575/page-10#post-12239741

Is this school in the tropics ?


----------



## ringo (Sep 21, 2013)

Callie said:


> the first one is a cheeseplant!  or Monstera deliciosa  i had no idea they fruited with edible fruit. My nan had one.
> 
> Dunno about the other one?


Yes! Haven't seen one for years, want another now


----------



## ringo (Sep 21, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> looks like a tradescantia - from the triple (whorled) leaf arrangement.
> 
> http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/what-is-this-bush-tree-plant.272575/page-10#post-12239741
> 
> Is this school in the tropics ?



Cheers, nice colour. Tropical garden in a huge atrium


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 21, 2013)

I found this on my travels along the Bristol to Bath path :-



It doesn't seem to have a square stem ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 21, 2013)

And this reputedly medicinal herb that I actually know the name of was growing nearby if one needs cheering up ....


----------



## Bingo (Oct 22, 2013)

Bit of a long shot but I have a couple of woodland grasses that I'd like to ID, if anyone knows anything about them?


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 22, 2013)

Why not just upload them anyway ?


----------



## Bingo (Oct 22, 2013)

ok here goes, 1st one is short 20cm and thin, 2nd is tall 80cm.... found in an ashwood where half the trees have been recently felled.


----------



## Bingo (Oct 22, 2013)




----------



## Bingo (Oct 22, 2013)

.


----------



## Bingo (Oct 22, 2013)

haha oops I think you can still see them both....


----------



## campanula (Oct 25, 2013)

possibly deschampsia or a wood millet (milium effusum) and maybe tall fescue? Bit of a wild guess though.
The earlier pics looked like purple moor grass, molinia purpurea and a St.John's Wort.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 25, 2013)

I don't think my purple one was a grass.
It has well-defined leaves.


----------



## Bingo (Nov 5, 2013)

My grasses... the first one is _Deschampsia cespitosa_ I reckon. And the 2nd - Wood Melick, _Melica uniflora._


----------



## doddles (Nov 27, 2013)

A sort of creeper growing up a shady trellice in our garden.


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 27, 2013)

Have there been any flowers or fruit ?


----------



## Bingo (Nov 27, 2013)

looks like a flowering currant... they have the nicest smelling flowers in the world ever!


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 27, 2013)

Some of us are lucky that way - I've never understood the reports of those who claim otherwise .


----------



## Leafster (Nov 27, 2013)

Bingo said:


> looks like a flowering currant... they have the nicest smelling flowers in the world ever!





gentlegreen said:


> Some of us are lucky that way - I've never understood the reports of those who claim otherwise .


We have one in the garden and although the bees love the flowers I always think they smell like cat piss.


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 27, 2013)

I suppose my impression of the flowers is always superseded by my deliberately handling the foliage.


----------



## doddles (Nov 27, 2013)

Leafster said:


> We have one in the garden and although the bees love the flowers I always think they smell like cat piss.


I left around the time it might have been flowering or fruiting I guess.

I'll give it a smell test next year. If they invent smellable uploads by then, I'll give you all a sniff


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 27, 2013)

I must make a note to sniff the ones in the park if they're still there - and I have yet to experience Kalidarkone's sorbus sensation


----------



## IC3D (Nov 27, 2013)

gentlegreen said:


> I found this on my travels along the Bristol to Bath path :-
> 
> View attachment 40895
> 
> It doesn't seem to have a square stem ...


Looks a bit like a purple Salvia except for the leaves which would be aromatic and can be made into tea..
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=5929


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 27, 2013)

Definitely has the look of that plant family - I'll have to try to take another look in the spring.


----------



## maya (Mar 24, 2014)

What the fungk is this thing? The leaves are fairly fragile, and reminds me a bit of wood sorrel... you know, those green, three-leaved edible things you find on the forest floor at certain spots... could it belong to the same plant family? Or is it something else... love the colour!


----------



## Leafster (Mar 24, 2014)

maya said:


> What the fungk is this thing? The leaves are fairly fragile, and reminds me a bit of wood sorrel... you know, those green, three-leaved edible things you find on the forest floor at certain spots... could it belong to the same plant family? Or is it something else... love the colour!
> 
> View attachment 50829


I think it's an Oxalis but can't be sure.

ETA: which I've just discovered is what Wood Sorrel is!

ETA 2: You learn something new every day. ☺


----------



## maya (Mar 25, 2014)

Leafster said:


> I think it's an Oxalis but can't be sure.
> 
> ETA: which I've just discovered is what Wood Sorrel is!
> 
> ETA 2: You learn something new every day. ☺


- Aha! Sounds like we might be on the right track, then?


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 25, 2014)

A google suggests a cultivar of oxalis triangularis

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=O...N-Kc0AXsrIEQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1250&bih=713


----------



## maya (Mar 25, 2014)

- Splendid! Thank you...  I quite fancy getting one of those now, but with my lack of green fingers I'd probably kill the poor thing off in just a few weeks!  Succulents for me, then...  (((  long-suffering houseplants... )))


----------



## souljacker (May 24, 2014)

Anyone know what this is? Grows wild at the bottom of hedgerows round here. Lovely pinky red flower and quite a pungent smell. Mrs Soul and the little souls all love it.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 24, 2014)

Where do you live ?


----------



## geminisnake (May 24, 2014)

maya said:


> - Splendid! Thank you...  I quite fancy getting one of those now, but with my lack of green fingers I'd probably kill the poor thing off in just a few weeks!



Nah, you can fairly neglect it ime. It can be an indoor or outdoor plant and has pretty little lilac flowers. If you keep it indoors it flowers quite often. I have one. It was meant to be going outside, nearly 3 years later .......


----------



## bubblesmcgrath (May 24, 2014)

Oops wrong thread


----------



## souljacker (May 24, 2014)

gentlegreen said:


> Where do you live ?



Reading, innit.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 25, 2014)

I reckon it must be a garden escape.
In terms of things flowering now, it has the gutsyness of something like a lilac, but I don't know how tall they are before they will flower - and I don't think I've ever seen one escape from a garden.


----------



## Callie (May 25, 2014)

souljacker said:


> Anyone know what this is? Grows wild at the bottom of hedgerows round here. Lovely pinky red flower and quite a pungent smell. Mrs Soul and the little souls all love it.


valerian? centrathus ruber?

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/problems/weeds/valerian/483.html


----------



## gentlegreen (May 25, 2014)

*kicks self*

I was only looking at some of that the other day - I used to grow it myself.


----------



## Callie (May 25, 2014)

theres loads all over the place on my way to work in varying shades of pink, red and purple. it certainly gets about!


----------



## gentlegreen (May 25, 2014)

I could never get accurate info as to whether you can extract a valium-type sedative from *red *valerian root.


----------



## souljacker (May 25, 2014)

Callie said:


> valerian? centrathus ruber?
> 
> http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/problems/weeds/valerian/483.html



Cheers Callie. Thats the one.


----------



## starfish (Jun 8, 2014)

We have this in our back garden. It must ve about 7ft tall but we dont know where it came from or what, for definite, it is.


----------



## Leafster (Jun 8, 2014)

Hmmn, any chance of a bigger pic?

I "think" it might be a Mahonia from what I can make out?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2014)

Initially I thought it looked a bit like an ash.
If it just blew in, my first thought would usually be elder...
But yes, rather fuzzy picture.


----------



## starfish (Jun 8, 2014)

Leafster said:


> Hmmn, any chance of a bigger pic?
> 
> I "think" it might be a Mahonia from what I can make out?


Certainly


----------



## Leafster (Jun 8, 2014)

I'm struggling, even with the bigger pic! 

Don't think it's Elder as the compound leaves have more leaflets up each petiole than would be expected.

The upper growth does look a bit ash-like but there again, the leaf "fronds" look too long.

Has it had flowers or berries? If so what did they look like?


----------



## starfish (Jun 8, 2014)

I dont recall any flowers or berries & the only other suggestion we've had was a wisteria!!


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2014)

yep - definitely could be that - but it seems to be standing rather well by itself. ...


----------



## starfish (Jun 8, 2014)

Thats what i thought but then i thought wisteria were like ivys & grew over houses.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2014)

Are there no remnants of previous flowers / seeds on the older part of the plant ?


----------



## starfish (Jun 8, 2014)

Is all a bit of a mish mash in that part of the garden. I just mow the lawn & leave the rest to ms starfish so ive no idea whats been there & her planting style is a bit haphazard  so could be anything there.

Thanks both for your suggestions though


----------



## geminisnake (Jun 8, 2014)

starfish I think it's an elder or an ash. If you look at the bit where the leaf comes from the tree can you see any blackness, or were the buds black before the leaves came out? If they were it's an ash.


----------



## starfish (Jun 8, 2014)

Would it grow that quickly in under 3 years?


----------



## geminisnake (Jun 8, 2014)

Seems a bit quick but the last few years have been good growing weather. I have a rose that grows up to 6 ft in a year, and an oak I can climb in to cut upper branches that's only about 15


----------



## madamv (Aug 4, 2014)

Hmmm. A couple of years ago our Korean neighbours planted melons here... I suspect these are still melons but not sure.  Anyone know?


----------



## madamv (Aug 8, 2014)

No one? Yu_Gi_Oh ?


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Aug 8, 2014)

madamv said:


> No one? Yu_Gi_Oh ?



I know the plant but I always thought of it simply as a long smooth courgette/gourd of some kind so can't really say.  Dandred might know?


----------



## Dandred (Aug 8, 2014)

They are called Hobak, the English name they use here is baby pumpkin.

That's what they look like to me.


----------



## Yu_Gi_Oh (Aug 8, 2014)

I thought maybe a bottle gourd?


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 8, 2014)

They look a bit more melony than marrrow-y to me - how about "winter melon" ?...


----------



## Dandred (Aug 8, 2014)

Here is a better picture. The leaves look pretty similar


----------



## madamv (Aug 8, 2014)

Hmmm a quick Google of hobak reveals courgettes mostly.   I don think that's right.   They are ginorm...

I asked the neighbour, she couldn't answer as she doesn't speak English.  I'll have to catch the fella.  
That picture looks right though Dandred ..


----------



## Dandred (Aug 8, 2014)

madamv said:


> Hmmm a quick Google of hobak reveals courgettes mostly.   I don think that's right.   They are ginorm...
> 
> I asked the neighbour, she couldn't answer as she doesn't speak English.  I'll have to catch the fella.
> That picture looks right though Dandred ..



Hobak is pumkin in Korean, what you have is baby pumpkin. There isn't much difference in translation, but Korean and English are very far apart. Trust me, they are baby pumkins. Normal Korean pumpkins look like this.


----------



## madamv (Aug 8, 2014)

Ok cool.   Thanks.  I hope I get offered some


----------



## Rushy (Sep 14, 2014)

Not sure if this is the best thread for posting as I know what this plant is - a common viburnum - but having been healthy for 15yrs it is suddenly looking pretty damned ropey. The black markings on the tops of the leaves are shiny - almost oily. There are some aphid-y looking critters on the underside and more gunk on the end of hairs on the underside. Never known a viburnum succumb to anything other than mildew. Anyone know what this is or where I might get some it identified?
  

ETA - may be thrips (never heard of that before!)


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 14, 2014)

If there were thrips, the fungus it now has would obscure the damage.
Thrip larvae carve loads of shiny paths all over the leaves.

EDIT :- research says you may be right ... I've only ever had one mild thrip infestation and killed them in time.
The adults will surely have flown by now.
They pupate in the soil beneath the plants.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 14, 2014)

Oh I see now - poor photo.
Those pupae aren't going to be thrips.

What does the plant look like overall ?


----------



## ringo (Sep 26, 2014)

What are these lovely flowers?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 26, 2014)

I deny that they're Michaelmas daisies.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 26, 2014)

Well they're in the huge asteraceae  (daisy) family anyway..


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 26, 2014)

Specifiacally, Google Image search suggests

* white heath aster 'Blue Star' *
Aster ericoides 'Blue Star' | Also known as: *Michaelmas daisy 'Blue Star', Aster 'Blue Star'*


----------



## ringo (Sep 26, 2014)

gentlegreen said:


> Specifiacally, Google Image search suggests
> 
> * white heath aster 'Blue Star' *
> Aster ericoides 'Blue Star' | Also known as: *Michaelmas daisy 'Blue Star', Aster 'Blue Star'*


cheers, huge gorgeous swathes of them at the gardens we were in last weekend [emoji4]


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 26, 2014)

Turns out Michaelmas is the 29th - but every year I deny their existence - like conkers


----------



## souljacker (Sep 26, 2014)

My parents have got loads of them and other huge daisies in their garden. I love them. Daisies always look like they are really shouting about their lovely pollen.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 26, 2014)

I've grown some rudbeckias this year - the only problem is they insist on turning towards the sun so I don't get the full benefit from the house ..


----------



## Sirena (Oct 10, 2014)

Anyone knows what this is and if it's toxic.  The dog of a friend of a friend apparently passed out after eating one flower and one leaf....


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2014)

It's an anemone.
In the buttercup family and only mildly toxic.
Or it may be a wild potentilla (strawberry relative) and completely harmless.
There are at least three different plants in that photo.


----------



## Leafster (Oct 10, 2014)

I'd say the one with the flower is a herbaceous geranium (cranesbill). 

Not sure if it's toxic.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2014)

or that ..

not very I don't think ...


----------



## Sirena (Oct 10, 2014)

I thought it was a geranium but, when I went into my garden to collect a specimen leaf from my geranium, it looked different...


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2014)

The leaves look buttercuppy, the flower buttercuppy or strawberryish, but the seed pod is definitely geraniumy ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2014)

I've said it before, but every member of the buttercup family is toxic to some degree - though I think only a few common ones are very poisonous (aconite and hellebores for instance)
The only edible thing in that family is nigella seed (wrongly called "onion seed")- used in Indian cooking - and even that is probably best only consumed in moderation.


----------



## campanula (Oct 12, 2014)

g.nodosum or g.versicolour


----------



## campanula (Oct 12, 2014)

not versicolour (apols) but deffo nodosum


----------



## Sirena (Oct 12, 2014)

A totally boffin friend of mine (30 years as a professional ecologist) writes......  

"This is a geranium, looking like the ornamental pencilled crane's-bill type. They are regularly planted and can escape into the wild. All geraniums are slightly toxic and will make animals and humans sick if eaten.   It's a pencilled cranes-bill Geranium versicolor."


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 12, 2014)

PFAF doesn't have either of those, but other relatives aren't listed as being toxic ..

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Geranium+pratense

Perhaps the dog swallowed something else as well ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 12, 2014)

Sirena said:


> A totally boffin friend of mine (30 years as a professional ecologist) writes......
> 
> ... All geraniums are slightly toxic and will make animals and humans sick if eaten.   It's a pencilled cranes-bill Geranium versicolor."



Well I suppose it's telling that there isn't a family member that's actually routinely eaten.
Even the solanaceae have those !


----------



## Sirena (Oct 12, 2014)

gentlegreen said:


> PFAF doesn't have either of those, but other relatives aren't listed as being toxic ..
> 
> http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Geranium pratense
> 
> Perhaps the dog swallowed something else as well ...



The friend said the dog may have felt ill in the first place and that why it ate the plant: to try and make itself sick.....  So it may not have been the plant that made the dog keel over but the underlying illness that was causing the dog to eat it in the first place.

Thanks for everyone's contributions.....


----------



## Ponyutd (Dec 28, 2014)

A BIZARRE octopus like fungus has been found by a walker on Dartmoor.

Lucy Purdy was taking the stroll when she was hit by the smell of rotting flesh.

Intrigued she found the creature which bears a close resemblance to an octopus, with red 'tentacles' emerging from a pod lying on the ground.

She took a quick snap of the putrid pod and sent it into the workers at Devon Wildlife Trust, who identified it as Clathrus Archeri.



Read more: http://www.middevongazette.co.uk/Ra...tory-25771896-detail/story.html#ixzz3NEV9lUtC


----------



## gentlegreen (Dec 28, 2014)

Bloody hell. I'd never thought about exotic fungi naturalising in the UK...


----------



## maya (Feb 11, 2015)

Sorry, no pic as of yet but trying to find the name of a plant type I spotted yesterday where the stem is massive and looks a little bit in shape and form like ginger? (light brown, bulbous stem, etc.) ... and just with green leaves on top of that. I realise I'm shit at explaining this, but it really bugs me because I Must Know... (!)


----------



## gentlegreen (Feb 11, 2015)

maya said:


> Sorry, no pic as of yet but trying to find the name of a plant type I spotted yesterday where the stem is massive and looks a little bit in shape and form like ginger? (light brown, bulbous stem, etc.) ... and just with green leaves on top of that. I realise I'm shit at explaining this, but it really bugs me because I Must Know... (!)



But do you mean there are rhizomes on the surface ?

If the leaves are spiky it might be an iris.


----------



## Duncan2 (Feb 28, 2015)

Anyone know if a small cat could die from eating windfall damsons?My lad started putting saucers of milk out for a stray kitten.It then started kipping in a washing basket under a verandah.Anyway apart from a bit of a limp there seemed to be not much wrong with it.One morning about a week ago it didn't get out of the washing basket even when the lad put a saucer down for it.Then we noticed it was extremely poorly unable to see,not wanting milk,hardly an exaggeration to say it was behaving like it had kreutzfeld-jacob disease.We also noticed loads of damson stones in the basket.On advice I took the poor thing to the vet and they took it in but clearly shared my view that it was a goner.Since I subsequently heard nothing I assume it was humanely killed.Bit off the thread but any toxicologists on here?


----------



## Sirena (Mar 30, 2015)

Anyone recognize this plant - which was posted on another chat forum...?






The initially thought it was fennel but it has no scent.....


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 30, 2015)

It looks totally like one of the same family though - umbeliferae - now apiacea .
I'm not aware of a non-smelly member of that family though..


----------



## madamv (Mar 30, 2015)

Dill?   Cow parsley?


----------



## madamv (Mar 30, 2015)

Sure its not fennel?  That structure looks very same.   Fennel only scents when agitated. Dunno if you know that ?


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 30, 2015)

A bit of context would help - is that a current photo in the UK and how big is the plant ?


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 30, 2015)

madamv said:


> Sure its not fennel?  That structure looks very same.   Fennel only scents when agitated. Dunno if you know that ?



That photo isn't fennel !

Even though the source page says it is.

http://notesonaspanishvalley.com/2013/06/12/picking-wild-fennel/


----------



## Sirena (Mar 30, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> A bit of context would help - is that a current photo in the UK and how big is the plant ?


It's in Tooting and it's about 7 feet high!


----------



## madamv (Mar 30, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> That photo isn't fennel !
> 
> Even though the source page says it is.
> 
> http://notesonaspanishvalley.com/2013/06/12/picking-wild-fennel/


Oh no!   I'm an idiot


----------



## madamv (Mar 30, 2015)

Looks like cow parsley.


----------



## lizzieloo (Mar 30, 2015)

Sirena said:


> Anyone recognize this plant - which was posted on another chat forum...?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That looks like fennel to me


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 30, 2015)

But fennel NOW in the UK ?


----------



## lizzieloo (Mar 30, 2015)

Yes, I went to the Cambridge Botanical Gardens at the weekend and was admiring the fennel there, it wasn't flowering I don't think but they may deadhead it there, I would


----------



## lizzieloo (Mar 30, 2015)

What a fucking know it all


----------



## smmudge (Apr 9, 2015)

What are these funny things? there's loads of them growing on the side of the pavement down my road. They look hard but when you kick them a cloud of spores comes out, so some kind of mushroom thing I'm guessing.


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 9, 2015)

They look a bit like ink caps but they also don't 

Helpful


----------



## smmudge (Apr 9, 2015)

But why would mushrooms grow in spring???


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 9, 2015)

Some do, there are some around one of the sites I regularly survey

Not ones like that though


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 9, 2015)

Different species grow all year round. I've just had some pop out of a pot I'd had indoors all winter


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 9, 2015)

silly me. They're horsetails.

Equisetum

https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw....0...1c.1.64.img..5.3.255.Pgqm_qFLDZ4#imgrc=_

Tough as old boots - prehistoric.
So much silica in them you can use them as panscrubs


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 9, 2015)

oooooooo prehistoric


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 9, 2015)




----------



## smmudge (Apr 9, 2015)

Hey that's awesome. What other plants reproduce by spores instead of seeds? Is it loads?


----------



## StoneRoad (Apr 9, 2015)

smmudge  - I think spores are restricted to ferns / bracken and fungi ........


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 9, 2015)

And horsetails


----------



## campanula (Apr 17, 2015)

And mosses.


----------



## ringo (Apr 17, 2015)

And triffids.


----------



## madamv (Apr 17, 2015)

And bacteria


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 17, 2015)

Oh yes, I remember now they do sometimes - like with reheating rice ...


----------



## madamv (Apr 17, 2015)

Tb


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 18, 2015)

Anyone know what this is? 




Venus flytrap by chiron3636, on Flickr


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 18, 2015)

A bit early, but it looks a bit like a pumpkin seedling - though the stalk is rather thin - some sort of climber ?

Fat seed so probably didn't fall far from the plant... a shame the seed shell isn't still around ...

I suspect you'll need to keep us updated as it takes shape.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 18, 2015)

I was suspecting it might be a beech seed or something, found a clump of em growing near a river under the tree, they were a lovely shape.

I'll be sure to go back and keep tabs on em.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 18, 2015)

I suspect you're right.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=b...HACw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1160&bih=651#imgrc=_


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 18, 2015)

Ooh its got a tricky deceptive first leaf!


----------



## bi0boy (Apr 23, 2015)

Any ideas?

Sorry about the picture quality but it was dusk and my phone camera sucks


----------



## StoneRoad (Apr 23, 2015)

Looks a bit like an "evening primrose" to me. Although the flowers aren't quite right. bi0boy - Do the flowers open or face up during the day ?


Ah, Oenothera erythrosepala - classed as a garden escape, but should flower in June - so that spot must be very sheltered.


E2A - garden variety of "Star of Bethlehem" or some form of lily.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2015)

fritillaria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_imperialis


----------



## bi0boy (Apr 23, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> fritillaria
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_imperialis


----------



## Callie (Apr 23, 2015)

bi0boy said:


> Any ideas?
> 
> Sorry about the picture quality but it was dusk and my phone camera sucks
> 
> View attachment 70589


ooh is that a surprise on youve found in your garden? thats cool


----------



## bi0boy (Apr 23, 2015)

Callie said:


> ooh is that a surprise on youve found in your garden? thats cool



No it's in someone else's garden I happened to notice when walking past hence the lack of a close-up picture


----------



## Treacle Toes (Apr 23, 2015)

Artaxerxes said:


> Anyone know what this is?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The flickr label says venus fly trap.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2015)

I reckon beech mast must be much tastier than sycamore.
I cycle through mixed woodland every day and the sycamores are popping up everywhere, but I have yet to spot a beech seedling.
I'll make a point of getting off my bike this evening on the way home - I wanted to pick up a sample of Triassic sandstone in any case ...


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## StoneRoad (Apr 23, 2015)

Rutita1 said:


> The flickr label says venus fly trap.



which is wrong, imo, one thing to consider is that the very first seed leaves  can be very different, when compared to the "normal" leaves - which has caught me out before !
Beech seedling would be my guess, not sycamore - the latter are long and narrow.


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## bi0boy (Apr 23, 2015)

It looks very beech with that hairy leaf bud


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## ringo (Apr 23, 2015)

My eldest daughter and I decided on the way to work/school this morning that our mission this summer was to learn to identify all the major native British trees by sight. We've had a tree/leaf ID book for years but rarely remember to carry it with us. Need to have a trawl through Amazon or similar for another book to complement our leaf ID one. Recommendations gratefully received.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2015)

I still hear people rating  "The Observer's Book of..." series - probably now out of print...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...es&rh=n:266239,k:The+Observer's+Book+of+trees


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## StoneRoad (Apr 23, 2015)

I got my copy of that from a "curio" shop with a small shelf of books - after having trawled various second-hand / charity shops for several months .................... only paid £1.25 so a bargain.

The main benefit is the size.


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## Artaxerxes (Apr 23, 2015)

Rutita1 said:


> The flickr label says venus fly trap.



Its my flickr picture, and it just reminded me of one


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## Callie (Apr 23, 2015)

Artaxerxes said:


> Its my flickr picture, and it just reminded me of one


can you change the name to 'big scary BUM' to avoid any confusion?


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## ringo (Apr 23, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> I still hear people rating  "The Observer's Book of..." series - probably now out of print...
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=The+Observer's+Book+of+trees&rh=n:266239,k:The+Observer's+Book+of+trees



Great, I just grabbed a copy for two squid, ta


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## bi0boy (Apr 24, 2015)

There's a whole field of these surrounded by fields of wheat.

Is it a pea?


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## Leafster (Apr 24, 2015)

It's a Broad Bean plant.


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## StoneRoad (Apr 24, 2015)

Agreed, Broad Beans - but may be one of the varieties grown as animal feed, although it may have leaf cutters about; look at the leaf margins.


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## Callie (Apr 24, 2015)

Leafster said:


> It's a Broad Bean plant.


agreed!


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## Leafster (Apr 24, 2015)

StoneRoad said:


> Agreed, Broad Beans - but may be one of the varieties grown as animal feed, although it may have leaf cutters about; look at the leaf margins.


I spotted the leaf margins when I was looking for Blackfly!


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## BoatieBird (Apr 25, 2015)

I think broad beans are sometimes grown not as a crop, but to fix the nitrogen in the soil.
Sometimes the fields near us that normally have rape in them have broad beans every now and then.
I could, of course, be completely wrong on this


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## gentlegreen (Apr 25, 2015)

and possibly cut as sileage
May even be "field beans"

http://www.ukagriculture.com/crops/field_beans_uk.cfm


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## StoneRoad (Apr 25, 2015)

Yeah, green fertiliser, I missed that, despite doing it myself ! you grow "field beans" as a crop then "dig in the tops without removing the roots" - at least on the market garden / allotment scale.
On the field scale, I think you just harvest and plough in after the plants have died back, it is a productive alternative to a leaving a field fallow. On a mixed farm you put livestock in to graze the tops directly then the manure produced can also be ploughed in, which gives the land "more heart" - according to family lore.


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## bi0boy (Apr 25, 2015)

I'll try and keep on an eye on the field and see what happens to them.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 25, 2015)

In my urban naivete, when I first started going on long cycle rides in the country, I marvelled at all the "sweet corn" that was being grown.
The truth of that was finally settled when a group of us were nearly mown down by a tractor towing a huge trailer full of maize silage in Wales some time later.


----------



## Ponyutd (May 26, 2015)

Squirrels have been burying peanuts in this tub. This popped up this year but are not peanuts Can anyone name them please?


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## Leafster (May 26, 2015)

It's an aquilegia. They spread very easily as the seeds get scattered around. I suspect some of your neighbours have got them.


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## gentlegreen (May 26, 2015)

Alias "grannies' bonnets" or "columbine" ...
The buttercup family - the whole family slightly to highly toxic - apart from nigella seed  (from the wild form of love-in-a-mist) - I bought some recently to try ... but even that is regarded with suspicion by some ...


----------



## Purdie (Jun 3, 2015)

I use nigella seed in a dorayaki pancake recipe I've adapted


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## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2015)

Purdie said:


> I use nigella seed in a dorayaki pancake recipe I've adapted


Interesting - sort of mochi-ish ?


----------



## Purdie (Jun 3, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> Interesting - sort of mochi-ish ?


 
Nah, just dorayaki without the adzuki bean paste which my little sprog did not like at all.  The pancakes passed the taste test but I found them boring and nigella seed has a long list of health benefits according to Indian lore.  Personally I like the extra taste it adds and lucky for me so does little sprog and mr purdie too.


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## friedaweed (Jun 3, 2015)

I love columbines


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## clicker (Jun 15, 2015)

any idea what the cactus is...bought it as one of three about ten yrs ago in ikea, all an inch or so big, this survived with little help. It stays in unheated lean to all year, but is it meant to trail or is it leaning as its too big for the pot? I have repotted it last year and it kept on trailing, which isn't a problem, I'll just put it in a hanging basket if it is meant to cascade, but is it crying out for help and wants to be upright? Can't find it in any of my books? It's also never flowered, so i want to give it some TLC and watch it flourish but have no idea how to care for it really.


----------



## clicker (Jun 15, 2015)

also what is the trailing rosette-y plant, i got one at a school fete a couple of years ago and am over run with them, they tend to go a bit stringy as the trail but the pink flowers once a year are a bonus and is the one on the right an aloe vera?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 15, 2015)

The one on the left is a sempervivum.

The one on the right is an aloe, but not aloe vera.


----------



## clicker (Jun 15, 2015)

I never realised the sempervivum was an outdoor plant...will put them in a stone sink that is currently home to a knackered lavender.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 15, 2015)

And that looks like an elder tree seedling behind them. 

looks like Aloe Aristata

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=A...ChMI88CP3Z6SxgIVxW0UCh2IQwAx&biw=1131&bih=566


----------



## ringo (Jun 22, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> looks like Aloe Aristata



Looks like it , mine is flowering in exactly the same way at the mo too.


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## clicker (Jul 17, 2015)

Still no takers on my cactus?? Is it meant to trail?


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## gentlegreen (Jul 17, 2015)

I once almost became a cactophile


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## clicker (Jul 17, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> I once almost became a cactophile


I am a reluctant one. The bugger just won't die. They are fascinating . I just wish it could talk and tell me what it would like.


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## 8115 (Jul 17, 2015)

I think it's meant to trail. Or at least, run along horizonal.


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## clicker (Jul 17, 2015)

Potting up off shoots of what i now know is an aloe aristata. Am going to cosset them for a few weeks then plant outside in a pot. And loving all my homemade compost perhaps more than is normal....filled two old compost bags and two big plastic boxes and it's bloody lovely. That was the whole contents of the green compost bin. So crumbly and gorgeous.


----------



## Leafster (Jul 25, 2015)

Anyone know what this is?





There are several of them which have appeared in the garden and I don't know if it's a weed or something cultivated.

ETA: Oh, it's about 40 cm across if that helps to give you an idea of scale


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 25, 2015)

Always a challenge when there are no flowers ...
My first impulse was evening primrose, (Oenothera)but mine don't form compact rosettes like that ...
Google images says perhaps ... and there are alternate forms ..

So basically another willowherb 

I swear mine had fragrance when I sowed them 30 years ago, but they've lost that and seem so have spread all down the street - perhaps the seeds stuck to me as I brushed past ...


----------



## Leafster (Jul 25, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> Always a challenge when there are no flowers ...
> My first impulse was evening primrose, (Oenothera)but mine don't form compact rosettes like that ...
> Google images says perhaps ... and there are alternate forms ..
> 
> So basically another willowherb


Ah, my neighbour has Evening Primroses in her garden, I think. I'll check to see what the leaves look like.

ETA: I think you're right. The patches where they've come in my garden are close to her garden where she has them.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 25, 2015)

The odd thing is the seeds are small but hairless so I wonder how they manage to travel.
I wonder if ants spread them ...
Or perhaps birds poop them undigested.


----------



## Leafster (Jul 25, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> The odd thing is the seeds are small but hairless so I wonder how they manage to travel.
> I wonder if ants spread them ...
> Or perhaps birds poop them undigested.


She has some right up against her boundary fence and the seedlings are probably between 1.5m and 2m into my garden. One patch is where I dug over the garden intensively to clear all the brambles and bindweed so I could have spread the seeds around a bit without knowing it.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 25, 2015)

They do produce lots of seeds which scatter fairly wide if the plants get flicked ... somewhere they cultivate them commercially for the oil - so I bet ants do move them around ...
Because my nicotianas failed this year, I couldn't resist potting some up in case a shot of yellow will work out the back somewhere... though that means I'll be reintroducing them there .. and there are still seedlings emerging out the front which I'm leaving for my woolly bear caterpillar .. I feel a bit sad for the slugs too as all they have otherwise is my knackered nicotianas - they must be drugged-up to the eyeballs ...


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## Artaxerxes (Aug 19, 2015)

Ok, I'm fairly sure the first one is horsetail, the others? 

Annoyingly the middle one used to grow in my mums garden many years ago before we moved.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 19, 2015)

the succulent is probably either echeveria or sempervivum ("houseleek")

Any chance of the third one with more context ?

It looks like it came from a tree .. looks a bit odd - almost as if it's caused by insect damage - like some sort of gall wasp ?


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## Callie (Aug 19, 2015)

The first one is horsetail fo sho


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## Artaxerxes (Aug 19, 2015)

gentlegreen said:


> the succulent is probably either echeveria or sempervivum ("houseleek")
> 
> Any chance of the third one with more context ?
> 
> It looks like it came from a tree .. looks a bit odd - almost as if it's caused by insect damage - like some sort of gall wasp ?



Its from a tree for sure, I'm seeing a lot of them on the floor but can't seem to spot them on the branches, so it might be a specific seed/leaf arrangement


Have a better picture anyway

edit: Got it! These are Hornbeam seeds
http://pulpbits.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Tree-Leaf-Names1.jpg


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## gentlegreen (Aug 19, 2015)

Yep - I see now - just bracts.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-beta&hs=26p&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&biw=1405&bih=855&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=hornbeam++bracts&oq=hornbeam++bracts&gs_l=img.3...17159.19090.0.19523.8.8.0.0.0.0.80.503.8.8.0....0...1c.1.64.img..3.5.300.by9qPZlS1M4

so different from the normal leaf form


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## bi0boy (Aug 23, 2015)

This randomly appeared in my garden


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## gentlegreen (Aug 23, 2015)

nicotiana

tobacco


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## BoatieBird (Aug 23, 2015)

Looks like Nicotiana bi0boy - if it is then it'll won't have any fragrance during the day but will smell wonderful in the evening.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 23, 2015)

I grow two varieties .. it might be affinis - or it could be sanderae ...
Everyone should grow it, but you'll be very lucky to grow it two years in succession because of downy mildew


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## tim (Aug 23, 2015)

Hocus Eye. said:


> It looks like a laurel to me.



I think you'll find it's a hardy.


----------



## Ponyutd (Aug 23, 2015)




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## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2015)

The first of several - Bath Botanic garden's labelling is appalling ...

But this first one was in a private garden.
My phone camera can't do justice to the deep blue of the flowers and the dark brown stems...


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## Callie (Sep 6, 2015)

Salvia innit?


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## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2015)

oh yes - I can see that might fit ...

or some sort of lobelia ...


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## Artaxerxes (Sep 7, 2015)

Just need to check, are these Damsons? Because there are literally hundreds of these bushes everywhere around mine.


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## BoatieBird (Sep 8, 2015)

They do look like Damsons Artaxerxes.
It's easy to confuse damsons with sloes, but sloe bushes have large, sharp thorns and damsons don't.


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## gentlegreen (Sep 8, 2015)

And at least the worst you'll get is a sour taste ..


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## StoneRoad (Sep 8, 2015)

Pick one Artaxerxes and have a look at the pip/stone and the pulp. Sloes taste extremely sour. IIRC damson stones look like small plum stones ie slightly flattened, a bit like almonds.
They do look like damsons, though. As BoatieBird says, sloes have large thorns.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 13, 2015)




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## two sheds (Sep 13, 2015)

Artaxerxes said:


> Just need to check, are these Damsons? Because there are literally hundreds of these bushes everywhere around mine.
> 
> View attachment 76312



Yes look like Damsons. They do have thorns but not as evil as sloes. Not as incredibly bitter as sloes, too. I've got a few trees and they look loaded this year. 

Damson port yum.


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## ringo (Nov 25, 2015)

What's this stripey grass?


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## trabuquera (Nov 25, 2015)

Miscanthus sinensis. Popular with the architectural plants lots as well as grass fanatics. Needs a bit of care though. (I had a cherished one in a pot and it died after 5yrs or so )


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## ringo (Nov 25, 2015)

trabuquera said:


> Miscanthus sinensis. Popular with the architectural plants lots as well as grass fanatics. Needs a bit of care though. (I had a cherished one in a pot and it died after 5yrs or so )



Nice one, I'm guessing this is the zebra grass variety. There's a nice one at my daughter's school.
Looks to be quite tidily clumping too, so would fit in a couple of spots without taking over, reckon it would go nicely with my bamboos and ferns


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## trabuquera (Nov 25, 2015)

I'd recommend it - looks nice in any weather and it doesn't (usually) die off completely in winter - you can just trim off the manky bits. Mine might have died of natural causes (I am not sure if it's one of those grasses which only last a few years in any conditions) or maybe it needed more food (I never fed it anything and never cloched/coldframed/sheltered it either). But it definitely doesn't need special soil or endless attention.


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## ringo (Dec 2, 2015)

trabuquera said:


> Miscanthus sinensis. Popular with the architectural plants lots as well as grass fanatics. Needs a bit of care though. (I had a cherished one in a pot and it died after 5yrs or so )



Just ordered two. I have an ugly bit of wall/fence on part of one side of my decking. Reckon if I put them in two long and thin but deep planters they'll cover it nicely. I've put a big bamboo in another corner too instead of having them all down the end of the garden because they shield a distant neighbour's window and move really beautifully in the wind.


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## Sirena (Feb 10, 2016)

Can I repost a question that a friend of a friend has asked?

Anyone know the answer to this (below)? It's been bugging me for years! I've just asked the Natural History Museum team who are going to get back to me, but meantime one of you might know!

My question is....
Common Holly (Ilex Aquafolium) produce spiny leaves, but only lower down, below the ‘graze line’. Clearly these spines are a protection against predation, and the plant ceases to produce them higher up where there is no longer a threat.

My question is: what advantage is it to the plant, to cease producing spines?, OR, I suppose; what disadvantage is it to the plant to produce spines in the first place?

I’m guessing that either it takes more energy to produce leaves with spines so the plant only produces them where necessary. Or that without spines, the leaves have a smoother, flatter leaf surface which can photosynthesise more efficiently, so the plant begins to produce more energy as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Or is there another reason altogether!

As far as I’m aware, Holly is the only British plant that changes its defensive armour according to circumstance. Are there any others?


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## lizzieloo (Apr 11, 2016)

I'm clearing an area in my garden that had become a bit overgrown and found this plant growing in pretty deep shade, I thought it might be lords-and-ladies but the leaves seem a bit too round...












^^Leaf on the left is a hellebore, nowt to do with it


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## StoneRoad (Apr 11, 2016)

Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum) would be my guess. although I agree the leaves don't look pointed enough. (just checked my copy of keble-martin) but it could be a sport in that respect, but the ears back around the stem look right.
Leave 'em and see what the flowers look like !


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## gentlegreen (Apr 11, 2016)

And definitely don't use them in a salad until you're certain


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## lizzieloo (Apr 11, 2016)

StoneRoad said:


> Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum) would be my guess. although I agree the leaves don't look pointed enough. (just checked my copy of keble-martin) but it could be a sport in that respect, but the ears back around the stem look right.
> Leave 'em and see what the flowers look like !



I'm gonna have to move it because now I've cleared the mahonia it was growing under it'll be far to light and dry


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## ringo (Apr 24, 2016)

Some sort of grass? Moves like bamboo in the wind but has feather like leaves. In the garden of a stately home on telly.


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## lizzieloo (Apr 24, 2016)

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW!


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## lizzieloo (Apr 24, 2016)

Stipa gigantea ringo I watched AR too so I knew which gardens to look in


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## ringo (Apr 25, 2016)

Thanks lizzieloo , my favourite programme 

I'll have to look them up, have a nice spot for one of these


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## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2016)

Any clues on these? The purple one against the wall isn't the best shot to identify it sadly, not close enough I think


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## andysays (May 3, 2016)

Artaxerxes said:


> Any clues on these? The purple one against the wall isn't the best shot to identify it sadly, not close enough I think



Bottom left looks like a ceanothus.

Top left looks like it _might_ be a wisteria, but someone else will probably know better.


----------



## Leafster (May 3, 2016)

I think the first one is a wisteria.
Don't recognise the second one.
The third one could be a ceanothus, perhaps.


----------



## Leafster (May 3, 2016)

We seem to agree on two andysays !


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## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2016)

Cheers guys


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## StoneRoad (May 3, 2016)

I'ld guess image ..1080 shows a wisteria not much idea of the others, sorry


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## gentlegreen (May 3, 2016)

Is the blue flower an asphodel ?

asphodel blue - Google Search


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2016)

gentlegreen said:


> Is the blue flower an asphodel ?
> 
> asphodel blue - Google Search



Certainly looks like it! Thanks


----------



## Ponyutd (May 8, 2016)

anyone identify this please.


----------



## Corax (May 8, 2016)

It doesn't have legs or fins, so I don't think it's an animal or a fish.  My money's on it being a plant.

HTH.


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## Corax (May 8, 2016)

Leafster said:


> I think the first one is a wisteria.


Definitely is.  My folks have the same type in their garden.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 9, 2016)

Ponyutd said:


> anyone identify this please.



Could we please see more of it ?
Evergreen or has it only just started into growth ?


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## two sheds (May 9, 2016)

You'd have to say some sort of ivy - presume as gg suggests that it's evergreen with the waxy leaves.


----------



## Callie (May 9, 2016)

My first thought was ivy but the shape is a bit odd.

Is it a full on bastard that's pulling down fences and won't fuck off? If it is then it's ivy


----------



## two sheds (May 9, 2016)

Yes shape a bit different but still three-lobed like ivy. There are nice cuddly decorative ivies though.

Or perhaps it's a mutant


----------



## Ponyutd (May 9, 2016)

Someone asked me about it. That's all I know. It looks very 'ivy' doesn't it. 

I shall find out if he found out.


----------



## campanula (May 13, 2016)

might have already answered this but the tall blue flower is a camassia ( c.caerulea), artaxerxes - a bulb.

Mmm, I would like to see a bit more of this plant, Ponyutd before agreeing it is an ivy (although it is true that they have varying leaf shapes). Not that any other possibilities are leaping into my head yet.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 13, 2016)

oops - I see now that asphodels like it hot


----------



## Ponyutd (May 14, 2016)

Don't think it's eating my clematis. Anyone seen of these spiders before?...looks like squiddly diddly.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 14, 2016)

I'm pretty sure it's a crab spider.

Crab spider Misumena vatia - Google Search


----------



## Ponyutd (May 14, 2016)

Well done Sir!


----------



## gentlegreen (May 17, 2016)

I have so far failed to identify this really tiny insect that landed on my bag the other day near Bath.
I was amazed my sub-par phone camera captured it so clearly.


----------



## clicker (May 21, 2016)

Anyone know what this is? I wouldn't have planted it if it didn't flower I am sure ...but there is no sign of colour.


----------



## Leafster (May 21, 2016)

I think it might be some form of sedum. It probably should have pink or purple flowers on it later in the year.


----------



## blairsh (May 29, 2016)

Came with the house, very pleasent this time of year and no idea what it is...


----------



## Leafster (May 29, 2016)

I'm on my phone but it looks like a weigela to me.


----------



## blairsh (May 29, 2016)

Thats it! Me ma told me and i forgot, nice one


----------



## Callie (May 29, 2016)

Does anyone know if it's easy to take cuttings or other plant multiplying options for weigela ! My mum inherited one in her garden and it looks lovely, would like one myself!


----------



## Leafster (May 30, 2016)

This may not be the best way but it worked * for me. After it finishes flowering and you prune it, find some shortish side shoots on the prunings which didn't flower. Pull those off with a "heel". Trim the heal and stick them around the edge of a pot with cutting compost in.  Keep the pot in the shade somewhere and keep the compost moist.

* I say it worked but I didn't take many cuttings and only two or three rooted. 

campanula may be along soon with a professional answer!


----------



## trashpony (May 30, 2016)

campanula? Any ideas? My mum took this photo in the Alps last week. The leaves are a bit cyclamen like but fleshier (like a non-hairy African violet?). We're stumped tho!


----------



## Sirena (May 30, 2016)

trashpony said:


> campanula? Any ideas? My mum took this photo in the Alps last week. The leaves are a bit cyclamen like but fleshier (like a non-hairy African violet?). We're stumped tho!


Stock Photo - Alpine snowbell / blue moonwort (Soldanella alpina) in flower in the Alps


----------



## trashpony (May 30, 2016)

Thank you Sirena! We did loads of googling last night but got nowhere


----------



## campanula (May 30, 2016)

trashpony said:


> campanula? Any ideas? My mum took this photo in the Alps last week. The leaves are a bit cyclamen like but fleshier (like a non-hairy African violet?). We're stumped tho!


 Just got back - haven't checked rest of thread...but it is a soldanella - probably soldanella alpina.


----------



## campanula (May 30, 2016)

Ha, beaten to the post. Bang on Sirena.

Callie - Leafster is spot-on with the cuttings...although I have had better luck taking soft tips of weigela, rather than a semi-ripe woody stem, and covering the pots with a plastic bag or lid to keep the moisture levels high.
Now is absolut6ely the right time to do it...and should soft tip cuttings not prove successful (they should root in 2-3 weeks) you can have another go with Leafsters semi-ripe cuttings a bit later, after flowering is finished. He is quite correct about avoiding stems which are in flower though - try to find a newish sprout from near the base which does not have any flowering buds.
Also, the potting medium needs to be very low nutrient - you can even use pure sand...so go for a potting mix which is mixed in with an inert substance such as sand, grit, perlite, vermiculite because we don't want to encourage fungal issues and we want good drainage. I usually just use any old pot and pop a twig in it to hold the polythene bag off the foliage of the cutting. Fasten with an elastic band to keep moisture in and place it somewhere out of full sun.


----------



## trashpony (May 30, 2016)

campanula said:


> Just got back - haven't checked rest of thread...but it is a soldanella - probably soldanella alpina.


Thanks too


----------



## ringo (Jun 2, 2016)

I wanted to grab the seeds from the beautiful purple poppies in the "so called" edible bus stop but some sod had already harvested them. Thought they'd missed one but now I'm not so sure this is a poppy. Any ideas?


----------



## ringo (Jun 2, 2016)

Poppy seeds are tiny, I've just remembered. Wonder what these are. Weeds probably.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 2, 2016)

looks like an iris  or a tulip.

I reckon bearded iris.

iris seed pod - Google Search


----------



## ringo (Jun 4, 2016)

gentlegreen said:


> looks like an iris  or a tulip.
> 
> I reckon bearded iris.
> 
> iris seed pod - Google Search


Looks spot on, nice one


----------



## campanula (Jun 8, 2016)

not a bearded iris though, Ringo, which are only just forming seed pods now, but our native iris foetidissima, also known (to my joy) as 'stinking gladwyn'.


----------



## ringo (Jun 8, 2016)

campanula said:


> not a bearded iris though, Ringo, which are only just forming seed pods now, but our native iris foetidissima, also known (to my joy) as 'stinking gladwyn'.


Thanks, remember seeing them


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## ringo (Jun 8, 2016)

BTW campanula I vaguely remember buying some iris seeds and I think it was you that said they probably wouldn't do much so I got the tiddler to chuck them on the flower beds wherever she liked. I now have about 20 stiff single iris like leaves coming up, no idea now if its them or another load I have sown and forgotten about


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## campanula (Jun 8, 2016)

Oh good for you, Ringo. Surprisingly, monocots germinate and grow quite well for me - I grow a lot of lilies from seed, and dierama - slow but gratifying. Anyone who grows ornamental alliums will surely be familiar with the millions of grass-like seedlings which appear the following year. Of course, the challenge now is keeping them going without over-zealous weeding (my usual fail). I also recall you buying them...although I suspect my scepticism related more to the ebay source which is so hit or miss as to be a bit of a crap shoot. If you lift them before the foliage dies back in Autumn, you should see tiny bulblets in place - keep them separate in a nursery bed or large pot as they can take 3-4 years to get to flowering size and are very vulnerable to being overdug/overlooked.


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## ringo (Jun 8, 2016)

campanula said:


> I also recall you buying them...although I suspect my scepticism related more to the ebay source which is so hit or miss as to be a bit of a crap shoot.



I just checked my plant buying notes, they went in March 2015. My youngest will be pleased  
Heirloom 20 Seeds Iris Germanica Bearded irises German iris purple flag Flower £1.49

Whether I manage to find and lift them will be another story. I'm going to try and do that with my dahlias in the same beds I'll try and keep a look out when I pull them in the Autumn. This is all a bit new to me, but I love it.


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## campanula (Jun 8, 2016)

ringo said:


> I This is all a bit new to me, but I love it.



Yeah, me too - the seed sowing game that is. After you have murdered a few thousand innocent plants, you get a bit more insouciant about the enormous rates of attrition and it all starts to make sense why plants produce seeds in the millions. The best advice I can honestly offer is to save your own. For years, I only bought seeds from various merchants and fully accepted the high rate of failure as being down to my neglect (I am a slapdash gardener with a very short attention span) until I started saving and swapping my own whereupon almost overnight, the rates of success, even with tricksy plants, trebled. You might also consider joining one of the various plant societies such as the NCCPG (National campaign for conservation of plants group, I think) or the HPS (Hardy Plant Society - my choice for a mere £19 a year). For far less than membership of the RHS, you will have access to members seed lists - up to 25 varieties for free - more if you also make donations of seeds) and also, the HPS publishes a monthly and quarterly newsletter which is brilliant. I can hardly wait for this next listing in November as I joined just too late to make use of this years list.

Probably best to leave the iris in situ - iris germanica produces a rhizome rather than a bulb, on the surface of the soil, so should be visible enough for you to recognise them later in the year.


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## ringo (Jun 8, 2016)

campanula said:


> Yeah, me too - the seed sowing game that is. After you have murdered a few thousand innocent plants, you get a bit more insouciant about the enormous rates of attrition and it all starts to make sense why plants produce seeds in the millions. The best advice I can honestly offer is to save your own. For years, I only bought seeds from various merchants and fully accepted the high rate of failure as being down to my neglect (I am a slapdash gardener with a very short attention span) until I started saving and swapping my own whereupon almost overnight, the rates of success, even with tricksy plants, trebled. You might also consider joining one of the various plant societies such as the NCCPG (National campaign for conservation of plants group, I think) or the HPS (Hardy Plant Society - my choice for a mere £19 a year). For far less than membership of the RHS, you will have access to members seed lists - up to 25 varieties for free - more if you also make donations of seeds) and also, the HPS publishes a monthly and quarterly newsletter which is brilliant. I can hardly wait for this next listing in November as I joined just too late to make use of this years list.
> 
> Probably best to leave the iris in situ - iris germanica produces a rhizome rather than a bulb, on the surface of the soil, so should be visible enough for you to recognise them later in the year.



Thanks, I'll look into those. I've definitely got enough on my plate trying to sort out what I've sown and grown this year for now, but if I keep on getting into like I have been now I know which direction to head, thanks 
Yes, I'll leave the iris, I'm getting a bit better at not weeding the plants I've just sown


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## campanula (Jun 8, 2016)

ringo said:


> Yes, I'll leave the iris, I'm getting a bit better at not weeding the plants I've just sown



Um, I seem to be going backwards - I recently mistook all last years honesty seedlings (the trouble with biennials) for a weedy stachys and whipped them out in the hundreds before realising my mistake...and another common one is to confuse foxglove with the weedy blue alkanet.
bad eyesight and a lethally sharp hoe is a dangerous combo.


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## ringo (Jun 12, 2016)

What's this please?


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## ringo (Jun 12, 2016)

And this please


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## gentlegreen (Jun 12, 2016)

Horsetails - equisetum ...

I _*think*_ there may be a user-friendly type


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## gentlegreen (Jun 12, 2016)

With musa basjoo behind


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## gentlegreen (Jun 12, 2016)

Oh and the yellow flowers look like day lilies ...


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## ringo (Jun 12, 2016)

I thought horsetail but I've never seen it open up into fine side branches/leaf like bamboo. I tried to grow some but I don't think the spot was wet enough. 
Ta, I'll have a look at day lilies ☺


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## Leafster (Jun 12, 2016)

It could be Equisetum hyemale (Rough horesetail) or something similar - I saw some for sale in a water garden nursery today. 

Apparently it's not as invasive as the one everyone knows about. 

Equisetum hyemale


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## ringo (Jun 13, 2016)

I've just installed Pl@ntNet on my phone, a sort of Shazam for plants 

It thought the day liliy was a type of daffodil or a Saint Bernards Lily or an Iris pseudacorus )dragon flower).
It thought the horsetail could be about 10 things from Russian olive to pampas grass.

Not much cop yet then. I see there are other apps available, any of them any good?


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## trabuquera (Jun 13, 2016)

re #739 : I wasted several weeks of my life trying to extirpate horsetail from a field so my instant reaction to that one is KILL IT WITH FIRE even if it's a different subspecies. It's not even that good looking and the invasiveness is frightening.


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## two sheds (Jun 13, 2016)

the roots go down five miles from what I heard






approximately


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## gentlegreen (Jun 13, 2016)

You can test the horsetails by scouring pans with it - best use for it ..

Is the area full of coal mines ?


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 18, 2016)

Anyone know what this wildflower is, I thought maybe fleabane or yellow oxeye daisy.Cconsulted all my wildflower books but can't find it. quite distinctive heart shaped leaves surrounding the stem. Or maybe a recent garden escapee?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 18, 2016)

those leaves are a challenge - initially I thought they belonged to brambles or similar ...


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 18, 2016)

My mistake gentlegreen they are growing up through brambles  I will go and take a better photo as the leaves are barely visible..


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 18, 2016)

There you go gentlegreen, and anyone else who might know what it is?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 19, 2016)

Calamity1971 said:


> Anyone know what this wildflower is, I thought maybe fleabane or yellow oxeye daisy.Cconsulted all my wildflower books but can't find it. quite distinctive heart shaped leaves surrounding the stem. Or maybe a recent garden escapee?


I confess all I tried to do is google the image along with the leaf-form and indeed kept coming up with fleabane ...

I think the leaves are "clasping"  the stems - as well as "cordate" ...


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## bi0boy (Jun 19, 2016)

Leopard's bane I think

The key word is amplexicaul


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## gentlegreen (Jun 19, 2016)

Blimey - that's one variant I didn't encounter .. perfiolate, auriculate, cordate ...
This is why I doubt I will ever be fully happy eating wild fungi ...


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 19, 2016)

Cheers bi0boy that is definately it. Nevermind gentlegreen at least we were both half right with the bane part.


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## bi0boy (Jun 19, 2016)

I wonder if it was actually used to poison leopards.


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 19, 2016)

More alarmingly is womens bane if thats the case


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## gentlegreen (Jun 19, 2016)

Aconite ?
Delphiniums with knobs on.
The buttercup family is so annoying - only one part of one species is edible - and even that is a bit borderline ...


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## two sheds (Jun 19, 2016)

(((mexican fleas*)))

*as I've learned from here


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## gentlegreen (Jun 21, 2016)

Just noticed this in a flowerbed at work :-





Clearly it will be much easier once the flowers open, but ...


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## gentlegreen (Jun 27, 2016)

Still no flowers.
Square stem so I'm thinking some kind of salvia, but most of those seem to have much more spiky flower heads ...


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## Callie (Jun 27, 2016)

Did you post a picture of it in flower before? Lobelia?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 27, 2016)

It did cross my mind, but this one is in a different place... and the unopened flower spikes seem much more branched and carried clear of the foliage ... and the foliage is less sage-like.

What is this bush/tree/plant?

EDIT :-

square stems though .... but they've now stuck lobelia in the campanulaceae ..


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## campanula (Jun 28, 2016)

I am coming out for marjoram - origanum laevigata - something like 'Hopleys' or Herrenhausen''?...but almost definitely in the labiatae or subsection lamlidae


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## gentlegreen (Jun 28, 2016)

I should have put in something to show the scale 
These are fairly hefty plants.

And the leaves aren't aromatic.


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## campanula (Jun 28, 2016)

Mmm, might be one of the salvias such as involucrata. There has been a slew of these taller herbaceous salvias such as Wendy's Wish, Mulberry Jam coming into commerce recently (which also lack the aromatic leaves of s.elegans and the like. I tend to only grow the shrubby greggiis, microphyllas, jamensis myself - my sandy soil is not great for s.guaranitica et al. Will have a look in my Betsy Klebb.


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## campanula (Jun 28, 2016)

Is this a chosen perennial...or a volunteer/weed? I have numerous labiataes in the wood - hemp deadnettle, betony, stachys sylvestris (which looks most similar to this), teucrium, scutellaria.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 29, 2016)

It's in a herbaceous border where I work.
I'm surprised I didn't notice it last year - it must be very quick to establish.
It's the branching nature of the flower spikes that I find confusing.


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## campanula (Jul 1, 2016)

This branching is a recognisable characteristic of plants in the mint family (labiataes) and is very noticeable with salvias such as s.pratensis or s.sylvestris, gentlegreen. The flowers growing in a loose whorl, rather than a spike or raceme is what is throwing me a bit. Do post as soon as a bloom opens.
Have a look at the phlomis family (aka jerusalem sage) - particularly the purples such as phlomis tuberosa or p.cashmeriana


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## gentlegreen (Jul 4, 2016)

It's not in a great hurry this plant ...



Scrophulariaceae

? - figwort ?


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## two sheds (Jul 4, 2016)

thyme 


easy one that


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## gentlegreen (Jul 5, 2016)

Sadly long past identifying accurately, let alone eating, but you can bet that next year I will be waiting for these boletuses which have sprung up around the base of an ornamental tree at work. I will go back later and get a photo of the tree - it may help with deciding if this is anywhere close to a cep ... a broken one smelled pleasantly mushroomy. These must have been growing right under my nose for years ..


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## gentlegreen (Jul 5, 2016)

Pretty sure it's some sort of birch  they're growing under ... so next year I may harvest one of those mushrooms ... though I will feel guilty ...



*EDIT:- alder ?*


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## gentlegreen (Jul 5, 2016)

To confirm the figwort identification, it's being eaten by figwort weevil larvae. 



Cionus scrophulariae larvae - Google Search


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## campanula (Jul 7, 2016)

hornbeam - carpinus


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

ironically I think I photographed an alder yesterday - growing in a crack on a bridge over the river ...  (??)


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## izz (Jul 8, 2016)

Hello everyone, this is my first wanderings into this thread, not being in any way a gardener, so please excuse my ignorance.

Can anyone tell me what this is ? Apart from 'a notepad' which I used for ease of seeing 

I know its a weed and that is about it


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## two sheds (Jul 8, 2016)

I think it's binderweed


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

Virginia creeper - it eats houses !

Bees love it.

It's related to the grape, but the fruits are teeny.


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## two sheds (Jul 8, 2016)

are you sure? I've got virginia creeper and it doesn't quite look like that


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

perhaps izz could get us a more square-on photo ?

Mine grows *indoors* if it can !


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## two sheds (Jul 8, 2016)

yes mine has enveloped the shed


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## izz (Jul 8, 2016)

thank you two sheds and gentlegreen but I don't think its either bindweed or virginia creeper - we have the latter all over the roof sometimes and the leaves are different and I've never seen flowers (not that means anything as its 20' up). Bindweed has white flowers does it not  ? and these are a pretty red with white bits in 'em.


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## two sheds (Jul 8, 2016)

no, binderweed is different it feeds off the paper and curls round those windy things on the edge 



/scarpers in disgrace


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

You may be right though two sheds - I wonder if it's a different species ... mine's leaves are more pointy ...


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## two sheds (Jul 8, 2016)

yep, but strange that it seems to have two distinct types of leaf.


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## Leafster (Jul 8, 2016)

I think it's Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria Formosa)

Leycesteria formosa | Himalayan honeysuckle/RHS Gardening


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

Juvenile foliage is quite often different - ivy and holly ...
I suppose the alternative to Virginia creeper is some sort of clematis ...


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

... or honeysuckle !

Edible fruit too 

Leycesteria


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## gentlegreen (Jul 8, 2016)

Well I've learned something today - my creeper is actually "_*Parthenocissus vitacea*_ (syn. _P. inserta_), also known as *thicket creeper*, *false Virginia creeper*, *woodbine*, or *grape woodbine*,"  Parthenocissus vitacea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## izz (Jul 8, 2016)

Leafster said:


> I think it's Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria Formosa)
> 
> Leycesteria formosa | Himalayan honeysuckle/RHS Gardening


well slap me sideways I believe you're correct - bladdy well done Leafster and thank you everyone else. It's a quite determined grower, finding a home in a pot and sending out big fat muthafucka roots out of the base, so much so the base is at an angle. So then, do I keep it or bin it ? It's quite a pretty poppet and makes a nice contrast to the carpet of Enchanter's Nightshade


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## two sheds (Jul 8, 2016)

My sis pointed out Enchanter's Nightshade to me yesterday, and just checked on it: 



> In classical mythology Circe the witch is said to have used this plant to turn the shipmates of Ulysses into pigs - hence the scientific or botanical name. It does not appear to have been used in folk medicine, except for a charm given unknowingly to male lovers as an aphrodisiac in the Highlands of Scotland.



(botanical name _Circaea lutetiana_)


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## campanula (Jul 8, 2016)

exactly, Gentlegreen - there are several plants which are commonly called Virginia Creeper or Boston Ivy...with different variations of each. There is, for example, a lovely parthenocissus henryana which is the epitome of elegance (I think).

I can't honestly enthuse over the edibility of leycesteria (aka pheasantberry)...unlike, surprisingly, fuschia berries...or amelanchier canadensis (Saskatoons)...but edible berries have been something of an obsession for the past few years - I have (nervously) tasted dozens of them.


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 15, 2016)

Can anyone identify this. Its just about to open and came in a pack of Lidl wildflower seeds.  looks like it's going to be pinky/purple? Crap pic sorry.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 15, 2016)

pinky-purple rules out common tansy ...

Is it prickly ?


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 15, 2016)

gentlegreen said:


> pinky-purple rules out common tansy ...
> 
> Is it prickly ?


Not prickly gentlegreen It looks like it will be in flower in the next couple of days, I will post another pic when it does. Not a wildflower I've came across before.


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 21, 2016)

gentlegreen 





Flowers opened today before being battered by the lightning storms here in the north east, recognised it as a mallow. Looks to be musk mallow, will give it a sniff when it bounces back.


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## two sheds (Jul 21, 2016)

I love mallows, I put three in the garden but only one survived and isn't doing well I think because it's shaded. I've put another one in full sun so am hoping this one will do well.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 21, 2016)

I should have spotted the slightly cheese-like buds - even more obvious when they set seed.

A *smelly *mallow intrigues me 

And it's definitely mallow season ..

I kept noticing this as I passed on my bike not wearing glasses and the other day I finally stopped to see what it was. Looks like you've identified mine as well 

I didn't think to sniff it though ...


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## gentlegreen (Jul 21, 2016)

campanula said:


> I can't honestly enthuse over the edibility of leycesteria (aka pheasantberry)...unlike, surprisingly, fuschia berries...or amelanchier canadensis (Saskatoons)...but edible berries have been something of an obsession for the past few years - I have (nervously) tasted dozens of them.



I was trying to escape from an industrial estate the other day (on foot - I found my way in OK ...) and stumbled upon a really big Leycesteria in full flower - so I will be stopping off there from time to time when cycling home - so long as the landscapers don't prune it before the fruits set.


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## campanula (Jul 21, 2016)

Yes, malva moschata. I have sown quite a few of these white mallows this year - they are finally getting going but definitely are not displaying the speed and vigour of malva sylvestris. I am a hopeless mallow addict (as you say, GentleGreen, we are in mallow season now)...and grow far too many huge plants - tree mallows and althea cannabina - a whopping 8 foot perennial, sphaeralcea, sidalcea, iliamna, abutilons..although annoyingly, the Halo hollyhocks appear to have vanished without trace.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 20, 2016)

I stopped to taste my first ripe pheasantberry on the way home today - almost impossible to harvest and get home intact ...

First impression as is often the case with new things is  ...


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## Purdie (Aug 20, 2016)

.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 20, 2016)

I hope so


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## geminisnake (Aug 20, 2016)

You can eat the berries on this?? What's it's real name? I have some in the garden, the blackies eat a lot of the berries.


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## Purdie (Aug 20, 2016)

geminisnake said:


> You can eat the berries on this?? What's it's real name? I have some in the garden, the blackies eat a lot of the berries.


post 801


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## crossthebreeze (Aug 20, 2016)

geminisnake said:


> You can eat the berries on this?? What's it's real name? I have some in the garden, the blackies eat a lot of the berries.


_Leycestaria formosa_/ Himalayan Honeysuckle / Himalayan nutmeg / Pheasant Berry
If you want to try them, start slowly and eat them in small quantities, as some people get dodgy stomachs from them, and they can very in taste (from very sweet to very bitter) from plant to plant.


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## campanula (Aug 20, 2016)

Fuschia berries are surprisingly (to me) edible and I also grow iochroma, a non-risky member of the solanaceae family which has a sweet tasting fruit. Looks like miniature daturas, Gentlegreen...but heaps hardier.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 21, 2016)

A blue "datura" would be very cool, but for me it's all about the perfume.
To be honest I'm not that keen on solanum fruits - I didn't like physalis when I grew them, and have recently even gone off tomatoes ...

I'm a bit set in my ways ...
A colleague grew some Yacón a few years back and I found "dahlia" roots that tasted like pears just a bit too weird ...

It even took me far too long to try kale ...


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## gentlegreen (Aug 21, 2016)

crossthebreeze said:


> Himalayan nutmeg


I was trying to think what they tasted like ... I'll try again later with this in mind and see if it fits ...


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## geminisnake (Aug 23, 2016)

crossthebreeze said:


> _Leycestaria formosa_/ Himalayan Honeysuckle / Himalayan nutmeg / Pheasant Berry
> If you want to try them, start slowly and eat them in small quantities, as some people get dodgy stomachs from them, and they can very in taste (from very sweet to very bitter) from plant to plant.



Someone did call it a nutmeg plant years ago and I thought they were winding me up! Oops!! Ta.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 31, 2016)

I tasted the berries again on the way home tonight and I struggled to find anything nutmeggy in them.
The unripe berries were very bitter and the ripe ones _*almost *_like a sickly caramel ... not exactly unpleasant, but I felt the need to rinse away the taste afterwards ...


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## crossthebreeze (Aug 31, 2016)

gentlegreen said:


> I tasted the berries again on the way home tonight and I struggled to find anything nutmeggy in them.
> The unripe berries were very bitter and the ripe ones _*almost *_like a sickly caramel ... not exactly unpleasant, but I felt the need to rinse away the taste afterwards ...


I haven't tried them since i had one a few years ago- but i don't think nutmeg either from last time i tried - someone somewhere described them as chocolatey - not sure if thats right either. i'll see if there's any ripe at work tomorrow!


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## Purdie (Sep 1, 2016)

Anyone know what these are?  I can't even remember potting them up


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## gentlegreen (Sep 1, 2016)

zinnia ?

(I cheated a bit with Google images  )


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## Purdie (Sep 1, 2016)

gentlegreen said:


> zinnia ?
> 
> (I cheated a bit with Google images  )



Tried Google images but it got me nowhere so no worries there   Never had zinnias before which explains why I don't recognise it.  Still no memory of potting it up but will look out for them next year now.  This is probably a hybrid but I love it because it brings butterflies closer to the house.


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## gentlegreen (Sep 1, 2016)

Google images shows they can look a bit like like dahlias, chrysanths and rudbeckias ...
I've never grown them myself for some reason ... and instead got burned more than once by buying arctosises that only opened while I was at work.


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## Callie (Sep 1, 2016)

Zinnias for sure the pink ones  I showed some gonna seeds roo but they never came through...probably eaten by hoardes of snails.


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## Purdie (Sep 1, 2016)

I figured it out I think 

We were over in March and I always stock up on gardening magazines that always have free seed that I rarely sow.  And there was a whole conversation on zinnias on here some time back and I'm pretty sure it inspired me to sow them.  It would alsoexplain why I have only 2 plants.  I never plant in even numbers but they are probably the only ones that survived and I needed to fill a space 
I will dig around for the magazine over the next week or so coz I definitely want more of these next year


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## ringo (Sep 2, 2016)

Yep, they look just like my Zinnias


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## Callie (Sep 3, 2016)

Ok what's this:

 
Also comes in magenta pink. 

Seems like a lovely plant, lots of bright flowers at this time of year, perennial?


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## gentlegreen (Sep 3, 2016)

It looks like a fancy variety of evening primrose - googling suggests Oenothera tetragona which comes in a pink form.
The common or garden one is biennial/annual, but that one is apparently perennial...

... though the flowers look too trumpetty 

Even if I'm wrong, it gives me an excuse to post my less than perfect video of a bee struggling with a huge mass of evening primrose pollen sacs stuck to its legs ..



Spoiler: youtube video


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## two sheds (Sep 3, 2016)

I do love potentilla  and last year went seed stealing : I now (I think, assuming they are right stolen seeds) have loads of them coming up that I have to separate and plant on.

http://gammonlandscapenursery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Potentilla-Goldfinger.jpg


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## Purdie (Sep 3, 2016)

They buds are very similar to my nicotiana tabacum one of which is magenta pink 
If it is they are perennials with a fleshy root and self seed profusedly


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## gentlegreen (Sep 3, 2016)

Are you sure it's a perennial ?



Do yours suffer with downy mildew ?


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## Callie (Sep 3, 2016)

Here's the pink version

And a crazy variegated one in there! 

Nicotiana you say? And it self seeds?! One if my neighbours has the pink one.....


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## Callie (Sep 3, 2016)

I'm just not quite sure though. Google images of nicotiana look star shaped at the end where as these look more rounded? The actual tube to the base of the flower before it opens with a bulbous but at the end looks right. Not sure about the foliage. Might try to get some better pics...or ask the neighbours!


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## gentlegreen (Sep 3, 2016)

Mirabilis jalapa ?
marvel of Peru / four o'clock flower

Mirabilis jalapa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Callie (Sep 3, 2016)

Bang on! Yes well done


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## gentlegreen (Sep 3, 2016)

For some reason I had it in my mind that mirabilis was in the solanaceae too, but apparently it's distantly related to carnations and pinks ...

Looks like I will be growing that in my next garden


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## Callie (Sep 3, 2016)

The colours are amazing, really bright and the plants are quite big (waist height?). The yellow one made me think of Minnie_the_Minx because I think she was after yellow begonias


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## izz (Sep 3, 2016)

Leafster said:


> I think it's Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria Formosa)
> 
> Leycesteria formosa | Himalayan honeysuckle/RHS Gardening





crossthebreeze said:


> _Leycestaria formosa_/ Himalayan Honeysuckle / Himalayan nutmeg / Pheasant Berry
> If you want to try them, start slowly and eat them in small quantities, as some people get dodgy stomachs from them, and they can very in taste (from very sweet to very bitter) from plant to plant.



not only were both of you correct, I've just seen a robin and a thrush eating the berries  - the plant is next to a window which makes for excellent viewing


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## gentlegreen (Sep 8, 2016)

I think I've posted this plant before without it being identified and I saw it in another garden today :-

 

The flowers are subtly fragrant - perhaps a bit cherry-ish ...


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## gentlegreen (Oct 17, 2016)

Probably too old to identify clearly ...
Wood blewits are apparently mauve when young.


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## campanula (Oct 17, 2016)

I thought maybe something in the amaranth family, Gentle green...or a chenopodium..or clerodendrum... or I haven't a clue.. Something distinctly edible about it...and yep, annoyingly familiar if elusive at the moment.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 17, 2016)

thanks 

Looks like it may be clerodendrum bungei - "glory flower"


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## campanula (Oct 17, 2016)

Yep - I was thrown by the dark, tightly unfurled blossom. The much paler globose bloom is the kicker.There are huge sweeps of this in the local botanical gardens (hence the familiarity) and yes, it is fragrant in a slightly cloying way.


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## ska invita (Oct 17, 2016)

wtf is this fruit?
picked off a shrub in spain
hard as rock
looks kind of half apple half pear
its big too....bigger than a cooking apple


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## gentlegreen (Oct 17, 2016)

quince of some description


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## Limejuice (Oct 17, 2016)

ska invita said:


> View attachment 94069
> wtf is this fruit?
> picked off a shrub in spain
> hard as rock
> ...


Quince?


----------



## ska invita (Oct 17, 2016)

good call...ive never seen a quince...looking at pictures they tend to be yellow, not green and red like this one, but its definitely a lumpy hard bastard like this example


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## ringo (Nov 28, 2016)

What are these flowers? Providing some nice colour at the moment and seeing them everywhere


----------



## Callie (Nov 28, 2016)

Cyclamen  you can get tiny little wilder versions that like to grow under trees. Good winter colour. I've got some in a new planter by my front door but didn't put enough drainage in it so they're drowning


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## ringo (Nov 28, 2016)

Callie said:


> Cyclamen  you can get tiny little wilder versions that like to grow under trees. Good winter colour. I've got some in a new planter by my front door but didn't put enough drainage in it so they're drowning


Great, thanks very much


----------



## Callie (Nov 28, 2016)

They come in white and pink and mixed colours and some gave variegated foliage, some don't. They're pretty hardy, I've had a white one as a houseplant for a few years but he does spend a lot of time dormant!


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## ringo (Nov 28, 2016)

Callie said:


> They come in white and pink and mixed colours and some gave variegated foliage, some don't. They're pretty hardy, I've had a white one as a houseplant for a few years but he does spend a lot of time dormant!


I've just bought 6 mixed colour small plants from Ebay. I've got a couple of spots which have good summer perennials but now they've died back there's bare earth so these can fill it for winter. They seem OK with shade too, so two will go between my ferns along a north facing wall.


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## campanula (Nov 30, 2016)

At this time of year, they are cyclamen hederifolium .


----------



## Leafster (Nov 30, 2016)

campanula said:


> At this time of year, they are cyclamen hederifolium .


I've often wondered what variety the cyclamens are that are sold this time of year as winter bedding or for tubs. They don't seem as hardy as hederifolium or coum or at least they don't seem to last from one winter to the next with me.


----------



## StoneRoad (Nov 30, 2016)

I agree, cyclamen are good for colour, but they are one thing I have almost no luck with ... even as houseplants.


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 30, 2016)

And they do have an elusive fragrance - even the fancy modern ones - en masse at the garden centre, but not when I get them home, and when I succumb to their charms and take them home, they get sick and keel over - and this was my windswept bathroom windowsill...

The one I  left in its teeny pot plonked on top of the compost in a window box is knackered, but has just flowered again ...


----------



## ringo (Dec 16, 2016)

What are these? I have 3, also in flower, but have forgotten what they're called and need to check on self seeding etc.


----------



## Leafster (Dec 16, 2016)

They are Mahonias


----------



## lizzieloo (Dec 16, 2016)

I love the smell of mahonia


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## campanula (Dec 17, 2016)

Mahonia japonica would be my guess...rather than the prostrate mahonia aquifolium or the much taller mahonia x media...although to my mind, they are all good shrubs, especially at this time of year.


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## ringo (Dec 17, 2016)

campanula said:


> Mahonia japonica would be my guess...rather than the prostrate mahonia aquifolium or the much taller mahonia x media...although to my mind, they are all good shrubs, especially at this time of year.


Definitely japonica, I always buy Japanese and then Chinese variants first [emoji106]


----------



## lizzieloo (Dec 17, 2016)

Mine went mouldy, after 3 years of trying to make it not be mouldy I took it out


----------



## gentlegreen (Dec 19, 2016)




----------



## campanula (Dec 22, 2016)

No idea of the scale of this Gentlegreen (and crappy eyesight too). Could be a lot of things...from bergenia to saxifrage.


----------



## bi0boy (Jan 22, 2017)




----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 22, 2017)

Winter heliotrope ?

Winter Heliotrope  - Petasites fragrans | NatureSpot


----------



## geminisnake (Jan 22, 2017)

Callie said:


> They're pretty hardy,



Not here they're not  Never had a cyclamen inside or out that wasn't an annual


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## Artaxerxes (Apr 1, 2017)

Picked these last autumn but not entirely sure what they are, suspect maple of some kind but they are quite large.


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## Brainaddict (Apr 1, 2017)

Artaxerxes said:


> Picked these last autumn but not entirely sure what they are, suspect maple of some kind but they are quite large.
> 
> 
> View attachment 103347


American sweetgum - liquidambar styraciflua?


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## Artaxerxes (Apr 1, 2017)

Brainaddict said:


> American sweetgum - liquidambar styraciflua?




Might be it actually, google says they've planted at least one around here and it was a very vibrant red when I got hold of it.


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## campanula (Apr 5, 2017)

Much narrower growth than the usual maples. Named varieties (Worplesden,  Lane Roberts) have much more reliable autumn colouration than the straight species. A lovely tree for a neutral/acidic soil)


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## ringo (Apr 10, 2017)

Looking for something new to sit in pots below a North facing wall. What is this that's just appeared in my foyer?
My work that is, I don't have a foyer


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## gentlegreen (Apr 10, 2017)




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## gentlegreen (Apr 10, 2017)

Given it probably isn't a grass, I googled "grass-like cactus" and came up with :-

Rhipsalis-Old Man's Beard - Google Search


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## ringo (Apr 10, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> Given it probably isn't a grass, I googled "grass-like cactus" and came up with :-
> 
> Rhipsalis-Old Man's Beard - Google Search


That looks like it, good sleuthing


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## bi0boy (Apr 10, 2017)

Rhipsalis wins Favourite Office Plant


----------



## ringo (Apr 10, 2017)

Think it would survive outside on a north facing wall?


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## gentlegreen (Apr 10, 2017)

Designers innit.

Well at least the growth won't get out of hand ...

I see it's sometimes known as "mistletoe cactus" ...


----------



## Corax (Apr 10, 2017)

bi0boy said:


> Rhipsalis wins Favourite Office Plant





> "With indoor plants making a big come-back everywhere this year, the Rhipsalis is a fascinating plant which creates interest *and makes a good talking point*.




"What's that?"

"A Rhipsalis."

"Oh. Right."

"..."

"..."


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 18, 2017)

Not a tree, bush or plant but still.


Comorant or Shag and why?


----------



## Callie (Apr 18, 2017)

Cormorant, I reckon. Where did you see it?

Shags are quite a bit less common and tend to be coastal.

Shag


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 19, 2017)

On the river Taff while having a stroll up from Cardiff


I'm erring towards Shag because of the headcrest


----------



## Callie (Apr 19, 2017)

Hmmmmm I'm still thinking cormorant after watching this:

Identifying Cormorant and Shag | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology

He's got skin showing all around his eyeball and the feathers have a bronzey tinge and that looks like a flash of white on the thigh 

There is a birdwatching thread...You might want to shove him in there!


----------



## extra dry (Apr 23, 2017)

This is in the garden of cousin who lives in New south wales Aus. Any ideas what it could be


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2017)

Definitely a mallow of some kind ...


----------



## extra dry (Apr 23, 2017)

?


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2017)

Hibiscus mutabilis ?

Image result for malvaceae Hibiscus mutabilis - Google Search


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2017)

Mallow family - hibiscus, hollyhock etc ..

It's the cheese-shaped bud formation - even clearer in the seed pod.

 

Malvaceae: Mallow Family. Identify plants, flowers, shrubs, trees.

The leaf form is pretty diverse - to the extent that idiot cops in the USA have been known to mistake one form of hibiscus for cannabis.



Mind you, in the UK I've heard of at least one instance of someone having their tomato plants confiscated - and that in a country area ...


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## extra dry (Apr 23, 2017)

Cheers G.Green. cousin will be happy.


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## campanula (Apr 23, 2017)

hibiscus moscheutos - these have appeared over the last few years - previously, the only hardy hibiscus was the shrubby h.syriacus. I think 'Disco Belle' was one of the first cultivars (there are many now but the 'Disco' series still reign supreme. Surprisingly easy from seed.
I am currently growing malvaviscus...or Turk's Cap - related to abutilon but a good doer in shade (unlike most of the malva tribe).


----------



## Leafster (Apr 29, 2017)

Any ideas what this might be? It grows flat to the ground and several of them have appeared over the winter on an area where I had some building work done. It's somewhere between 45cm and 60cm across. I'm on chalk, if that helps.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 29, 2017)

The flowers give it the look of a member of the carrot family - once umbelliferae, but now annoyingly "apiaceae " ...


----------



## ringo (May 2, 2017)

Nice table Leafster


----------



## Leafster (May 2, 2017)

ringo said:


> Nice table Leafster


Thanks!  It's from a company called Hartman.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 2, 2017)

The weird thing is the flower buds look a bit carroty, the foliage like parsley - perhaps even poppy / fumitory -like and the seed pods look like cleavers (sticky willy) - but the latter has no relatives with leaves like that.


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## kabbes (May 2, 2017)

I apparently knew a lot more about shrubs in 2011 than I do now.


----------



## Leafster (May 2, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> The weird thing is the flower buds look a bit carroty, the foliage like parsley - perhaps even poppy / fumitory -like and the seed pods look like cleavers (sticky willy) - but the latter has no relatives with leaves like that.
> 
> View attachment 105796



This is still puzzling me. I asked my neighbours who are keen gardeners and they couldn't identify it and nor had they seen it growing in their garden.

I'm wondering if you're on to something with fumitory.  The only trouble is the flowers on my specimen don't look right when you look at other fumitory photos.

My neighbours were so intrigued they've potted one up to see how it grows and if the flowers develop any more.


----------



## BoatieBird (May 3, 2017)

Leafster said:


> This is still puzzling me. I asked my neighbours who are keen gardeners and they couldn't identify it and nor had they seen it growing in their garden.
> 
> I'm wondering if you're on to something with fumitory.  The only trouble is the flowers on my specimen don't look right when you look at other fumitory photos.
> 
> My neighbours were so intrigued they've potted one up to see how it grows and if the flowers develop any more.



You could always stick it on iSpot to see if anyone can identify it
Home | iSpot


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## Leafster (May 3, 2017)

BoatieBird said:


> You could always stick it on iSpot to see if anyone can identify it
> Home | iSpot


Thanks! I'll check it out later.


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## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2017)

If you get a picture of the flowers stick it on here so we can look it up


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## campanula (May 4, 2017)

Coronopis didymus...or lepidium didymus, aka lesser swine cress. Does it have a pungent whiff? Cabbagey?


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## gentlegreen (May 4, 2017)

Amazing


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2017)

I did struggle to find a ground-hugging umbellifer ... I would hope a close-up of the flower petals would have given it away.
Possibly good for haemmerhoids apparently - if not for salad.


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## Leafster (May 4, 2017)

campanula said:


> Coronopis didymus...or lepidium didymus, aka lesser swine cress. Does it have a pungent whiff? Cabbagey?


Thank you, Thank You! You're right it does have a whiffiness about it!


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## Treacle Toes (May 4, 2017)

These lovely evergreen plants were here when I moved in. I have never found out what they are but I did notice something lovely this year. They are the home of the many ladybirds that live in the garden. The leaf/flower forms make perfect little homes.


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## Callie (May 4, 2017)

Euphorbia


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## BoatieBird (May 4, 2017)

They're euphorbia Rutita1 (aka spurge)


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## BoatieBird (May 4, 2017)

Beat me to it Callie!


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## Treacle Toes (May 4, 2017)

Thank you both! 

*Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii*
*spurge*

_This handsome euphorbia has upright stems clothed with whorls of fleshy, glaucous leaves and topped with huge heads of chartreuse-green flowers with bronze 'eyes' from March to May. The Edwardian garden designer Gertrude Jekyll described this sun-loving, evergreen shrub as 'one of the grandest of plants'. Euphorbia characias originates from the Mediterranean, where it is found on dry rocky slopes and scrubland, so it is very tolerant of drought once it becomes established. It forms a natural rounded shape, and brings structure and an architectural quality to the garden. A tall mainstay of the traditional herbaceous border, it's equally at home in a contemporary minimalist or gravel garden. It may self-seed, but plants rarely come true from seed._


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## Leafster (May 4, 2017)

Yep, they are Euphorbias of some kind. Watch out for the milky white sap - some people find it's a skin irritant.


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## Treacle Toes (May 4, 2017)

Leafster said:


> Yep, they are Euphorbias of some kind. Watch out for the milky white sap - some people find it's a skin irritant.


Yeah I have had that when i have cut the larger plants back. A bit itchy but not too bad.


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## gentlegreen (May 4, 2017)

I saw a survival programme where a guy actually drank the sap from desert Euphorbias.


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## campanula (May 4, 2017)

They are euphorbias, Ruti - probably e.characias, sub.sp. 'Wulfenii'...or possibly e,amygdaloides var robbiae. Anyway, be very careful cutting them - if you get any of the latex-like sap on your skin, it will react with sunlight and can cause horrible blistering. Apart from that, they are a great architectural plant, beloved of wildlife and an absolute design stalwart. Looks fabulous with purple toadflax or nicotiana...anything purple, really.

Oh, sorry for the repetition - a whole slew of posts appeared whilst I wasn't noticing.


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## gentlegreen (May 19, 2017)

There's a big old tree on my way home which I swear currently has baby blue flowers right at the top. (perhaps the very lightest of mauve)
I will try to get a close-up of the leaves at some point. This is from Google street view.


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## Callie (May 19, 2017)

Paulownia tomentosa? Foxglove tree.. I have seen one in flower but can't remember how recently it was.


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## gentlegreen (May 19, 2017)

Thanks 

Seems like a good fit - the poor thing is past its best and the only flowers are way up high - and I cycle past not wearing glasses ...


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## Callie (May 19, 2017)

Are they doing building work right next to it? It doesn't look to happy in your pic... But too early for leaves to have fallen I think  sad tree!


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## gentlegreen (May 19, 2017)

It's just outside the old Frenchay Hospital site - it's being turned into a housing estate.


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## Artaxerxes (May 20, 2017)

Callie said:


> Paulownia tomentosa? Foxglove tree.. I have seen one in flower but can't remember how recently it was.



Princess tree?


I saw one in bloom about 2 weeks ago, I was confused as fuck. Amazing thing.


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## gentlegreen (May 20, 2017)

Without my glasses on and it being at a junction where I'm focussed on the traffic, this one looks like a mauve magnolia


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## Calamity1971 (May 21, 2017)

Put this on' what common plants or weeds are growing in your neighbourhood',  but no takers. Must like sandy soil as it a coastal town. Driving me mad to what it is.


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## gentlegreen (May 21, 2017)

Erigeron glaucus - Google Search  ??


γλαυκοϛ 
bright, sparkling, gleaming; grayish, bluish-green (for plants, a white bloom on a leaf giving a gray-green appearance) 

as opposed to :-

glaucus - Google Search


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## Calamity1971 (May 21, 2017)

Thank you gentlegreen. I knew it was daisy family but couldn't find it anywhere. The closest match was michaelmass but way to  early in the year.


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## Artaxerxes (Jun 3, 2017)

Spotted this as it's got nice odd leaves that are red in amidst its mass of green leaves.


Getting some sort of reddish berries as well.


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## Callie (Jun 3, 2017)

Artaxerxes said:


> Spotted this as it's got nice odd leaves that are red in amidst its mass of green leaves.
> 
> 
> Getting some sort of reddish berries as well.
> ...


those almost look like rose hips - did you ever see it in flower?


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## Artaxerxes (Jun 3, 2017)

Callie said:


> those almost look like rose hips - did you ever see it in flower?



Didn't notice it flowering sadly, it's more tree sized than what I associate with the rose family.


----------



## StoneRoad (Jun 3, 2017)

Ok.
Please, help me out here, fellow ubs. 
I had some "miner's lettuce" in a salad today (at a local establishment).

What is it ? any other common / proper names ?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2017)

Winter purslane / Claytonia perfoliata


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2017)

Artaxerxes said:


> Didn't notice it flowering sadly, it's more tree sized than what I associate with the rose family.


 Huge family - includes apples, plums and pears small berried trees include hawthorn and wild service as well as mountain ash ...


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## gentlegreen (Jun 6, 2017)

Some sort of amelanchier ("service tree" )   ?

campanula

amelanchier - Google Search


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 25, 2017)

Found this whist walking the mutt. Before it flowered the seed heads were spiky buggers. Can't find owt on Google.


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## campanula (Jun 25, 2017)

phlomis russelliana, aka Jerusalem sage (or Turkish sage).


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 25, 2017)

campanula said:


> phlomis russelliana, aka Jersualem sage (or Turkish sage).


Cheers


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 3, 2017)

some sort of hydrangea ?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 3, 2017)

Is this actually an acer ?


----------



## Leafster (Jul 3, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> Is this actually an acer ?
> 
> View attachment 110698


Isn't that an elderberry? Sambucus nigra ?


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 3, 2017)

Leafster said:


> Isn't that an elderberry? Sambucus nigra ?



It's that ^^ GG


----------



## campanula (Jul 3, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> some sort of hydrangea ?



Yep - hydrangea quercifolia, aka oak leaf hydrangea. This is the only one I grow although I am thinking they may sit well in the wood.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 3, 2017)

campanula said:


> Yep - hydrangea quercifolia, aka oak leaf hydrangea. This is the only one I grow although I am thinking they may sit well in the wood.


I saw that in a garden last year without flowers and couldn't pin it down - the leaves are so different from the other species ...


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 18, 2017)

Picked this on a ride, think it's wild thyme? Smelled amazing when I plucked it.


----------



## mojo pixy (Jul 19, 2017)

I think that's oregano, in fact I'm sure it is. Lovely flowers.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 19, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> I think that's oregano, in fact I'm sure it is. Lovely flowers.




A google tells me your right, I want more now 

I might plant some wild garlic and oregano around the wasteground at the back of my flats, see what happens.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 19, 2017)

I found a big patch growing on the local cycle path - unfortunately it's in prim dog walking territory


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 31, 2017)

I mis-remembered the leafshape, so thought I'd found an outcrop of the swine cress - until I saw the flowers - so I'm assuming it might be in the geraniaceae or Lamiaceae.
I have sinusitis, but no noticeable minty or herb robert stink ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 3, 2017)

The leaves are very rosettey ...
Next time I go to Screwfix I'll get a closer look at the flowers.

identify wildflowers online suggested erodium circutarium ..

erodium rosette - Google Search


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 6, 2017)

I think it probably *is* erodium circutarium - common storksbill.

erodium circutarium - Google Search


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 6, 2017)

I hope I remember to return as the seeds ripen.

 

Erodium cicutarium - Wikipedia


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 6, 2017)

I've found a reference to the seedpods being used in hygrometers and weather indicators.  I may have to try this - and perhaps a pinecone - I'm not sure the seaweed thing is more than a myth ...

Apparently, black forest weather houses use catgut.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 2, 2017)

This appeared in one of the beds at work - thinking about it, perhaps it came with the bark mulch - it doesn't appear to have a noticeable perfume ...  being autumn flowering, I imagine it would have to be woodland edge or otherwise very oopportunistic ...



identify wildflowers online suggested scilla - but Googling suggested the flowers are on a spray rather than hyacinth-like ...


----------



## chainsawjob (Sep 6, 2017)

A bush about 8ft tall, white flowers in spring, I took this photo (of the berries) in mid August.  I'm pretty sure it's inedible, although the leaves are currant-like, but the berries are not translucent enough to be redcurrants.  

Eta: Pic of flowers, taken mid May.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2017)

They look edible to me 
Do the leaves have a curranty smell ?


----------



## Brainaddict (Sep 6, 2017)

chainsawjob said:


> View attachment 115153 View attachment 115152
> 
> A bush about 8ft tall, white flowers in spring, I took this photo (of the berries) in mid August.  I'm pretty sure it's inedible, although the leaves are currant-like, but the berries are not translucent enough to be redcurrants.
> 
> Eta: Pic of flowers, taken mid May.


guelder rose - viburnum opulus


----------



## chainsawjob (Sep 6, 2017)

Brainaddict said:


> guelder rose - viburnum opulus


That's the one!  I had a vague idea it was this, but forgot what it was called.  Not related to the redcurrant family then.  Wiki says you can eat the berries (made into jelly), but they're mildly toxic so don't eat too much or you'll get V & D.  And that the bark is used for reducing smooth muscle tightness (it's also known as Cramp Bark).


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 6, 2017)

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=viburnum+opulus


----------



## Ponyutd (Sep 7, 2017)

No idea what this beautiful flower is, anyone?


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 7, 2017)

I think that's a Toad Lily, in English anyway. They come in different shapes but that definitely looks like one.


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 7, 2017)

I could even check with a google image search, but I like living on the edge


----------



## Ponyutd (Sep 7, 2017)

We have a winner!
Thanks.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 7, 2017)

I've also posted this on a mushroom site ... sadly I very much doubt it's "chicken of the woods" - though I'm almost certain I saw a prime example of that on a nearby fallen oak log several years ago - albeit didn't stop to take a photo until it was past its best :-

 

This is also on oak - a healthy one this time.

It's thick, evenly orange and rubbery.


----------



## Callie (Sep 7, 2017)

Hmm the first one looks like a sad old chicken off the woods to me. Why do you doubt it?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 7, 2017)

Callie said:


> Hmm the first one looks like a sad old chicken off the woods to me. Why do you doubt it?


I don't doubt it - not after seeing a lot of videos recently.
What is this bush/tree/plant?

It's the second, tangerine, rubbery  one I saw today


----------



## Calamity1971 (Sep 7, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> I found a big patch growing on the local cycle path - unfortunately it's in prim dog walking territory


You should be okay then gentlegreen,  I'm sure a prim dog would never do their business in public


----------



## Artaxerxes (Sep 7, 2017)

I think that bottom one is a beefsteak fungus. 

That chicken of the woods is rather... drippy and both look a bit blergh


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 8, 2017)

For some reason "beefsteak" fungus appeals even less than "chicken" - it really has the consistency of a rubber chew toy


----------



## ringo (Sep 8, 2017)

What is the massive tree by the Streatham War memorial. Cypress?  On the left in this image:


----------



## Leafster (Sep 8, 2017)

It's a Cedar, isn't it?


----------



## ringo (Sep 8, 2017)

Leafster said:


> It's a Cedar, isn't it?


Yes you're right. I Googled that first and only saw the cone shaped cedars. Just did it again and saw these Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), ta.


----------



## chainsawjob (Sep 8, 2017)

Cedar of Lebanon ringo?

Edit: snap, oops didn't notice next page


----------



## Leafster (Sep 8, 2017)

ringo said:


> Yes you're right. I Googled that first and only saw the cone shaped cedars. Just did it again and saw these Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), ta.


I guess I should have been more specific but it's what I tend to think of as a "cedar tree" even though I know there are other types.


----------



## Leafster (Sep 8, 2017)

They are magnificent trees but need a lot of space when fully mature.

There's one in the High Street here which is pretty impressive.







In the winter it looks equally as good


----------



## ringo (Sep 8, 2017)

I love them. I just bought a 7cm one off Ebay to try and Bonsai as I don't think I'll ever be anywhere I can plant one


----------



## Sirena (Sep 8, 2017)

Leafster said:


> I guess I should have been more specific but it's what I tend to think of as a "cedar tree" even though I know there are other types.


If you ever prune or lop them, the wood burns with a lovely smell.  It was considered to be very magickal as a consituent of the Fires of Azrael.


----------



## Leafster (Sep 13, 2017)

Any idea what this fungus is? It's growing around the base of a dead bush. Each one is probably no taller than 10cm.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 13, 2017)

dead man's fingers 

EDIT:- not quite - related species.

Xylaria hypoxylon - Wikipedia

_*Xylaria hypoxylon*_ is a species of fungus in the genus _Xylaria_. It is known by a variety of common names, such as the *candlestick fungus*, the *candlesnuff fungus*, *carbon antlers*,[1] or the *stag's horn fungus*.[2] The fruit bodies, characterized by erect, elongated black branches with whitened tips, typically grow in clusters on decaying hardwood. The fungus can cause a root rot in hawthorn and gooseberry plants.[3]

Xylaria - Google Search


----------



## Callie (Sep 13, 2017)

ringo said:


> Yes you're right. I Googled that first and only saw the cone shaped cedars. Just did it again and saw these Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), ta.



They have drippy cones in summer though


----------



## Leafster (Sep 14, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> dead man's fingers
> 
> EDIT:- not quite - related species.
> 
> ...


I've had a look online and it looks more like Ramaria stricta, Upright Coral fungus to me.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 14, 2017)

Sadly not edible either ...


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 15, 2017)

Anyone able to identify this tree? Red/orange berries during winter, currently about 4-5m tall.


 

(Ignore the leaves top right and bottom left as they're from other plants)
Thanks!


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 19, 2017)

Sorry I can't help you with that - any idea what the flowers looked like ?

I think I found my first edible mushroom today - possibly a birch bolete - the stem didn't turn blue when I nicked it.
I left it in place because there was only one and looked so pretty and and it looked past its best in any case.


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 19, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> Sorry I can't help you with that - any idea what the flowers looked like ?


I think they're tiny white blossom, a bit like elderflower


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 19, 2017)

Viburnum lantana - Google Search  ?

I only know of the name "wayfaring tree" thanks to a flower fairy poster I used to have 

We had a similar viburnum upthread that had leaves enticingly like currant, but apparently these berries are also only borderline edible.


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 19, 2017)

Thanks, I'll have a closer look tomorrow.


----------



## Rushy (Sep 20, 2017)

Anyone have much experience with box blight? A few weeks ago I noticed the leaves on one plant in a box hedge disappearing to leave only the curly perimeter skeleton of the leaf. Suddenly noticing it is a lot more widespread. Guidance on box blight seems to suggest leaves die and turn brown first which is not what is happening. Anyone have any thoughts? Is there anywhere I can send for testing?


----------



## Rushy (Sep 20, 2017)

Or could it be the box tree caterpillar/moth?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 20, 2017)

Yes, I reckon that's a nice healthy plant that's been chomped by perhaps two or three different creatures and there's fresh growth.
We have blighted box plants at work and they don't look like that.


----------



## campanula (Sep 20, 2017)

Box sucker - an aphid like thing (psylid)...but a closer look seems to show classic leafminer damage (diptera - a fly larvae). Either pest, no real problem unless this occurs every year and is extensive.
Think the tree (upthread)  might be a cotoneaster rather than a viburnum - maybe lacteus. Is it evergreen?


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 20, 2017)

campanula said:


> Think the tree (upthread) might be a cotoneaster rather than a viburnum - maybe lacteus. Is it evergreen?


Yes, it keeps leaves throughout the Winter, though it does drop quite a lot of leaves through the year. Will have a look and compare to pictures if it’s still light when I get home


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 20, 2017)

I never considered asking how big the leaves were 

And the fruits looked a bit appley too.


----------



## chainsawjob (Sep 20, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> Sorry I can't help you with that - any idea what the flowers looked like ?
> 
> I think I found my first edible mushroom today - possibly a birch bolete - the stem didn't turn blue when I nicked it.
> I left it in place because there was only one and looked so pretty and and it looked past its best in any case.
> ...


That's a coincidence, so did I, I think it's a young birch bolete anyway, it was under birch.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 21, 2017)

Does this look mre like dog vomit or fish eggs ?


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 22, 2017)

campanula said:


> Think the tree (upthread) might be a cotoneaster rather than a viburnum - maybe lacteus.


Definitely a cotoneaster, thanks everyone.


----------



## ringo (Sep 30, 2017)

What is this house plant?


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 30, 2017)

A rather leggy ficus lyrata ?  (fiddle-leaved fig)

leggy ficus lyrata - Google Search


----------



## ringo (Oct 1, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> A rather leggy ficus lyrata ?  (fiddle-leaved fig)
> 
> leggy ficus lyrata - Google Search


Thanks


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 1, 2017)

The "trunk" made me think of dracaenas, but I couldn't find any with such broad leaves ...


----------



## ringo (Oct 2, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> The "trunk" made me think of dracaenas, but I couldn't find any with such broad leaves ...


Looking at images on Google I'm pretty sure you're right, it's just had the crown lifted. It has the characteristic fiddle shaped leaves.

I've just bought one off Ebay and will do the same as with all the leaves it looks quite a messy plant, but with the crown lifted it's quite elegant and architectural. I've found one of those old bamboo plant stands to put it in too, but with legs and a more interesting bamboo frame and wicca (or similar) weave.


----------



## ringo (Oct 10, 2017)

Ficus has arrived. Not that keen as it comes, it's not very interesting or attractive as a single stem with leaves, so I've just cut it right back. Bit late in the year but hopefully it'll branch where I've pruned it and then I can strip the lower leaves off.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2017)

Well at least it should cope with low light in a way yuccas or dracaenas won't.
I was always amazed at a colleague's ficus benjamina that thrived mostly on fluorescent light


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2017)

That cactus looks a bit peaky


----------



## ringo (Oct 10, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> That cactus looks a bit peaky


My Mum gave me that on Saturday. Doesn't look too bad irl


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Oct 13, 2017)

Leafster said:


> Any idea what this fungus is? It's growing around the base of a dead bush. Each one is probably no taller than 10cm.





It's not considered edible mainly because it's tough and tricky to eat. I grate or finely slice dead mans fingers over food, like truffles, and I reckon you could do similar with coral fungus.

But more interestingly, it's a good medicinal fungus.

This paper looks at several species of coral fungus, including R. stricta.

Chemical and Bioactive Profiling, and Biological Activities of Coral Fungi from Northwestern Himalayas

If I had this growing near me I'd definitely be harvesting it and making a broad spectrum extract with it.

And studying it more thoroughly so as to use it properly.


----------



## ringo (Oct 28, 2017)

Any idea what this is?


----------



## Leafster (Oct 28, 2017)

gentlegreen


----------



## ringo (Oct 28, 2017)

Ah, penny just dropped [emoji38]


.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 28, 2017)




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## ringo (Oct 30, 2017)

Mrs R is much enamoured by the Brug, so I've bought a yellow one and a red and yellow one


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 30, 2017)

Has she smelled the perfume yet ?


----------



## ringo (Oct 30, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> Has she smelled the perfume yet ?


No, it was quite high up, do I need to know about it?


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 30, 2017)

It's my main reason for growing them - and it varies from plant to plant.
One bloom can scent a room 20 feet away when the conditions are right.


----------



## ringo (Oct 30, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> It's my main reason for growing them - and it varies from plant to plant.
> One bloom can scent a room 20 feet away when the conditions are right.


I think she'll like that. I've bought a yellow and red one, do you know if it will survive outside all winter? Googling seems to suggest some are hardy enough and some are not. I'm in London so fairly warm.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 30, 2017)

In London they will probably be root hardy if you heap leaves or straw on them and aren't sitting in wet soil.
If you have small plants in pots, you should bring them indoors to somewhere cool.

I grow mine in massive tubs and haul them into the greenhouse before the frost gets to the trunks - they're glorified tomato plants after all ...

If you start from scratch every year they probably won't flower until early august. If you can start them off on old wood, they can flower in June.

Ideally if growing in containers you would root prune them every winter.
The key thing I learned is that they like having room for the roots - I used to start them in 15 litre buckets the first year. These days I go straight for the 70 (?) litre tubs.
My somewhat "tarty" pink one has turned into a monster planted straight in the ground.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 30, 2017)

The red and yellow one sounds like sanguinea - pollinated by humming birds I think - so scentless -I bought my first one this year and I'll be getting it into the greenhouse soon - I want the flowers up high where I can see them.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 9, 2017)

I have actually had this identified elsewhere, but it had me flummoxed - I bet campanula will have encountered it - my gardening has mostly been relatively sterile - so few varieties of wild plant.


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## Callie (Nov 9, 2017)

Fox tail lily?


----------



## campanula (Nov 9, 2017)

Looks like weld - reseda luteola...although a combination of rubbish eyesight and even worse monitor means my ID attempts are...variable.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 10, 2017)

Callie said:


> Fox tail lily?


In my case I went through ... mercury ... amaranth ... even plantain ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 10, 2017)

campanula said:


> Looks like weld - reseda luteola...although a combination of rubbish eyesight and even worse monitor means my ID attempts are...variable.


How could I not have known about another smelly brassica relative with similar uses to woad and with a French popular name ?
It has erupted from disturbed ground near a fishing lake I pass every morning.
I will collect seed, but will definitely be checking out the smelly species - mignonette for its allegedly "ambrosial" scent 

What I especially like is that blue from woad plus yellow from weld = Lincoln Green.


----------



## campanula (Nov 10, 2017)

I saw (or rather, smelled) reseda odorata growing in drystone walls in Cockermouth Castle and yep, it really does have a warm, musky scent - not unlike the clove-y aroma of stocks. It is easy-peasy to grow - Chilterns sell seeds so throw some in a pot along with night-scented stocks and maybe the white nicotiana affinis for a really fragrant summery blast of deliciousness. It doesn't have that 'heavy' tropical whiff that you get from Brugs, paperwhites, sambac jasmine or oriental lilies (which makes my head ache)...but has a sort of baking/cooking vanilla and spice thing.


gentlegreen said:


> In my case I went through ... mercury ... amaranth ... even plantain ...



Yep, I fleetingly considered lysimachia ephemerum and even clethra until I focused on the lanceolate toothed leaves (rocket!)...and getting on the right track.


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 10, 2017)

I'd given up on night-scented stocks - they always end up so spindly and bedraggled - I probably should have done what they say and mix them with other stocks - but mixing them with mignonettes sounds like a good idea 

I'm hoping to grow nicotiana affinis again this year - having given it a couple of years since all of mine were wiped out with downy mildew before they got to any size - darn, I've forgotten what I read the other day about a possible treatment.

You saying that about paperwhites means I'm going to have to buy some now. 

I buy a bunch of oriental lilies every couple of weeks for the bathroom and only occaisionally does it get a bit too much for me.

EDIT :- I remember now - colloidal silver - it has to be good for something ...


----------



## campanula (Nov 10, 2017)

gentlegreen said:


> I'd given up on night-scented stocks - they always end up so spindly and bedraggled - I probably should have done what they say and mix them with other stocks - but mixing them with mignonettes sounds like a good idea
> 
> I'm hoping to grow nicotiana affinis again this year - having given it a couple of years since all of mine were wiped out with downy mildew before they got to any size - darn, I've forgotten what I read the other day about a possible treatment.
> 
> ...



Mmmm, colloidal silver - an expensive but relatively effective fungicide and anti-bacterial agent but not, I think, of much use in combating downy mildew (as opposed to powdery mildew which can just as easily be seen off with milk). If you have DM in the garden, nicotiana alata might actually be a lost cause - the only resistant varieties, afaik, are n.langsdorfii and the related n.'Tinkerbell'. You might try different tobaccos such as the taller night-scented sylvestris or the dainty n.suaveolens (I am on the lookout for seeds of n.noctiflora too).
I forget you are fond of fragrant plants, Gentlegreen so let me also recommend the lovely night-scented catchfly, zaluzianskya ovata (you can get seeds for z.capensis but they are never as good as the n.ovata which I have only come across already grown - easy to split though). It is a relative of our native catchfly - silene noctiflora...although the less hardier Cape version. You could, of course, sow a few silene also.
The nightscented stocks are feeble little things but are good to hide away on the edge of a pot with some more floriferous inhabitant.
Are you forcing hyacinth right now? (another plant I find too overbearing indoors).


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## dessiato (Apr 1, 2018)

This is growing in my friends garden. The fruits go an orangey colour and are, I think, edible. But I'd rather be sure first.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 1, 2018)

Loquat ?


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## Callie (Apr 1, 2018)

Looks a bit like a loquat?


----------



## dessiato (Apr 1, 2018)

gentlegreen said:


> Loquat ?





Callie said:


> Looks a bit like a loquat?



Any suggestions for recipes?


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## Callie (Apr 1, 2018)

I've not eaten the fruit, they look similar to apricots soso probab treat the same way.

Try some first as it seems not all cultivars produce sweet delicious fruits. They are supposedly best when orange in colour.


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## dessiato (Apr 1, 2018)

Callie said:


> I've not eaten the fruit, they look similar to apricots soso probab treat the same way.
> 
> Try some first as it seems not all cultivars produce sweet delicious fruits. They are supposedly best when orange in colour.


That's great. We'll wait till they're ripe then make some jam.


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## teuchter (Apr 15, 2018)

This thing suffered in the frosts last month, and it doesn't look like it's planning on coming back to life. I can't remember what it's called though. Does anyone recognise it? When it's alive it's more of a golden yellow colour.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 15, 2018)

Euonymus perhaps ?


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## teuchter (Apr 15, 2018)

gentlegreen said:


> Euonymus perhaps ?


No, it's got quite fleshy leaves almost like a succulent, looks quite mediterranean.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 15, 2018)

teuchter said:


> No, it's got quite fleshy leaves almost like a succulent, looks quite mediterranean.


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## campanula (Apr 16, 2018)

Really hopeless at photo ID but thinking  one of the   bupleurums...or ballota pseudodictamnus. Not cistus or nepeta. Possibly some sort of salvia.


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## teuchter (Apr 16, 2018)

campanula said:


> ballota pseudodictamnus.


Yes! I think that's it. Thanks.

A bit of googling suggests it might yet come back to life, looks like I ought to cut it all right back and see if anything new sprouts from the stem.


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## lizzieloo (Apr 19, 2018)

Whassat? 

 

 

It's made its home in a pretty shady spot among ferns if that helps


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## gentlegreen (Apr 19, 2018)

Arum - cuckoo pint - probably ...
For some reason I'm seeing it everywhere this year.

EDIT :-

Also "lords and Ladies"

I hadn't realised it was phallic ...



> The Victorians tried to promulgate the name 'our Lord and our Lady' hoping to move away from the sexual connotations by claiming that the spathe represented the Virgin Mary using her cloak to shield the infant Jesus represented by the spadix.



Arum maculatum, cuckoopint - THE POISON GARDEN website


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 19, 2018)

On the other hand it might be a cultivated form ...


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 19, 2018)

gentlegreen said:


> Arum - cuckoo pint - probably ...
> For some reason I'm seeing it everywhere this year.
> 
> EDIT :-
> ...



I thought the leaves on arum were fleshy shiny ones, I'm clearly wrong 

That looks like a great site


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## lizzieloo (Apr 19, 2018)

gentlegreen said:


> On the other hand it might be a cultivated form ...



We've been here for 10 years so unless we have stealth gardeners it's unlikely


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 21, 2018)

lizzieloo said:


> I thought the leaves on arum were fleshy shiny ones, I'm clearly wrong
> 
> That looks like a great site


And sometimes spotty ...  


Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk


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## mauvais (May 26, 2018)

Can anyone ID this please?

 

Got quite a lot of it emerging about the place. Frankly all plants give me the fear now that I'm potentially liable for the nightmare of Japanese knotweed, although I'm pretty confident it's not that.


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## gentlegreen (May 26, 2018)

looks like a small ash tree to me  ... or it could be "mountain ash" - sorbus.


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## mauvais (May 26, 2018)

Ta  I wondered about ash based on some ID guides, but I've pretty much no idea.


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## campanula (May 28, 2018)

Yep, must agree - ash - fraxinus  excelsior- they are swinish for seeding about - almost as bad as sycamore and red maple.

I had to remove over 700 of the fuckers from a gravel path...by freaking hand.


----------



## StoneRoad (May 28, 2018)

Yup. I agree on Ash. I've got quite a few in my wildwood that started life as free seedlings.

This spring I'm overrun with sycamore seedlings, there must be hundreds of the **** things sprouting.


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## StoneRoad (May 28, 2018)

Anyone good with ID'ing fungus ?
There's a corker growing on a slab of rotten beech in my garden.




gdn - mystery fungus par StoneRoad2013, on ipernity


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## gentlegreen (May 29, 2018)

I have no great expertise, but it may be this.


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## StoneRoad (May 29, 2018)

Thanks gentlegreen  it looks similar from the top. I'll turn the log over and snatch a look the underside.


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## StoneRoad (May 31, 2018)

StoneRoad said:


> Thanks gentlegreen  it looks similar from the top. I'll turn the log over and snatch a look the underside.



Yes, the underside fits as well.
Some of the local wildlife have found it quite tasty.


----------



## mauvais (Jun 6, 2018)

Another probably boring ID request please - what's this? After some hapless matching attempts I wondered about lythrum?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 8, 2018)

This has sprouted up in my crocosmia?
Looks orchidy to me. Any ideas.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2018)

Wow 
Did that pot come pre-planted ?

Makes a change from hairy bittercress and oxalis.


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 8, 2018)

gentlegreen said:


> Wow
> Did that pot come pre-planted ?
> 
> Makes a change from hairy bittercress and oxalis.


It was pot bound in a trough. I separated it into 6 clumps. That one has been sat for a few weeks in that pot with no soil in it whilst I find somewhere to put it. 
Got plenty of hairy bitter cress.


----------



## fishfinger (Jun 10, 2018)

Anyone know what kind of tree this is?


----------



## Libertad (Jun 10, 2018)

fishfinger said:


> Anyone know what kind of tree this is?
> 
> View attachment 137783



Shore pine, Pinus contorta.


----------



## smmudge (Jun 10, 2018)

What's this? 

It is terrorising my lawn, popping up through the patio and down the side of the fence. It has very long black roots and creeps, creeps, creeps.....


----------



## smmudge (Jun 10, 2018)

Ok I'm pretty sure it's "creeping cinquefoil"


----------



## danny la rouge (Jun 10, 2018)

smmudge said:


> Ok I'm pretty sure it's "creeping cinquefoil"


Yup, looks like it. Creeping cinquefoil/RHS Gardening


----------



## fishfinger (Jun 11, 2018)

Libertad said:


> Shore pine, Pinus contorta.


Thank you


----------



## campanula (Jun 11, 2018)

Libertad said:


> Shore pine, Pinus contorta.



Very difficult to tell without looking at the number of needles (between 2-5 usually) on each foliage cluster.
Could equally be the stone pine - pinus pinea...Any way of counting how many needles emerge from each individual needle cluster?
Um, I grow pinus contorta myself (aka lodgepole pine)  so will go and check on the needle count.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 16, 2018)

Could someone please ID this tree for me please?

Growing in the street in Brixton.

The seed casings are all over the grojnd, I assume they’re last year’s waste but I can’t  see any blossoms or baby seeds on the tree. It’s quite tall, no lower boughs, so they may all be out of view.

I could only find one leaf to photograph, and it’s got some damage but I reckon if someone knows the tree it will be apparent.

I’ve also included a photo of the bark too.

Thanks Urban x


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 16, 2018)

Lime has a heart shaped leaf. 
Lime | Woodlands.co.uk


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 16, 2018)

Calamity1971 said:


> Lime has a heart shaped leaf.
> Lime | Woodlands.co.uk




It’s definitely not lime. I know the Linden well. These leaves are much larger, and smoother in appearance too, with no serration on the edges


This is a Linden leaf.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 16, 2018)

I don’t think my street tree is a native, although of course I could be wrong about that.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 16, 2018)

HAving googled it all by myself  why didn’t I do that earlier....

I think it could be Paulownia tomentosa.... Empress tree.

Apparently it’s considered a bit of a pest in North America.

The blossom looks lovely in the google gallery, I’ll be sure to go back and visit in blossom season.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 16, 2018)

SheilaNaGig said:


> HAving googled it all by myself  why didn’t I do that earlier....
> 
> I think it could be Paulownia tomentosa.... Empress tree.
> 
> ...



Ah if you'd snapped the blossoms I'd have been in there, there's one growing near me and nearly fell off my bike first time I saw it. It's like a tree covered in foxgloves.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 16, 2018)

Artaxerxes said:


> Ah if you'd snapped the blossoms I'd have been in there, there's one growing near me and nearly fell off my bike first time I saw it. It's like a tree covered in foxgloves.



It is also called the foxglove tree!

I’ll definitely make a point to go back and look at it in blossom season. It’s on the street I don’t usually go along.

Apparently, it’s used to treat hair loss and graying hair, as well as other things.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 16, 2018)

SheilaNaGig said:


> It is also called the foxglove tree!
> 
> I’ll definitely make a point to go back and look at it in blossom season. It’s on the street I don’t usually go along.
> 
> Apparently, it’s used to treat hair loss and graying hair, as well as other things.



Yeah its how I found it first time, just googled foxglove tree. Apparently they used to plant it when a girl was born then make a dresser out of it when she married at 16, 18 or what have you.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 16, 2018)

Artaxerxes said:


> Yeah its how I found it first time, just googled foxglove tree. Apparently they used to plant it when a girl was born then make a dresser out of it when she married at 16, 18 or what have you.




A dresser? Like a hope chest or something? To keep her linens and frocks in?


----------



## smmudge (Jul 13, 2018)

Not a plant but a funky dude, on my car. Not huge but not small. If I upload it here I can google image it


----------



## smmudge (Jul 13, 2018)

Well google was rubbish.

Help me gardeners.


----------



## Callie (Jul 13, 2018)

Dem legs were made for swimming I reckon


----------



## smmudge (Jul 13, 2018)

My sister got it.

It's a backswimmer - notonecta glauca Common Backswimmer | NatureSpot

Preys on tadpoles and small fish apparently


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 26, 2018)

Not eeen this with flowers before, a widespread ground creeping weed outside

 

This is something I’ve planted I think but I’m buggered if I remember what, nothing much came up on the pot so it might just be a weed.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jul 26, 2018)

Artaxerxes said:


> Not eeen this with flowers before, a widespread ground creeping weed outside
> 
> View attachment 142249
> 
> ...


Top one looks like part of the yarrow family. Same leaves. 
Bottom one looks like willow herb family. Maybe great willowherb.
Sorry if a bit vague.


----------



## Leafster (Jul 26, 2018)

I agree with Calamity1971 about the first one. A yarrow (achillea) of some kind

I thing the bottom one is something from the nettle family. Lamium maculatum, maybe, a dead-nettle.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 26, 2018)

Dwarf pink yarrow is right, I'll have to check the other more though not sure is nettle or willowherb.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jul 26, 2018)

Artaxerxes said:


> Dwarf pink yarrow is right, I'll have to check the other more though not sure is nettle or willowherb.


Ive exhausted my wildflower books and can't find the second one. At least me and Leafster got one out of two. If you find out what it is please post.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 26, 2018)

I suspect it's a variety of sage but don't quote me on that


----------



## campanula (Jul 26, 2018)

First one is achillea (millefolium).
Second one...well definitely in the labiatae family for sure...so yep, could be a salvia or stachys, skullcap, teucrium. betony et al. Will get my field guides out.

OK, the pink tends me to look at clinopodium vulgare, aka wild basil. Having not much idea of scale, it is hard to get a feel for the actual size of the corolla...or even the overall plant.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 26, 2018)

campanula said:


> First one is achillea (millefolium).
> Second one...well definitely in the labiatae family for sure...so yep, could be a salvia or stachys, skullcap, teucrium. betony et al. Will get my field guides out.
> 
> OK, the pink tends me to look at clinopodium vulgare, aka wild basil. Having not much idea of scale, it is hard to get a feel for the actual size of the corolla...or even the overall plant.




Yeah I'd  just figured it out, yes it's wild basil! Good work.

Rummaged through my seed packets and gave it a sniff


----------



## ska invita (Aug 1, 2018)

Rescued from an office...I think it might be treeish though?
Need to  find out if it can survive outside in a pot


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 1, 2018)

Zamioculcas - Wikipedia  (I think)

It'll love it outdoors while it's still warm ..


----------



## ska invita (Aug 1, 2018)

gentlegreen said:


> Zamioculcas - Wikipedia  (I think)
> 
> It'll love it outdoors while it's still warm ..


Thanks! "It can be kept outdoors as long as the temperature does not fall below around 15 °C"....i think its going to need to come back in!!


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 1, 2018)

It'll slow down at lower temps, but 7 degrees C is regarded as the absolute minimum for conservatory plants.


----------



## Bomber (Oct 19, 2018)

Can anyone tell me what these are please?


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 19, 2018)

Animal or vegetable ?


----------



## Callie (Oct 19, 2018)

Bomber said:


> Can anyone tell me what these are please?
> 
> View attachment 150037


Where in the world are you?


----------



## clicker (Oct 19, 2018)

Mars?


----------



## two sheds (Oct 19, 2018)

I was going for possibly diseased orange segments


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 19, 2018)

While googling exotic segmented fruit, I came across this citrus fruit :-

 

Buddha's hand - Wikipedia


----------



## ringo (Oct 23, 2018)

What tree is this?


----------



## Leafster (Oct 23, 2018)

It looks a bit like some of the long-needle pine trees but I don't know any names.

ETA: A quick google shows one called Pinus wallichiana which looks a bit like it


----------



## ringo (Oct 23, 2018)

Leafster said:


> It looks a bit like some of the long-needle pine trees but I don't know any names.
> 
> ETA: A quick google shows one called Pinus wallichiana which looks a bit like it


Definitely a long needle pine, not sure if its that one


----------



## two sheds (Oct 23, 2018)

ringo said:


> What tree is this?



Lovely photo - looks like something from one of the impressionists.


----------



## Ponyutd (Feb 27, 2019)

Grew this from a bulb. Lost the name of it


----------



## Leafster (Feb 27, 2019)

Ponyutd said:


> View attachment 163172
> Grew this from a bulb. Lost the name of it


Hippeastrum also known as Amaryllis.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Feb 27, 2019)

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum 'Double Picotee') in the Amaryllis Database - Garden.org


----------



## Ponyutd (Feb 27, 2019)

Thank you both


----------



## geminisnake (Feb 27, 2019)

Has it got more than one flower head Pony? That's gorgeous.


----------



## Ponyutd (Feb 28, 2019)

Two flowers and a third waiting to open.


----------



## Ponyutd (Feb 28, 2019)

Ponyutd said:


> Two flowers and a third waiting to open.


----------



## ringo (Mar 24, 2019)

What is this lovely conifer?


----------



## Ponyutd (Mar 24, 2019)

Not sure, but the people at 77 have got one just like it!


----------



## ska invita (Mar 24, 2019)

Little wild yellow flower?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 24, 2019)

ska invita said:


> Little wild yellow flower?
> View attachment 165537


Primrose


----------



## ska invita (Mar 24, 2019)

Calamity1971 said:


> Primrose


Cool!
Thanks


----------



## StoneRoad (Mar 24, 2019)

ska invita said:


> Little wild yellow flower?
> View attachment 165537



Yep, Them's a load of primrose.

Seen quite a few of those recently


----------



## Callie (Mar 24, 2019)

ska invita said:


> Cool!
> Thanks


Get down and sniff them they smell lush!


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 24, 2019)

StoneRoad said:


> Yep, Them's a load of primrose.
> 
> Seen quite a few of those recently


Lovely when you stumble across large clumps.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 24, 2019)

Ponyutd said:


> Not sure, but the people at 77 have got one just like it!


Could you give them a knock and ask


----------



## ska invita (Mar 24, 2019)

Callie said:


> Get down and sniff them they smell lush!


Next time


----------



## campanula (Mar 25, 2019)

ringo said:


> What is this lovely conifer?



Well, it's in the pinus genus (and looks awfully like a young Scots Pine pinus sylvestris)...but identifying conifers from a photo is tricky. If you get a chance, count the needles from each node - they are paired on a sylvestris..although, tbf, a Scots Pine would be an unusual choice for an urban garden so probably not...


----------



## geminisnake (Mar 28, 2019)

campanula said:


> Well, it's in the pinus genus (and looks awfully like a young Scots Pine pinus sylvestris)...but identifying conifers from a photo is tricky. If you get a chance, count the needles from each node - they are paired on a sylvestris..although, tbf, a Scots Pine would be an unusual choice for an urban garden so probably not...



They maybe don't realise how big it will grow??  I have one in my garden but it gets loped and pruned every year


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 6, 2019)

Found a bunch of this by the road.


----------



## Ponyutd (Apr 6, 2019)

Could be a Jasmine flower.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 7, 2019)

Ponyutd said:


> Could be a Jasmine flower.



It was fairly low on ground so don't think so. More individual as well.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 7, 2019)

A shame we can't see the whole plant for context ... UK ?


----------



## Leafster (Apr 7, 2019)

It looks a bit like a Star of Bethlehem flower to me.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 7, 2019)

Leafster said:


> It looks a bit like a Star of Bethlehem flower to me.



I was thinking that or Snowden Lily but the stamens don't look right for either.


----------



## campanula (Apr 9, 2019)

Ipheon uniflorum (if it is a clear white, it is likely ro be the named form Alberto Castillo).


----------



## Ponyutd (Apr 14, 2019)

Anyone know what this is.


----------



## Libertad (Apr 14, 2019)

Dianthus.


----------



## geminisnake (Apr 14, 2019)

Godzilla's baby


----------



## campanula (Apr 24, 2019)

Yeah, would agree with Libertad. Hard to say what species though - maybe d.superbus? Flowers will help (an a better pic).


----------



## BCBlues (Apr 24, 2019)

A friend planted this while I was in hospital a couple of years ago. I've not seen it flower before. It looks lovely but what is it?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 24, 2019)

Camelia.
Camellia / RHS Gardening


----------



## BCBlues (Apr 25, 2019)

Calamity1971 said:


> Camelia.
> Camellia / RHS Gardening



Thanking you.
I'm assuming from this then that I have acid soil in my garden as these shrubs always look healthy and strong.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 25, 2019)

BCBlues said:


> Thanking you.
> I'm assuming from this then that I have acid soil in my garden as these shrubs always look healthy and strong.


Looks that way. I've never grown camelia so don't know how tolerant it would be in non acid soil. Nice gift from your friend nonetheless


----------



## ringo (May 3, 2019)

I've got a couple of camellia japonicas doing quite well against a north facing wall in neutral soil:
Camellia japonica Powder Puff (white flowers) & Camellia japonica Dr King (red flowers)


----------



## Shirl (May 18, 2019)

Last autumn I was given a plant, NOT the weedy things below. Not even anything that looks like them.
These two popped up around Christmas time. In February I dug them out and put them in this pot. They don't do anything. They open and shut sometimes but they don't grow and they don't die.
Should I just chuck them in the bin?


----------



## Leafster (May 18, 2019)

It's an oxalis Shirl . Some of them make pretty pot plants and some of them are invasive weeds.


----------



## Shirl (May 18, 2019)

Leafster said:


> It's an oxalis Shirl . Some of them make pretty pot plants and some of them are invasive weeds.


Thanks for naming it for me. Do you think it will stay like this forever or are any shoots likely to pop up at some point? It's done nothing since I put the two leaves in the pot at the start of February


----------



## Leafster (May 18, 2019)

Shirl said:


> Thanks for naming it for me. Do you think it will stay like this forever or are any shoots likely to pop up at some point? It's done nothing since I put the two leaves in the pot at the start of February


You've caught me out! I know what it is but have no idea how to care for it. I know they die back in the winter so it's possible it's not warm enough or there hasn't been enough light for it to burst into life yet.

Have a read of this: Oxalis triangularis subsp. papilionacea | purpleleaf false shamrock/RHS Gardening


----------



## Shirl (May 18, 2019)

Cheers Leafster. According to that it looks like it may come to life again soon so I'll leave it be for now


----------



## geminisnake (May 18, 2019)

Leave it for a while but put it near a window if you can, I have one, it gets stems of pretty lilac bell type flowers, mine is flowering atm. Mine seems to do quite well even though I forget to water it sometimes. They can go outside in the summer but they're not proper hardy.  I like them


----------



## gentlegreen (May 18, 2019)

I just realised it's also a sham shamrock ... or, logically a rock (?) ...



I'll get my coat


----------



## gentlegreen (May 26, 2019)

I know I only need to wait a week or so for flowers to open ...

I don't _think _it's fat hen / chenopodium album - the leaves seem furrier and a bit too "furled" ...


----------



## campanula (Jun 3, 2019)

gentlegreen said:


> I know I only need to wait a week or so for flowers to open ...



Conyza maybe?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2019)

campanula said:


> Conyza maybe?


Fleabane ? (had to look that up) - sounds like a plant i should have encountered before.

I accidentally pulled mine up - whenever I see it it tends to look a bit knackered - probably the council spraying it ...
I'll have to see if the neighbours have any growing out of their gravel ..

EDIT:-
 Yep - in the poor soil, theirs have already flowered  or at least the buds are forming - I'll keep an eye on them.

Thanks


----------



## Ponyutd (Jun 5, 2019)

Had this large plant growing for a while, now being eaten by these.

Pull it up , or give it a chance?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 5, 2019)

pretty caterpillars ...

Since verbascum (?) is very much a biennial, I'm guessing you *may *end up with multiple shorter flower stems next year - not sure if you'll be able to tell this year.

Mullein moth

I only recently learned that you can use ground up mullein seed as an illegal fish poison - rotenone.


----------



## Ponyutd (Jun 5, 2019)

Thanks g.g.
I'll pick them off tomorrow.
Quite a nice flower really.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 6, 2019)

I was all set to actually make a post on a fungi forum with my "St John's wort rust" photo, but I'm pretty certain this isn't any species of hypericum ...

I will post it and attempt to remember to return at some point when the plant is in flower.


----------



## campanula (Jun 15, 2019)

How so, GG. What has changed your mind? Still looks like a potential hypericum to me (especially with that square stem) altho I am a bit rubbish at photo idents.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 15, 2019)

campanula said:


> How so, GG. What has changed your mind? Still looks like a potential hypericum to me (especially with that square stem) altho I am a bit rubbish at photo idents.


Sorry not to update - definitely hypericum perforatum. 

I will be looking out to see if it flowers by 25th June


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 16, 2019)

Came across this and it smells like honeysuckle. The bees were loving it. Want one, anyone know what it is?


----------



## Callie (Jun 16, 2019)

Looks a bit like mock orange/Philadelphus but the foliage is too yellow?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 16, 2019)

Found this on rhs. Thanks Callie that has to be it.
Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus' | mock orange 'Aureus'/RHS Gardening


----------



## lizzieloo (Jun 18, 2019)

We have 2 Philadelphus, highly recommended


----------



## StoneRoad (Jun 18, 2019)

Yep, that looks like mock orange.

There is one in my back garden, wonderful scent and the bees / butterflies like it very much !


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 18, 2019)

I never seem to catch the scent when I pass one - probably because the hayfever has struck by the time it blooms.

My personal favourite is the plant that is actually related to the orange - choisya - it has aromatic foliage.


----------



## clicker (Jun 18, 2019)

I've got the Mexican Sunrise choisya, a definite value for money shrub. Mines about 8 foot high now, acid green leaves all year, amazingly fragrant white flowers, seems indestructible, demands nothing and gives big.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 18, 2019)

clicker said:


> I've got the Mexican Sunrise choisya, a definite value for money shrub. Mines about 8 foot high now, acid green leaves all year, amazingly fragrant white flowers, seems indestructible, demands nothing and gives big. View attachment 174597


Are you in a sheltered spot? Looked on rhs about them after gentlegreen posted it up. It says it needs full sun and shelter and I'm totally exposed to the elements here.


----------



## clicker (Jun 18, 2019)

Calamity1971 said:


> Are you in a sheltered spot? Looked on rhs about them after gentlegreen posted it up. It says it needs full sun and shelter and I'm totally exposed to the elements here.


Yes quite sheltered and it's growing up and now above a fence and through a tree. It gets sun most of the day.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 18, 2019)

clicker said:


> Yes quite sheltered and it's growing up and now above a fence and through a tree. It gets sun most of the day.


Might try the mock orange then. Looks like that is quite hardy. Ta.


----------



## StoneRoad (Jun 18, 2019)

I'm 800 foot up, in SW Northumberland. my mock orange seems happy - it's due a prune this year, after it has flowered, and only part will be done.


----------



## Callie (Jun 18, 2019)

Ok bush fans... What's this one?

   

Looks a bit like buddleia.... but too early...but the fact that it looks different anyway might mean it will s a buddleia but it's a different one. Yunno?!


----------



## clicker (Jun 18, 2019)

A deutzia or weigela? I killed both over the years, but it reminds me of them, well before they died. My escallonia has leaves a bit like that but darker and has just bloomed.

Eta whatever it is, I do like things that hold their own ; with little human help.


----------



## geminisnake (Jun 18, 2019)

Thank you clicker, you've just named the other shrub I bought some yrs ago and can never remember the name of(the other was weigela and with being a weegie I remember that one!)

Callie those flowers are deffo buddliea like, but I've never seen a spawling buddliea like that. Could it be a type of spirea? the leaves in the bottom photo are spirea like but the upper photos are more buddliea like. I just went out and check my spirea  Cos it's June and still daylight


----------



## campanula (Jun 18, 2019)

buddleja alternifolia - looks nice growing over an arch or a gate...or anywhere where it's naturally prostrate nature is enhanced.
Like philadelphus and deutzia, it flowers on 2 year old wood...so prune all the flowering shoots to the base as soon as flowering is over, allowing last years branches to ripen and bear flowers next season, while new laterals will spring from the base (to flower in 2 years).


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 21, 2019)

Is this a walnut ?


----------



## Libertad (Jun 23, 2019)

gentlegreen said:


> Is this a walnut ?



Yes I believe it is.


----------



## SheilaNaGig (Jun 27, 2019)

What's this please?


Growing on a verge on a chalk track in Wiltshire.

Ta


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 27, 2019)

looks salsify / chicoryish ...

EDIT:-

tragopogon / goat's beard ?

tragopogon - Google Search

I misremembered chicory - it has quite dainty flowers.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 27, 2019)

I think it's goats beard (daisy and dandelion family)


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 27, 2019)

Also known as Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 27, 2019)

I only recognised it because I once grew it but never even tasted it so saw it go to seed. 

I'd forgotten about the diabetic-friendly inulin sugars - I may have to grow it in the future along with the black form (scorzonera) and Jerusalem artichokes.


----------



## Scaggs (Jul 5, 2019)

Does anyone know what this shrub is? It's on Bryher in Scilly. Apparently it has hairy leaves.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jul 5, 2019)

Scaggs said:


> Does anyone know what this shrub is? It's on Bryher in Scilly. Apparently it has hairy leaves.
> View attachment 176390View attachment 176390


Looks like bottle brush.
Growing Bottlebrush Plants – Learn About Callistemon Bottlebrush Care


----------



## Scaggs (Jul 5, 2019)

That was quick, Thanks


----------



## campanula (Jul 5, 2019)

Scaggs said:


> Apparently it has hairy leaves.



The hairy leaves is throwing me somewhat. I have grown callistemon citrina which definitely didn't have downy foliage.  One of the metrosideros, I think, is worth looking at (not that I have grown this myself).


----------



## campanula (Jul 5, 2019)

Ah, I can see the full picture now and I definitely think not a callistemon...in fact< I think it is the New Zealand Christmas tree (Maori name escapes me - pakehua or summat) so I am going to look online.
eta Pohutukawa. Metrosideros excelsior


----------



## Scaggs (Jul 5, 2019)

campanula said:


> Ah, I can see the full picture now and I definitely think not a callistemon...in fact< I think it is the New Zealand Christmas tree (Maori name escapes me - pakehua or summat) so I am going to look online.
> eta Pohutukawa. Metrosideros excelsior


That does look like it. I'll check with my wife who sent me the picture. Sure she said it had hairy leaves.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 6, 2019)




----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 18, 2019)

Hopefully there will be flowers at some point.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Jul 18, 2019)

What is this plant?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 18, 2019)

_*rosa *_something or other 

ROSA XANTHINA ?


----------



## StoneRoad (Jul 18, 2019)

Rose variety "Canary Bird"


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Jul 18, 2019)

Looks a lot like it. Thanks.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 20, 2019)

Can anyone tell me please whether this is something I have grown or a weed-and in either case whether it has a name?(Please don't say "Japanese Knotweed" ).


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jul 20, 2019)

Well, it's definately not Knotweed.
Not sure what though, sorry.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 20, 2019)

Thanks Calamity-fwiw my gf thinks its kebai and my mother thinks its cobea but google images doesn't seem to corroborate either of these theories.Whatever it is its flourishing atmo and even overtopping our relatively feeble sunflowers.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jul 20, 2019)

Wrong leaves. Flowers are like morning glory/bindweed (bell shaped flowers) but the leaves are throwing me. Someone will be along tomorrow to enlighten us all .


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 21, 2019)

How about some sort of mallow / hibiscus ?

Abutilon. ?


----------



## StoneRoad (Jul 21, 2019)

Not sure, mavbe that is a flowering maple - I grow them (a variegated type) indoors and they can get massive. This stem was about 6ft (2m)




gdn - gbw - Abutilon pictum par StoneRoad2013, on ipernity


----------



## campanula (Jul 21, 2019)

Alyogyne huegelii where are you, Duncan2 This is a bit tender and usually grown in greenhouses/conservatories in the UK...unless you are on the south coast


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 21, 2019)

do those leaves actually belong to the flower ?


----------



## campanula (Jul 21, 2019)

StoneRoad said:


> Rose variety "Canary Bird"


wrong thread


----------



## campanula (Jul 21, 2019)

Alyogyne huegellii leaves are a bit more rounded gentlegreen (but still palmate) but there are other alyogynes - hakeifolia (sp?) - although I have only seen huegelii IRL. The malva family is quite large as well. There is a good site malvaceae.com to check.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 21, 2019)

campanula said:


> The malva family is quite large as well. There is a good site malvaceae.com to check.


I only recently discovered that cocoa, cola and durian are in the family.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 21, 2019)

Thanks very much for all this input which I will need to look up.I am in Warwickshire but these plants,of which we have a dozen or more,came up in pots in the greenhouse.Because I am new to gardening we didn't label anything carefully.These plants in the photos just sprouted like outsize nettles among the good stuff so I put them outside to fend for themselves and they seem happier than ever.Gonna have a look at malvacae.com now.The mallow thing also interests me because I know they just spring up spontaneously as these things seem to have done.Only other possibility is that its non-native cos gf had some ancient seeds from W. Africa in one tray but they were practically in a fosslised state and didn't appear to germinate at all.Thanks all.Mostly these plants came up in pots where there were dahliah corms.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 21, 2019)

A perfectly respectable middle-aged couple in Pennsylvania were marched off to jail by idiot rural cops due to the palmate leaves of hibiscus "Texas Star"



hibiscus Texas star arrest - Google Search


----------



## campanula (Jul 21, 2019)

Yeah, it happened to a neighbout of mine - growing datisca cannabina (although they were not actually carted off to the nick, just questioned. I grow althea cannabinoides - another dodgy looking plant with very fine, sativa-like leaves.

And then there are annual reports of odiferous moss phlox...
I have seeds of Texas rose mallow...must get some started.


----------



## Duncan2 (Jul 21, 2019)

Suspect mallows looking good this morning


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 9, 2019)

gentlegreen said:


> Hopefully there will be flowers at some point.
> 
> View attachment 177757


I'm wondering now if this could be a fern - but its leaves are fairly chunky ...


----------



## friedaweed (Aug 9, 2019)

I got this at the RHS Flower show at Tatton Park.

It's called a Balloon Flower. _Platycodon grandiflorus

 
_
It even matches our bench


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 9, 2019)

Interesting ...

_*Platycodon grandiflorus*_ (from Ancient Greek πλατύς "wide" and κώδων "bell")

The common name "platypus" is the latinisation of the Greek word πλατύπους (_platupous_), "flat-footed",[11] from πλατύς (_platus_), "broad, wide, flat"[12] and πούς (_pous_), "foot".


----------



## Calamity1971 (Aug 9, 2019)

friedaweed said:


> I got this at the RHS Flower show at Tatton Park.
> 
> It's called a Balloon Flower. _Platycodon grandiflorus
> 
> ...


I got five for a quid in home bargains last year after they'd died back, not sure yet if they are going to be white or blue. 
I noticed they have them back in stock yesterday.
Hope they are blue


----------



## campanula (Aug 9, 2019)

Calamity1971 said:


> I got five for a quid in home bargains last year



Same - got some for my daughter. They are the shorter ones (I like the taller versions) and are tremendously long-lived. Like paeonies, they will return for years (mine are over 15 years old).  They have a huge taproot,  so cannot be divided...and they never seem to self-seed although they are easily grown from seeds sown under cover. I may sow some more seed as they are a nice late summer addition to the beds and borders.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Aug 9, 2019)

Lidl also have them in atm. I didn't know you could get taller ones. Probably wouldn't do well here anyway with constant wind. I've got really tall campanulas that despair here. Don't know the variety.


----------



## Shirl (Aug 13, 2019)

I already know what my plant is, it's a eucalyptus.
What I don't know why it's has small roundish leaves at the bottom but now has long leaves at the top?


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2019)

juvenile foliage
When grown for floristry they coppice it to keep it producing.
Eucalyptus gunnii


----------



## Shirl (Aug 13, 2019)

gentlegreen said:


> juvenile foliage
> When grown for floristry they coppice it to keep it producing.
> Eucalyptus gunnii


Thanks. I was thinking there was something wrong with it but it's in a pot and maybe I should keep it small. I've not had a plant like this before.


----------



## campanula (Aug 14, 2019)

Shirl said:


> Thanks. I was thinking there was something wrong with it but it's in a pot and maybe I should keep it small. I've not had a plant like this before.



Yes, you can cut it back really hard, every year, to both keep it to a manageable size and keep the glaucous juvenile growth. Quite a few woody plants will have differently shaped leaves at different stages in their life cycle...and there is that really fascinating thing when trees/shrubs which are kept artificially small by chopping back the top growth, will compensate by throwing massive leaves. Paulownias, catalpa and cotinus all spring to mind. I might suggest you keep it in a pot - they are one of the few trees which are entirely happy with this treatment, year in, year out, without requiring extensive repotting or root pruning. Also, I have yet to see an actual upright eucalypt in the ground - they all seem to get a drunken lean, no matter how fervently they are staked and trained - waywardness seems to be built in.


----------



## Shirl (Aug 14, 2019)

campanula said:


> waywardness seems to be built in.


That's me that is 

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it small and in its pot


----------



## Artaxerxes (Aug 14, 2019)

Edit wrong thread


----------



## Duncan2 (Aug 21, 2019)

Duncan2 said:


> Suspect mallows looking good this morning


Turns out my mallows (which have become as tall as sunflowers and which my gf actually boiled up and consumed in large quantities believing them to be kebai) are in fact without a shadow of a doubt Nicandra physalodes a.k.a the apple of Peru aka the Shoo-fly-Plant.Starting to see how plants can be really surprising.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 22, 2019)

Shame on me for not recognising a solanaceous plant 

The physalis-like seed pods might have given it away - sadly the fruit are apparently rather toxic.


----------



## Duncan2 (Aug 22, 2019)

gentlegreen said:


> Shame on me for not recognising a solanaceous plant
> 
> The physalis-like seed pods might have given it away - sadly the fruit are apparently rather toxic.


Right-will make sure the gf doesn't start in on the fruit.She was emboldened by the extent to which the large leaves had been a rabbit-magnet at the bottom of our garden.


----------



## Rushy (Aug 29, 2019)

Hello folks. What is this? The one in St Matthews Peace Gardens flowered spectacularly well and long.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 29, 2019)

lavatera

(tree mallow)

Related to hollyhocks, hibiscus, cotton and cacao


----------



## StoneRoad (Aug 29, 2019)

Concur - it is a Tree Mallow Rushy


----------



## Rushy (Aug 29, 2019)

Thanks!


----------



## Artaxerxes (Aug 30, 2019)

Edit wrong thread again


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 30, 2019)

Darn, I was about to make a sarky post


----------



## teuchter (Oct 2, 2019)

What's this?


----------



## StoneRoad (Oct 2, 2019)

leaf colour and pattern implies coleus but the shape doesn't.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 2, 2019)

or a maranta ...


----------



## teuchter (Oct 2, 2019)

Persicaria has been suggested to me but I can't find a variant with that leaf shape.


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 2, 2019)

Persicaria runcinata ?


----------



## teuchter (Oct 2, 2019)

gentlegreen said:


> Persicaria runcinata ?


That's it! Cheers.


----------



## StoneRoad (Oct 2, 2019)

"purple fantasy" - looks nice, but is a knotweed ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Oct 2, 2019)

StoneRoad said:


> "purple fantasy" - looks nice, but is a knotweed ...


Thankfully they aren't all going to be thugs


----------



## Calamity1971 (Oct 4, 2019)

This is growing down from me in the college grounds. Pic makes the flowers look pink, but they're closer to red. Also the flowers are crocus shaped?


----------



## Leafster (Oct 4, 2019)

Calamity1971 said:


> This is growing down from me in the college grounds. Pic makes the flowers look pink, but they're closer to red. Also the flowers are crocus shaped?
> View attachment 185938



I’m on my phone but it looks liike Hesperantha coccinea. It’s something I spotted recently and thought about getting for my garden.


----------



## Epona (Oct 4, 2019)

I wish I had a garden!

That looks like a Hesperantha coccinea


----------



## Epona (Oct 4, 2019)

Oh snap


----------



## Calamity1971 (Oct 4, 2019)

Leafster said:


> I’m on my phone but it looks liike Hesperantha coccinea. It’s something I spotted recently and thought about getting for my garden.





Epona said:


> I wish I had a garden!
> 
> That looks like a Hesperantha coccinea


Cheers guys, it's really vibrant. Never come across it before.


----------



## Epona (Oct 4, 2019)

Calamity1971 said:


> Cheers guys, it's really vibrant. Never come across it before.



Beautiful, isn't it?  They come in a range of pinks and reds.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Oct 4, 2019)

Epona said:


> Beautiful, isn't it?  They come in a range of pinks and reds.


I've just looked at the rhs website and want them all.


----------



## campanula (Oct 6, 2019)

They are terrific water plants - mine  grow with their roots in the pond. Although I also have one in my gravel garden. Very long lived and obviously resilient to survive my benign neglect.
I haven't got my head around the name change - they are still schizostylis to me.


----------



## seeformiles (Oct 16, 2019)

Anybody have any idea what this is? I found it growing on a dead birch tree. Looks like it might be some kind of antler or coral fungus but seems to be the wrong colour.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Oct 16, 2019)

seeformiles said:


> Anybody have any idea what this is? I found it growing on a dead birch tree. Looks like it might be some kind of antler or coral fungus but seems to be the wrong colour.
> 
> View attachment 187249 View attachment 187250 View attachment 187251




Yellow Fingers, calocera cornea would be my guess.


----------



## seeformiles (Oct 16, 2019)

Artaxerxes said:


> Yellow Fingers, calocera cornea would be my guess.



Many thanks!


----------



## smmudge (Oct 24, 2019)

What could this be trying to grow at this time of year??


----------



## Leafster (Oct 24, 2019)

Hmmm, they look a little like they might be winter flowering irises but I'd say they are sprouting too early. 

Iris reticulata maybe?


----------



## smmudge (Oct 24, 2019)

Leafster said:


> Hmmm, they look a little like they might be winter flowering irises but I'd say they are sprouting too early.
> 
> Iris reticulata maybe?



Well that would be nice, irises are my wife's favourite flowers! 

I guess we will wait and see.


----------



## campanula (Nov 1, 2019)

Do you remember planting them, smmudge? Asking because I have never managed to get iris reticulata to return for another year. Crocus, otoh...which these could well be, are already sprouting and making an appearance above ground. Absolutely nothing to worry about though - they will just sit out the winter and wait as the increasing darkness  nudges the blooming mechanisms but darkness levels increasing, rather than decreasing, usually stops the little plants being confused.
There is often a little bonus of blooms at this time as the equilibrium between light/dark levels seems to trigger some classic short day plants such as primroses - I always have a couple of auriculas blooming and the perennial wallflowers are really having a flurry.


----------



## Shirl (Feb 2, 2020)

I just bought this frilly succulent from the local florists. Unfortunately I forgot to ask how to care for it. 
The plant covers the top of the pot so I've no idea even how to water it.
Any help gratefully received 🙂


----------



## Artaxerxes (Feb 2, 2020)

Shirl said:


> I just bought this frilly succulent from the local florists. Unfortunately I forgot to ask how to care for it.
> The plant covers the top of the pot so I've no idea even how to water it.
> Any help gratefully received 🙂



Succlent Echevaria of some kind, won't need much looking after.









						Echeveria - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## Shirl (Feb 2, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> Succlent Echevaria of some kind, won't need much looking after.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks, I can now look after it and hopefully take off its pups when they grow and plant them.


----------



## Shirl (Feb 11, 2020)

Sorry to ask again but what is this thing growing up the middle. Is it just the plant still growing, is it a pup or a flower? Cheers


----------



## Leafster (Feb 11, 2020)

I think it's the start of a flower spike Shirl 

Pups would come up around the edges.


----------



## Chilli.s (Feb 11, 2020)

Yeah, looks like it'll flower.


----------



## Leafster (Feb 11, 2020)

smmudge said:


> Well that would be nice, irises are my wife's favourite flowers!
> 
> I guess we will wait and see.


Did you ever get any flowers on these smmudge ?


----------



## Artaxerxes (Feb 11, 2020)

Leafster said:


> Did you ever get any flowers on these smmudge ?



We certainly did on ours, kept budding off flowers for months last year in a big long trail.


----------



## Shirl (Feb 11, 2020)

Leafster said:


> I think it's the start of a flower spike Shirl
> 
> Pups would come up around the edges.


Thanks, that makes sense. I've already taken one pup off but it was already on the plant when I bought it. Is it not a bit early for a flower?


----------



## smmudge (Feb 11, 2020)

Leafster said:


> Did you ever get any flowers on these smmudge ?



Nope no flowers  doesn't look like they will, just looks like big grass tbh! 



campanula said:


> Do you remember planting them, smmudge? Asking because I have never managed to get iris reticulata to return for another year.



Sorry missed this, but we didn't plant them, we moved in in July and they just started sprouting.


----------



## Shirl (Feb 11, 2020)

I've never been any good with plants but suddenly the plants I have are doing well. We don't have sunny windowsills here and I've now started to buy plants suitable for what we do have. Why didn't I think of that before


----------



## Leafster (Feb 11, 2020)

Shirl said:


> Thanks, that makes sense. I've already taken one pup off but it was already on the plant when I bought it. Is it not a bit early for a flower?


I don't know much about when house plants tend to flower. I suspect that being in a protected environment they don't always follow the "rules"as the conditions don't change as much indoors.


----------



## Leafster (Feb 11, 2020)

smmudge said:


> Nope no flowers  doesn't look like they will, just looks like big grass tbh!


If they are irises then I had some spring flowering ones in my back garden which only ever produced leaves and then they disappeared. However, the irises (Lady Beatrix Stanley) in the front garden come up every year and flower. They've been flowering for a few weeks now and are almost coming to an end.


----------



## iona (Feb 11, 2020)

Leafster said:


> I don't know much about when house plants tend to flower. I suspect that being in a protected environment they don't always follow the "rules"as the conditions don't change as much indoors.



Yeah just moving from the shop to a warmer/lighter house can do it ime, or turning more lights/heating on in the winter. That echeveria will want a good amount of light though Shirl if you don't want it getting too leggy and sad looking


----------



## Shirl (Feb 11, 2020)

iona said:


> Yeah just moving from the shop to a warmer/lighter house can do it ime, or turning more lights/heating on in the winter. That echeveria will want a good amount of light though Shirl if you don't want it getting too leggy and sad looking


Thanks iona. It's getting plenty of light but just not a lot of direct sunlight. The sun is only on the window for at most 4 hours a day in summer. Is that ok?
All the other plants here were cuttings from other plants I have. The one in the pink pot is the pup from the big one.


----------



## iona (Feb 11, 2020)

Shirl said:


> Thanks iona. It's getting plenty of light but just not a lot of direct sunlight. The sun is only on the window for at most 4 hours a day in summer. Is that ok?
> All the other plants here were cuttings from other plants I have. The one in the pink pot is the pup from the big one.
> View attachment 198247


Idk, echeverias are one of my (many ) entirely irrational plant prejudices, but most succulents in general would _prefer_ more. It'll let you know if it's that unhappy though.


----------



## iona (Feb 11, 2020)

That maranta looks good btw! I'm always impressed by people who can keep them that healthy, mine is a complete dickhead and I have loads of "fussier" houseplants that're doing fine


----------



## smmudge (Feb 15, 2020)

smmudge said:


> What could this be trying to grow at this time of year??
> 
> View attachment 188010



This is what it looks like now lol



This pic also explains why our broadband and tv signal are well dodgy.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Feb 15, 2020)

smmudge said:


> This is what it looks like now lol
> 
> View attachment 198654
> 
> This pic also explains why our broadband and tv signal are well dodgy.


Is that herb Robert next to it? 
Only 2 months early if it is !


----------



## smmudge (Feb 15, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Is that herb Robert next to it?
> Only 2 months early if it is !



Er a quick Google suggests it may be yes (like I said we only moved in last summer, the previous owner loved his plants, just plants everywhere, inside, outside, the whole garden looked like a nursery basically). 

Why does Google say another name for this plant is "death come quickly"? 😧


----------



## wayward bob (Feb 15, 2020)

smmudge said:


> Why does Google say another name for this plant is "death come quickly"? 😧


to which the only answer is taste it and see 

can i have your stuff? x


----------



## two sheds (Feb 16, 2020)

I've still got a nasturtium doing happily in the conservatory   I've never done well with nasturtiums let alone overwintering them.


----------



## Shirl (Feb 16, 2020)

iona said:


> That maranta looks good btw! I'm always impressed by people who can keep them that healthy, mine is a complete dickhead and I have loads of "fussier" houseplants that're doing fine


I had to Google Maranta before I knew which plant you meant  
Somehow I ended up with a huge Maranta. It had been owned by a woman who was well known and very popular around my town. She lived in a caravan and was known as Caravan Pat. She died a few years ago and then about 3 years ago, the woman looking after her plant asked me to look after it as I had my studio then and lots of light. I asked her to take it back but she said it was too big for her and better off with me 
I'm always worried about the plant dying so I've been taking cuttings and now have about 6 smallish ones that I'm going to give to CP's friends. That way, if I do kill off the big plant, her friends will still have a part of it.
I wouldn't care but I never even met the woman.


----------



## Shirl (Mar 26, 2020)

I think that someone said my Echeveria
would  have yellow flowers but these are pink.


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 26, 2020)

tropical fruit salad


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 26, 2020)

Shirl said:


> I think that someone said my Echeveria
> would  have yellow flowers but these are pink.View attachment 203396


Looks like echiveira harmsii, Mexican snowball.
Pink and yellow Echeveria blooms | Bonsai tree types, Amazing flowers


----------



## Shirl (Mar 26, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Looks like echiveira harmsii, Mexican snowball.
> Pink and yellow Echeveria blooms | Bonsai tree types, Amazing flowers


Thanks. I'm very pleased with it. I'm still surprising myself with all my plants not only staying alive but growing and flowering too.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 26, 2020)

Shirl said:


> Thanks. I'm very pleased with it. I'm still surprising myself with all my plants not only staying alive but growing and flowering too.


I love growing plants and all things gardening wise. However, I'm the grim reaper when it comes to houseplants. 
Looks like you're doing well. 
I can send you this if you like, it's only illustrations but still a good reference.
I went through a stage of wanting all the expert books ! I prefer them to the internet, nice to have something to hand.


----------



## Shirl (Mar 26, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> I love growing plants and all things gardening wise. However, I'm the grim reaper when it comes to houseplants.
> Looks like you're doing well.
> I can send you this if you like, it's only illustrations but still a good reference.
> I went through a stage of wanting all the expert books ! I prefer them to the internet, nice to have something to hand.
> View attachment 203425


That would be great. Happy to pay postage. Shall I pm my address?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 26, 2020)

Shirl said:


> That would be great. Happy to pay postage. Shall I pm my address?


I'll pay the postage Shirl. Pm me your address


----------



## Artaxerxes (Mar 26, 2020)

two sheds said:


> I've still got a nasturtium doing happily in the conservatory   I've never done well with nasturtiums let alone overwintering them.



We left some nasturtium seeds in a mini greenhouse on the windowsill over winter, found the buggers growing yesterday.


----------



## campanula (Apr 9, 2020)

The collie habit of stealing labels has again, left me scratching my head, cluelessly. I collected seeds last year but have no recollection of what or where...and now that seedlings are up, I  still do not have a scooby. Any ideas? I think these were probably fairly tall, with an unusual flower panicle. The seedlings look familiar but... Christ - just noticed my filthy fingernails


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 9, 2020)

campanula said:


> The collie habit of stealing labels has again, left me scratching my head, cluelessly. I collected seeds last year but have no recollection of what or where...and now that seedlings are up, I  still do not have a scooby. Any ideas? I think these were probably fairly tall, with an unusual flower panicle. The seedlings look familiar but... Christ - just noticed my filthy fingernails


Dried plant maybe a wildflower, like an umbillifer? You don't see many plants with stems like that. 
I'm hesitant to reply in case you tell me to fuck off for telling you how to suck eggs   
I've got an array of seeds and  I've no idea where I collected them.


----------



## campanula (Apr 10, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Dried plant maybe a wildflower, like an umbillifer? You don't see many plants with stems like that.
> I'm hesitant to reply in case you tell me to fuck off for telling you how to suck eggs
> I've got an array of seeds and  I've no idea where I collected them.


Good Grief - never (suggesting off fucking).You are usually pretty clued up on plant idents anyway.  Ah it's so tantalisingly familiar. The cotyledons and first leaves are not umbellifer-like and the flower architecture and stem was not unlike thalictrum (but again, the foliage doesn't match at all).
 Saving seed seems to lead to a very random collection of seedlings. I honestly cannot fathom the thinking behind  a lot of my ...ahem...collection of mismatched plants (apart from being basically free).


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 10, 2020)

I love a free overhanging cutting or free seeds. I've got little envelopes with big white flower or little yellow thing on ! 
These are cracking me up. I think it might be a lily that was growing on its own where it really shouldnt have been in the woods.

Quite flat. Humboldt lily the one with curled flower petals? I seem to remember thinking I'll get seeds off that, but have no idea if I did. Probably take years to grow anyway , but yeh, free .


----------



## campanula (Apr 10, 2020)

Yep - looks lily-like to me. I grow a few lilies from seed because they are usually reliable, if slow. There are some which have a weird germination strategy, like paeonies, germinating under ground (hypogeal) for the first season and only showing a leaf in the second year...but even so, they usually germinate like grass them can be left alone for years, with just a thinning out. Some can be in flower in a couple of years but most take about 4. Martagons, which I do grow, take around 6 years but again, can be sown and left alone to get on with it.

Talking of lilies, I found my first 3  bloody lily beetles (getting jiggy). Crushed callously underfoot.


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 10, 2020)

campanula said:


> The collie habit of stealing labels has again, left me scratching my head, cluelessly. I collected seeds last year but have no recollection of what or where...and now that seedlings are up, I  still do not have a scooby. Any ideas? I think these were probably fairly tall, with an unusual flower panicle. The seedlings look familiar but... Christ - just noticed my filthy fingernails



Could the middle seedlings be some kind of marigold?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 10, 2020)

Cheers for that . Do I basically give them a dusting of seed compost ?
I had tonnes of Lillie's , just the Asiatic ones, but gave them away when I learnt about the poison issue with cats. Never once came across the bastard Lilly beetle. I seemed to plagued my whole life with vine weevil . Back to sifting through my pots again and more nemetodes. The little fuckers make my skin crawl.


----------



## campanula (Apr 10, 2020)

The foliage does look a bit calendula-like, lizzieloo ...however, these pics are all of the same plant. I am guessing it grew to around 1metre tall (looking at the stems and knowing my own preferences). The dried out seedheads really ought to tip me off...except - vacant.
O yes, sodding vine weevils. I have to do the same as you - tip out all the pots and rummage through the soil looking for horrible, maggotty larvae (ewgh). Haven't ordered nematodes yet but I will do asap. You might not have a lily-beetle problem being 'ooop north'. They haven't colonised Scotland and Cumbria/Northumberland afaik. I gave quite a lot of tall 'orienpet' lilies away because they looked ridiculous in my tiny garden, but kept the smaller, daintier martagons and asiatics. They are well over 60cm already! Yep, cover the seeds with .5cm of potting mix. Do you use grit to top the pots? I have been using flint based chicken grit (heaps cheaper than horticultural grit). Chickgrit is very fine - makes a nice bed for seeds - and prevents mosses and liverworts covering the soil surface. Mixed in with the potting soil, it keeps it free draining and friable. Should be available from pet shops or online. If you get some (which I really consider worthwhile), don't get the grit which has oyster shell, get the flint based.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 10, 2020)

Never used grit ,that'll be why my pots get moss and liverwort etc then   only ever used vermiculite ( very occasionally).
Cheers


----------



## campanula (Apr 10, 2020)

JonDo Mixed Poultry Grit 25kg: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
					

Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy JonDo Mixed Poultry Grit 25kg at Amazon UK.



					www.amazon.co.uk
				




Apols for Amazon link...but this is what I use. Really don't think I could live without it.


----------



## campanula (Apr 10, 2020)

.OMG, that reads like I couldn't live without Amazon...when in point of fact, I boycott the fuckers.  It was the first link which appeared.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 11, 2020)

Found this, just round the bloody corner as well ! eBay sell the jondo stuff but it has the oyster shell in.
Does that looks reasonable if it wasn't sold out?
Quality poultry equipment and supplies from Durham Hens
ETA campanula


----------



## campanula (Apr 11, 2020)

Yep, Calamity - try the small bag of flint grit...then you can get a larger bag when they have it in stock. I put it on all my seedling pots. I tend not to use the small chick grit for covering biger pots of alpines and such because it mixes with the soil easily and doesn't really look like topdressing...but for raising seedlings, chickgrit is unbeatable. You will never look back.
The stuff with oyster shell tends to raise the ph a bit (to more alkaline)...but I doubt it has any deleterious effects - just that I have always used the flint only stuff. It works out shitloads cheaper than buying horticultural gravel (which is never fine enough for seedlings either.


----------



## chainsawjob (Apr 13, 2020)

Does anyone know what this is? It's quite woody at the base, and it's growing up through the concrete in my garden. I feel like it will flower, but I don't know what it is, some sort of shrub?


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 13, 2020)

chainsawjob said:


> Does anyone know what this is? It's quite woody at the base, and it's growing up through the concrete in my garden. I feel like it will flower, but I don't know what it is, some sort of shrub?
> 
> View attachment 206555


buddleia ?
if so it will simply have got there as a seed.

Though to be honest it looks a bit too fresh and green ...


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 13, 2020)

I'd go buddleia as well. 
The new shoots on mine for comparison.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 13, 2020)

They don't need more than a crack to get going


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 13, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> They don't need more than a crack to get going



Wahey


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 13, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> They don't need more than a crack to get going


You see them growing out of mortar on walls along the railway .


----------



## chainsawjob (Apr 13, 2020)

Ah! Thanks everyone


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 13, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> You see them growing out of mortar on walls along the railway .


Railtrack spend millions keeping them under control - second only to Japanese knotweed in that regard.


----------



## Numbers (Apr 16, 2020)

May I ask if someone can help identify this, is it a Lupin?  We have a Lupin in a pot (I think, we definitely used to) which hasn’t come up yet.  

2 of these have appeared from nowhere in a previously untended to bit of garden. 

Cheers


----------



## Leafster (Apr 16, 2020)

I think they're spanish bluebells.


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 16, 2020)

It's a bluebell. 

Not necessarily Spanish.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2020)

Leafster said:


> I think they're spanish bluebells.


campanula hates them, but they come back so reliably - they were in my garden 35 years ago and at times I pulled them up ruthlessly, but when my gardening is interupted by life I'm glad of them...
I'm hopefully about to cycle through suburbia and may get as far as proper smelly bluebells, but i will be cheered by these ...


----------



## Numbers (Apr 16, 2020)

lizzieloo said:


> It's a bluebell.
> 
> Not necessarily Spanish.


Where would it have come from? (apologies if question is a bit n00b).  Gardens either side of us are concrete/no plants and we’ve never had them before.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2020)

Numbers said:


> Where would it have come from? (apologies if question is a bit n00b).  Gardens either side of us are concrete/no plants and we’ve never had them before.


I imagine they fairly reliably set viable seed - plus they sneak in with other plants - mine migrated from back to front with no effort


----------



## lizzieloo (Apr 16, 2020)

From a seed, either flying about or pooed out by a bird or some other creature.


----------



## Numbers (Apr 16, 2020)

Thanks.  So exciting.


----------



## StoneRoad (Apr 16, 2020)

Birds and breezes distribute all sorts of seeds with great abandon.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2020)

A new mustardy plant has appeared next door - I suspect it's oilseed rape - perhaps it's deliberately used in birdseed, it could very easily end up as a contaminant either in the field or at the seed merchant.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 16, 2020)

or perhaps not - the leaves are wrong ... I think it might actually be mustard ...


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 16, 2020)

Might be Japanese mispoona, mines gone like that.


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 22, 2020)

this is one of the large lumpy trees in the park - horse chestnut?

in the first branching there's a blossoming shrub growing - any guesses?


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 22, 2020)

blimey.
You would have thought someone might have reported something like that.
The tree looks more birchy from here ....

Is philadelphus in flower yet ?

With my leaky brain, such knowledge relies on me cycling past things - which I'm not doing at the moment ...


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 22, 2020)

defo not a birch, they don't get that big round here.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 22, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> defo not a birch, they don't get that big round here.


horse chestnuts should have big sticky buds on them this time of year...
maple of some kind ?

Apparently philadelphus flower in June/July.

I may have to brave the park tomorrow to get my brain in gear....

Instinctively, prolific spring flowers = cherry ...


----------



## Callie (Apr 22, 2020)

I'd go for plane but hard to confirm without better view of the bark/trunk and foliage.


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 22, 2020)

i shall investigate further


----------



## Callie (Apr 22, 2020)

Look for hedgehog remnants!


----------



## Callie (Apr 22, 2020)

Hedgehogs!


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 22, 2020)

I'm intrigued that a plant could actually establish itself in the crook of a healthy-looking tree and  flower so prolifically - and it's going to be shaded later ....


----------



## Callie (Apr 22, 2020)

Plants are stupid


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 22, 2020)

can't edit to remove thumb, but another angle full res...


----------



## Duncan2 (Apr 22, 2020)

When I can't identify a tree I usually guess that its a hornbeam-but today I'm guessing acacia.Shall be interested when someone comes along who actually knows what this is.


----------



## Leafster (Apr 22, 2020)

I don’t know what the flowering shrub is but could the host be a plane tree?


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 22, 2020)

Edit: having said that now I'm not sure what's host and what's shrub after another look so I'm going to bed and I'll take a look when I'm not going blind.


----------



## campanula (Apr 23, 2020)

so frustrating - my eyesight (and monitor)  is shit. The shrub looks like pyracantha or cotoneaster...both of which will establish in a teeny amount of soil. I can only see vague, whitish clumps of flower though, so an unreliable guess.At this time of year, we are still waiting for the ash family to extend their leaves and (some)  of the maple family are still just budding out. Acacia isn't a bad guess either, looking at the architecture.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2020)

I'm saying field maple for the tree - unless  that's a second "parasitic" plant !
EDIT:- or sycamore  ...

... or the plant is a freakishly early lavatera ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2020)

It could be a hornbeam - albeit a sparse one ... I'm still calling birch ... or beech ?


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 23, 2020)

is defo plane tree


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 23, 2020)

the shrub has single blossomy flowers and simple leaves (but more flowers than leaves) and defo no root system extending down the main trunk.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 23, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> the shrub has single blossomy flowers and simple leaves (but more flowers than leaves) and defo no root system extending down the main trunk.


so that's a bonus sycamore 

Got to be some sort of prunus - doubtless planted by a corvid 

We used to get them stowing berries inside satellite TV horns at work ...


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 23, 2020)

campanula said:


> The shrub looks like pyracantha or cotoneaster...both of which will establish in a teeny amount of soil.


of these more pyracantha than cotoneaster, but not sure if 100%


----------



## wayward bob (Apr 23, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> so that's a bonus sycamore


i think what you're seeing as sycamore is just the plane tree shoots


----------



## Mogden (Apr 24, 2020)

Any ideas? It has a distinctly basil look about it but there's no scent to the leaves and they're too pointy to be basil. AFAIK. No blooms yet but whatever it is is growing well next to my rhody which is one of the other things in the garden that is doing spectacularly well. I've left it in but I'm all ready to be told it's a weed, and not of the good kind.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 24, 2020)

looks willow-herby ... if you're lucky a hawk moth caterpillar may appear to munch on it


----------



## wiskey (Apr 25, 2020)

Is this a peony?


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 25, 2020)

wiskey said:


> Is this a peony?
> View attachment 208845


Yes indeedy


----------



## wiskey (Apr 25, 2020)

Excellent cheers, it's inconveniently placed itself right by the path ... If it can survive the elephants it should flower soon.


----------



## smmudge (Apr 25, 2020)

Leafster said:


> Did you ever get any flowers on these smmudge ?



Success! 





 are there any tricks to looking after this?


----------



## campanula (Apr 25, 2020)

Not really, smmudge, (can't seem to tag you on my crap laptop).Dutch iris come from a bulb (not a rhizome). They will die back after flowering and appear next year. I have a handful on the allotment, which are ignored from one year to the next - they have a fairly short bloom cycle but, unless you are gardening in sodden clay, will return year after year. Likes a reasonably well drained soil in sun...but not a fussy plant.


----------



## smmudge (Apr 25, 2020)

campanula said:


> unless you are gardening in sodden clay



Oh right, don't know how it's come back then lol!


----------



## campanula (Apr 26, 2020)

Some bulbs are not keen on being waterlogged...bearded iris, for example (those with very colourful, flamboyant flowers and a hairy tuft on the keel petals (truly).,Most of the other riis family like to get their feet wet. I only have a few Dutch ones, cos I garden in rubbish sand and many others will sulk, but they are pretty invincible and honestly require no special effort to keep it going from one year to the next. One thing though - many bulbs will split into offsets or daughter bulbs, to reproduce themselves. A snowdrop colony will double in size every year, once established...and other plants will increase by seeding,too. However, in 15 or so years, I still have exactly the same number of dutch iris (5 or 6) as they have neither increased or decreased. Could be my crappy soil (and neglect) - be interesting to see if yours increase over the next few seasons


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 30, 2020)

Overwhelming smell of cannabis on my daily dog walk. Been driving me mad, finally narrowed it down to this, any ideas?


----------



## two sheds (Apr 30, 2020)

Don't know but I'll PM you my address for samples


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 30, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Overwhelming smell of cannabis on my daily dog walk. Been driving me mad, finally narrowed it down to this, any ideas?


All I can think of is a protea - south African plant ...
Waaay too early though ...


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 30, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> All I can think of is a protea - south African plant ...
> Waaay too early though ...


Just googled that, flower doesn't ring a bell. Been walking there for years.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 30, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Just googled that, flower doesn't ring a bell. Been walking there for years.


roughly where in the UK ?
Coastal ?


----------



## Leafster (Apr 30, 2020)

I'm pretty sure it's a rhododendron Calamity1971 

Don't know why it would smell of cannabis though


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 30, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> roughly where in the UK ?
> Coastal ?


Durham. The gardens are mainly azalea, rhodedendrons and pieris. All acid loving plants.
I've googled popular acid loving plants and come to a full stop.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 30, 2020)

Leafster said:


> I'm pretty sure it's a rhododendron Calamity1971
> 
> Don't know why it would smell of cannabis though


I thought that. The leaves are same only more dainty. It absolutely honks.


----------



## Leafster (Apr 30, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> I thought that. The leaves are same only more dainty. It absolutely honks.


Try googling "Why do some azaleas smell like weed?"  

It's a thing, apparently!


----------



## Leafster (Apr 30, 2020)

And, my neighbour's hypericum smells the same and it's not just me that's noticed it.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 30, 2020)

Yep - has to be rhododendron - I always thing of them as being blousy - must be the lighting in the photo.



			rhododendron bud - Google Search


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 30, 2020)

Leafster said:


> Try googling "Why do some azaleas smell like weed?"
> 
> It's a thing, apparently!


Yeh, definitely an azalea. Now I also know phlox gives off the same smell.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 30, 2020)

Yes a lot of plants contain the same terpenes.
Cleome is delightfully stinky too - and that's in the cabbage family and closely related to capers.
I've sown some old seeds this year ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 30, 2020)

"
How can you tell a rhododendron from an azalea?
*Azaleas* have appressed hairs which is hair parallel to the surface of the leaf. Instead of having hair, most *Rhododendrons* are often scaly or have dots underneath the leaves. *Azaleas* also have tubular or funnel shaped flowers. Rhodi flowers are more bell shaped.
"





						The Difference Between Azaleas and Rhododendrons | Plant Addicts
					

Learn about the differences of Azaleas vs Rhododendrons. This quick & easy guide will help you quickly tell the two similar plants apart.




					plantaddicts.com
				




I've always written-off the genus because the rest of the year they don't do much - and it's traditionally an indulgence for people with huge gardens ..but I like the look of those buds ... and I love stinky flowers and I never knew they were smelly ...

Oh and the soil round these parts is often a bit alkaline ..


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 30, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> "
> How can you tell a rhododendron from an azalea?
> *Azaleas* have appressed hairs which is hair parallel to the surface of the leaf. Instead of having hair, most *Rhododendrons* are often scaly or have dots underneath the leaves. *Azaleas* also have tubular or funnel shaped flowers. Rhodi flowers are more bell shaped.
> "
> ...


It's absolutely stunning for a few weeks , that's all there was originally. Volunteer gardener's have put rose beds in with climbers and beds of bulbs for all year round colour over the past ten years. I give them plants when I've grown too many from seed.


----------



## wiskey (May 1, 2020)

wiskey said:


> Excellent cheers, it's inconveniently placed itself right by the path ... If it can survive the elephants it should flower soon.



On my birthday


----------



## Shirl (May 2, 2020)

I'm bored with this flower now. Do I leave it to dry up and drop off or can I just cut it off near the base?


----------



## wiskey (May 2, 2020)

That plant has used all its efforts to grow that magnificent flower ..
 You can't just chop it off!


----------



## gentlegreen (May 2, 2020)

I suppose it depends if you think it may have set seed and if you want them - though ripening seed takes energy from the plant ...


----------



## Shirl (May 2, 2020)

wiskey said:


> That plant has used all its efforts to grow that magnificent flower ..
> You can't just chop it off!


It's been growing since 11th of February though, it just keeps on getting longer but it's not very attractive now


----------



## Shirl (May 2, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I suppose it depends if you think it may have set seed and if you want them - though ripening seed takes energy from the plant ...


I don't understand set seed. Do you mean a seed will drop off and grow? I have another one that grew out of this plant, it grew from under a leaf/petal whatever it is. I mean I have another plant, not another flower.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 2, 2020)

Shirl said:


> I don't understand set seed. Do you mean a seed will drop off and grow? I have another one that grew out of this plant, it grew from under a leaf/petal whatever it is. I mean I have another plant, not another flower.


You would probably need to carefully sow the seed on the surface of some gritty compost - but you would also have to wait until the pods had swollen - and it will take energy from the plant ... and I never managed to get a viable seed from my cactus ...
Removing the flower stalk will encourage the new rosettes


----------



## Shirl (May 2, 2020)

Thanks gentlegreen. I'll have a go at encouraging new rosettes. I'll give it the snip.


----------



## campanula (May 2, 2020)

cut it off (says ruthless plantkiller).


----------



## Callie (May 4, 2020)

Ok...what is this: 

Located in a suburban park in South London near a river


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2020)

Salad Burnet ?
Tastes like cucumber


----------



## StoneRoad (May 4, 2020)

Callie - I think Sanguisorba officinalis (Great Burnet)

Mainly I've based that on leaf shape and my impression of plant size. My Keeble Martin has it flowering rather later in the year, but definitely damp meadows.

But Salad burnet flowers a month earlier and prefers dry pastures / embankments


----------



## Callie (May 4, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Salad Burnet ?
> Tastes like cucumber


I didnt eat any  maybe I will go back and get some !


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2020)

At least in the rosacea there aren't going to be any poisonous species.
The gardeners at work got into herbs and bees recently.
I can't say the salad variety inspired me to seek it out again.....


----------



## Callie (May 4, 2020)

Excellent! Thanks both. What about this one? In a mown grass area in a park, has made big patches go a rusty red colour, little bobbly red plant?



And a bonus egg?!


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2020)

Looks like polygonacea family....


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2020)

That other one does appear to be great burnet.
Not eaten but used to stop bleeding.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2020)

Sheep sorrel ?
Rumex acetosella ?


----------



## Callie (May 4, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Looks like polygonacea family....


Buckwheat? I shall be self sufficient in no time! Salad served with buckwheat and an egg.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 4, 2020)

I'm a bit wary of plants containing a lot of oxalic acid.
A shame as they're often easy to grow.
Sounds like it may be OK on moderation though ...


----------



## Callie (May 8, 2020)

I have more! Looks like a forget me not but is tiny. And hairy.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 8, 2020)

Myosotis - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				






> More than 500 species names have been recorded, but only 74 species are presently accepted



blimey !


----------



## Callie (May 8, 2020)

Hmm I don't know if this is good or not after hearing others comment that they are rampant and take over a bit. I think I've spotted another plant...

Oh maybe not. That's longer leaved, less hairy and clumpy?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 9, 2020)

Callie said:


> Hmm I don't know if this is good or not after hearing others comment that they are rampant and take over a bit. I think I've spotted another plant...View attachment 211393
> 
> Oh maybe not. That's longer leaved, less hairy and clumpy?


If it *isn't* a myosotis species, it might be one of loads of asteracea named "fleabane"


----------



## iona (May 11, 2020)

What's this then? I'm no good with shrubby things.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 11, 2020)

iona said:


> What's this then? I'm no good with shrubby things.


weigelia ?


----------



## StoneRoad (May 11, 2020)

iona said:


> What's this then? I'm no good with shrubby things.



I'm guessing a fuchsia - does it have flower buds, yet ?

(My weigela - Bristol Ruby - looks as if it does)


----------



## gentlegreen (May 11, 2020)

Actually I'm now thinking deutzia.


----------



## iona (May 12, 2020)

No buds yet. Like lots of stuff out there though it's been more surviving than thriving...


----------



## Ponyutd (May 13, 2020)

I know its common bit what is this called?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 13, 2020)

Ponyutd said:


> I know its common bit what is this called?


One of those scary umbellifers ... could be anything from tasty via corrosive to deadly ...


----------



## two sheds (May 13, 2020)

I recognize two classes of umbellifers: cow-parsley and not-cow-parsley. I was told that you can tell cow parsley from the central flowers being more concentrated than the outer ones but from the below I'm not sure even that is true:



> Cow parsley has large, flat umbrellas of small, white flowers, and large, fern-like leaves. When crushed between the fingers, the leaves produce a strong, aniseed-like scent. One of several common members of the carrot family, this is the most abundant, and the earliest-flowering of the umbellifers.








						Cow parsley | The Wildlife Trusts
					

The umbrella-like clusters of white, frothy flowers of cow parsley are a familiar sight along roadsides, hedgerows and woodland edges.




					www.wildlifetrusts.org


----------



## gentlegreen (May 13, 2020)

I'm a casual member of this apiacea Facebook group and several similar ones ...









						Know your carrots - Apiaceae Identification | Facebook
					

This group is for Identification of members of the Carrot (Apiaceae) family. Please note all suggestions are to be taken as a guide only, and any final identification is your own responsibility,...




					www.facebook.com


----------



## two sheds (May 13, 2020)

You may want to share my classification with them


----------



## gentlegreen (May 13, 2020)

two sheds said:


> You may want to share my classification with them


Someone uploaded a chart there of stem profiles, but I can't find it now ...
I'm a long way off from identifying umbellifers - a bit like with the fungi groups, i casually glance at the posts in the hope that something gets absorbed ...


----------



## Callie (May 13, 2020)

If it's got pink bits in the centre it's Queen Anne's lace I think?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 13, 2020)




----------



## Calamity1971 (May 13, 2020)

Wild angelica should be easy to remember 😸.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 14, 2020)

Any ideas what this is?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 14, 2020)

rhubarb ?


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 14, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> rhubarb ?



I did wonder but thought the stalks were red


----------



## gentlegreen (May 14, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> I did wonder but thought the stalks were red


Not always.
Other alternatives would be sea beet or sea kale, but doesn't look right ... it could be another member of the Polygonaceae ..

Roughly where in the world is it located ?


----------



## campanula (May 14, 2020)

looks like rheum palmatum - ornamental rhubarb...although I have never grown it myself, (too dry where I am) and the leaves are just not quite right. Deffo in the polygonaceae tho'.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 14, 2020)

It is on an old plot, so rhubarb sounds the most likely culprit.

Never seen it in flower though so.


----------



## editor (May 14, 2020)

Any idea what this is? It's growing fast (about 1 metre high now after being what looked like a dormant stick for ages). 

I fear it's the dreaded Tree of Heaven which is, by all accounts, a bit of a rotter. Am I right? 









						The Tree of Heaven (1)
					

Woodland for sale throughout the UK, including      woods for sale in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.      Advice on buying a wood, as well woodland activities, flora and fauna, conservation and other woodlandy topics.




					www.woodlands.co.uk


----------



## gentlegreen (May 14, 2020)

editor said:


> Any idea what this is? It's growing fast (about 1 metre high now after being what looked like a dormant stick for ages).
> 
> I fear it's the dreaded Tree of Heaven which is, by all accounts, a bit of a rotter. Am I right?
> 
> ...


ash ?
any more photos ?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 14, 2020)

By all accounts the invasive species you mention has a particular smell ... 

Ailanthus altissima smell - Google Search


----------



## Idaho (May 14, 2020)

editor said:


> View attachment 212508
> 
> View attachment 212509
> 
> ...


Ash was my first instinct. Ygrasil, the Nordic world tree was an ash. Perhaps you can summon Odin.


----------



## two sheds (May 14, 2020)

Looks like ash to me - has it got black buds?


----------



## editor (May 14, 2020)

Ooh, I think you must all be right! There was an ash tree in this particular post but it died about 2 years ago, but it's BACK!

#happy


----------



## Epona (May 15, 2020)

editor said:


> Ooh, I think you must all be right! There was an ash tree in this particular post but it died about 2 years ago, but it's BACK!
> 
> #happy
> 
> View attachment 212522



I think Ash is known for doing this - putting out side shoots and growing back from them and malarky of that nature - it's also the right time of year, it typically comes into leaf late, mid-May ish.

There is a massive (council owned) Ash tree right outside our flat and I fucking love it, it has been there probably since the estate was built in the mid 70s and is a magnificent and majestic thing of beauty.  It brings me a lot of happiness in an otherwise quite concretey part of London.  It is easy to see why it inspired Yggdrasil


----------



## gentlegreen (May 19, 2020)

I should know this one


----------



## gentlegreen (May 23, 2020)




----------



## Calamity1971 (May 23, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 214188


Common knapweed/hard head ?


----------



## StoneRoad (May 23, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 214188


Knapweed, at least I think that's what it is.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 23, 2020)

I hadn't considered that they were unopened flowers  
I have plantain on the brain at the moment ...

EDIT :-



> In the UK study published by the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, the plant was even more noteworthy for being the top producer of both nectar and pollen, when the amount of each were compared with the pollen production of the highest nectar producers and vice versa. Of the six species that produced more nectar than this plant, none of them produced a significant amount of pollen. The top producer of nectar was ragwort and the top producer of pollen was corn poppy.[2]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_nigra#cite_note-Meadows-2









						Centaurea nigra - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## campanula (May 23, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> I should know this one


 nectaroscordum siculum


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 24, 2020)

campanula said:


> nectaroscordum siculum


Gives me honey garlic when I Google. You ever tried it ? 
We need gentlegreen to have a munch on it of not


----------



## gentlegreen (May 24, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Gives me honey garlic when I Google. You ever tried it ?
> We need gentlegreen to have a munch on it of not


Makes you cry like onions apparently 

Six years to flower from seed...


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 24, 2020)

Slowly taking over the wildflower bed* at the plot 




*a square foot I left to its own devices bar weeding out the grass occasionally


----------



## gentlegreen (May 24, 2020)

Looks like evening primrose, but the tight rosette and branching look wrong.


----------



## campanula (May 24, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> Slowly taking over the wildflower bed* at the plot



I  grew a particular hound's tongue last year, which has just finished flowering...but these are popping up on my plot too, so thinking they  could be cynoglossum  volunteers. The flowers, like most in the borage family, are blue (although cynoglossum hungaricum has deep red flowers). Do you grow scabious or knautia?


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 24, 2020)

campanula said:


> I  grew a particular hound's tongue last year, which has just finished flowering...but these are popping up on my plot too, so thinking they  could be cynoglossum  volunteers. The flowers, like most in the borage family, are blue (although cynoglossum hungaricum has deep red flowers). Do you grow scabious or knautia?


I don't really grow flowers


----------



## rubbershoes (May 27, 2020)

This is on the riverbank. Not sure what it is, maybe a lily?


----------



## clicker (May 27, 2020)

Or an iris?


----------



## campanula (May 27, 2020)

Yep, it is our common yellow flag - iris pseudacorus.


----------



## chainsawjob (May 27, 2020)

This self-seeded in an empty plant pot, I've potted it up again and it's growing like mad, especially the main stem which is shooting up. I thought it was leycesteria formosa (which I've just learnt is Himalyan honeysuckle, which sounds worryingly like Himalyan balsam) but having looked at some pics I'm now not so sure. The leaves at the base are quite a different shape from the new growth at the top. I've grown leycesteria before though, and it was nice. Any ideas?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 27, 2020)

chainsawjob said:


> This self-seeded in an empty plant pot, I've potted it up again and it's growing like mad, especially the main stem which is shooting up. I thought it was leycesteria formosa (which I've just learnt is Himalyan honeysuckle, which sounds worryingly like Himalyan balsam) but having looked at some pics I'm now not so sure. The leaves at the base are quite a different shape from the new growth at the top. I've grown leycesteria before though, and it was nice. Any ideas


Are you sure it's not two different plants ?
The lower leaves look a bit clematisy...


----------



## campanula (May 28, 2020)

I think it is honeysuckle - lonicera japonica 'Halliana'. There is often a different leave shape with newer leaves having indented edges.


----------



## chainsawjob (May 28, 2020)

Thanks both. That would make sense campanula as it's growing beneath honeysuckle hanging over the fence from next door. I don't really need more honeysuckle! This mentions it's a non native species, aka Japanese honeysuckle, and has become invasive in some other countries. Hmm. I guess it's ok in a pot, I've got some trellis I could grow it up (and become Mrs Trellis from South Wales).


----------



## campanula (May 28, 2020)

Japanese honeysuckle is incredibly fragrant...but I wouldn't be growing it in a garden as it is a beast. There are much more mannerly  lonicera's than Halliana, with far better flowers. If it is next door, you should get the benefits of fragrance with none of the drawbacks (such as cutting back several times a year...which leads to vast twiggy amounts of dead wood as it branches like crazy).


----------



## chainsawjob (May 28, 2020)

campanula said:


> Japanese honeysuckle is incredibly fragrant...but I wouldn't be growing it in a garden as it is a beast. There are much more mannerly  lonicera's than Halliana, with far better flowers. If it is next door, you should get the benefits of fragrance with none of the drawbacks (such as cutting back several times a year...which leads to vast twiggy amounts of dead wood as it branches like crazy).


It's in a pot. Will it like it I wonder? I don't have any bare earth, so I won't be planting it in the ground. I checked what sort of honeysuckle is coming over the fence from next door and it's ordinary native honeysuckle. It's just starting to smell lovely. So I don't know where this Japanese variety has blown in from. If it's invasive in some countries I guess it's pretty good at getting around and getting a toehold.


----------



## campanula (May 28, 2020)

The flowers of our native woodbines are often flushed with red and are much larger than Japanese honeysuckle. I think the anomalous leaves are quite common with  many  twining loniceras. Japanese honeysuckle flowers are quite small, opening white and changing to yellow when they have been pollinated. You have nothing to lose by continuing to grow it in it's pot - they are not too demanding although it might be prone to a touch of powdery mildew if it gets too dry.  I bloody love free plants (volunteer seedlings). I remember reading about someone who simply stretched a wire between 2 posts which was  then used by perching (and pooing) birds.  In a  decade or so, a diverse and productive hedge  established itself.


----------



## sunnysidedown (May 28, 2020)

my thoughts are a Sorbus of some description, a Rowan perhaps?


----------



## chainsawjob (May 29, 2020)

campanula said:


> I bloody love free plants (volunteer seedlings). I remember reading about someone who simply stretched a wire between 2 posts which was then used by perching (and pooing) birds. In a decade or so, a diverse and productive hedge established itself.



How clever! Yeah I love free plants too. I've been clearing the weeds from between my block paving, and what used to be there (presumably) before the paving went down is still trying to grow up through the cracks. There have been strawberries and all sorts. So I've got several plants that I've carefully pulled out and am trying to nurture into continuing growing. I've got a few mystery things wilting a bit in plant pots waiting to see what they grow into. Some are from seeds blown in I guess, I don't think the hawthorn is going to make it, I've been told they have very deep roots, but it's surprising how much root a plant can be parted from and still manage to grow.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 29, 2020)

Having lived in the same small house and garden for 36 years, I don't have many things that haven't self-seeded from my own plants (including date palms and avocado from discarded stones) apart from dandelions. thistles several species of willowherb and the odd buddleia - and hairy bittercress that probably came in with plants .. I had a cleaver spring up in my hanging basket this year.
Someone posted up a photo of annual mercury the other day and I realised I hadn't encountered one for years so had a close look at one in the park since I'm a euphorbia fan ...

I did get  a very small thornapple from birdseed some years back 



And I held out till the last moment to cut down my path thistle


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 31, 2020)

Any idea on what this little fella is?



Found a cluster of them on a fleece bag covering something up. Think it’s been eating plum tree leaves.


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 31, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> Any idea on what this little fella is?
> 
> View attachment 215608
> 
> Found a cluster of them on a fleece bag covering something up. Think it’s been eating plum tree leaves.


Looks like brown tail moth. According to Google it munches on fruit trees. They don't stay for long but do a fair bit of damage.
The Brown-tail Moth and what to do if you see it
ETA, hope I'm wrong, itchy wee shits going by that article.


----------



## two sheds (May 31, 2020)

campanula said:


> I remember reading about someone who simply stretched a wire between 2 posts which was  then used by perching (and pooing) birds.  In a  decade or so, a diverse and productive hedge  established itself.



Yes clever  . You can tell the trees birds perch in because they've got hawthorns and things but mainly brambles growing below them.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 31, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Looks like brown tail moth. According to Google it munches on fruit trees. They don't stay for long but do a fair bit of damage.
> The Brown-tail Moth and what to do if you see it
> ETA, hope I'm wrong, itchy wee shits going by that article.



Didn't touch him, know enough to not go near hairy caterpillars.

Doesn't look quite right to me but very very close.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 31, 2020)

Think he's a gypsy moth caterpillar, he's got the right face and blue spots.









						Gypsy moth caterpillar
					

Project Noah is a tool that nature lovers can use to explore and document local wildlife and a common technology platform that research groups can use to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.




					www.projectnoah.org


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 31, 2020)

Looks like they're voracious eaters as well. I wonder why they are not common outside of London? 
Better than the one I though it was at least.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 31, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Looks like they're voracious eaters as well. I wonder why they are not common outside of London?
> Better than the one I though it was at least.



The females don't fly apparently, limits the spread. It's a non-native that made it over here in 1900s.

There's more info on forestry site suggested you should report them so might do that tomorrow.


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 31, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> The females don't fly apparently, limits the spread. It's a non-native that made it over here in 1900s.
> 
> There's more info on forestry site suggested you should report them so might do that tomorrow.


Yeh, rhs suggest you report it too. I just took for granted you were another London urb.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 31, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Yeh, rhs suggest you report it too. I just took for granted you were another London urb.



Just barely with M25 so close but I'm in Essex technically


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 31, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> Just barely with M25 so close but I'm in Essex technically


Expect the caterpillar hit sqaud in Essex soon then. Still London to me, but I'm a northerner and with a crap sense of geography to boot.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2020)

As expected, the seeds that were mis-sold to me on Ebay as "wasabi" have sprouted.
It's clearly in the mint family.
Last time I thought it must be catmint because of the unholy stink.
this time I'm detecting a fair bit of lemon and a lot of mint  
I will update with photos as it grows and flowers ...


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 3, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> As expected, the seeds that were mis-sold to me on Ebay as "wasabi" have sprouted.
> It's clearly in the mint family.
> Last time I thought it must be catmint because of the unholy stink.
> this time I'm detecting a fair bit of lemon and a lot of mint
> ...



Some sort of lemon balm? I have no idea what cat mint smells like.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> Some sort of lemon balm? I have no idea what cat mint smells like.


Definitely not lemon balm as I've had that growing for years.
This is definitely minty


----------



## Callie (Jun 3, 2020)

I can post you a cat if you want test out the cat mint theory? Maybe throw some on the pavement and see if any arrive?  One of mine has been rolling around in dried bay leaves post pruning though so some cats are less discerning  she also goes nuts for olives?!


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2020)

Callie said:


> I can post you a cat if you want test out the cat mint theory? Maybe throw some on the pavement and see if any arrive?  One of mine has been rolling around in dried bay leaves post pruning though so some cats are less discerning  she also goes nuts for olives?!


That was my plan last time and currently there are more cats about.
Annoyingly this time it smells actually pleasant. Perhaps the smell develops when it gets a bit bigger ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 10, 2020)

There are some community raised veggie beds in the local park and there's a big patch of what look like something in the pea family - can't tell if it's deliberate - perhaps it's some sort of clover being used as green manure ...
There are quite a few black nightshade seedlings too - I haven't seen those since I had an allotment ... perhaps people think they're potatoes ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 15, 2020)

I'm annoyed by some of the trees in my local park.
I didn't note what the flowers were like on this small tree...perhaps they were attractive - perhaps the fruits are attractive later.... perhaps they'll end up being malus-y ...
The key thing I noticed is that the tip-most leaf is palmate, but the rest of them aren't.
Google images thinks it's coca


----------



## iona (Jun 18, 2020)

Any ideas what this is?

I thought maybe nemesia based on the highly scientific ID method of having seen some for sale recently that at a glance looked vaguely similar.


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## campanula (Jun 19, 2020)

iona said:


> Any ideas what this is?




mimulus luteus - aka monkey flower. Likes it wet.


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## iona (Jun 19, 2020)

campanula said:


> mimulus luteus - aka monkey flower. Likes it wet.


Oh yeah, there was a pink mimulus in another pot actually so not sure why I didn't work that out  Fuck knows why it suddenly sprung to life in the dry spell we've just had then (it's in one of the old pots I've not dealt with yet and don't really bother watering)


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## campanula (Jun 19, 2020)

iona said:


> Oh yeah, there was a pink mimulus in another pot actually so not sure why I didn't work that out  Fuck knows why it suddenly sprung to life in the dry spell we've just had then (it's in one of the old pots I've not dealt with yet and don't really bother watering)



They are bred to have a bit more resistance than the species (which are always yellow with speckled throats) and are definitely bog plants. I think mimulus aurianticus is in the mix somewhere as these multti-coloured mumulus are garden hybrids.  The aurianticus is totally different, making vigorous woody shrubby growth, with  orange or red flowers. Even so, your mimulus (I think it looks like one of the 'Magic' series) will last longer and flower more profusely if the pots do not dry out. Also, they will run to seed very quickly indeed if it seems like they are going to have a short and difficult life (like all our recently bolting lettuce) since their whole purpose in life is to regenerate through seed.
I am in the hottest, driest part of the UK though. A moister maritime climate might preserve yout plants from drought induced death.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 23, 2020)




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## Calamity1971 (Jun 23, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> View attachment 219089


Loosestrife firecracker? 
PlantFiles Pictures: Fringed Loosestrife 'Firecracker' (Lysimachia ciliata) by poisondartfrog


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 23, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Loosestrife firecracker?
> PlantFiles Pictures: Fringed Loosestrife 'Firecracker' (Lysimachia ciliata) by poisondartfrog


Thanks


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 23, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Thanks


Stunning plant , looked on a few sites and they're quoting 15 quid! Has it popped up in you're garden or out and about?


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## gentlegreen (Jun 23, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> Stunning plant , looked on a few sights and they're quoting 15 quid! Has it popped up in you're garden or out and about?


In a community herbaceous border in the local park.
I think lobelias would come first on my list, but it would be very nice to have as a "weed" ...though it's a new planting seen in bright sunlight. A decent size patch would be rather impressive.


----------



## platinumsage (Jun 24, 2020)

Does anyone recognise this tree? (In a forest in England)


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 24, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Does anyone recognise this tree? (In a forest in England)
> 
> View attachment 219146
> View attachment 219147
> View attachment 219148



Black Poplar I think, do you know if it had catkins earlier in the year?


----------



## Brainaddict (Jun 24, 2020)

It's definitely a poplar, but most likely to be a hybrid that includes black poplar. Actual native black poplars aren't very common.


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## campanula (Jun 27, 2020)

Yes, I also think it is a hybrid poplar - probably something like 'Serotina' a cross between the American p.deltoides x our native black polar p.nigra. I have a poplar wood - actually one of the last remaining old Bryant & May plantations from the  50ss. I knew next to nothing about them (apart from the Lombardy poplars used for windbreaks) but have become something of a poplar fan. They are incredibly fast growing - a couple of metres a year - and have often been considered as weed trees (obviously I disagree).


----------



## platinumsage (Jun 27, 2020)

I went through all the trees on the woodland trust website but passed over black poplar because the leaves they pictured looked too pointy, but I don't think they've chosen the best example.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 27, 2020)

campanula said:


> I have a poplar wood - actually one of the last remaining old Bryant & May plantations from the  50s


As you do 
Well that's something I've learned today. I may suggest that to my brother when he eventually has to get the poplars on his paddock pruned.
My first thing was to see what edible fungi would grow on them.
He actually rents out some of the space to a chap who produces kindling -.  never thought to ask where that wood comes from .... ...


----------



## campanula (Jun 28, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> As you do


I know. It was a result of some fallout in sweetheart's family...and a bit of a guilt payment. Long story, but we ended up with £34,000. What can you actually do with that amount? It's not really life-changing. We rent a council house and have owned nothing in our entire lives. Seemed obvious to us, to buy land. And woodland has all sorts of odd exemptions regarding use, so we bought a tiny, pocket wood, around 2 hectares, for just over £30,000. We bought an ancient wooden horsebox - an old Leyland Daf, and spent the change on insulation and cladding, built a compost toilet and generally just hang out in the wood, growing trees, planting hedges, watching wildlife, sowing seeds. Took us a whole year to cut and hack out way to the middle, where we felled a dozen trees to make a sunny clearing.
We don't really hold with the idea of private land so we opened a ride through for dogwalkers and naturalists and such, and see ourselves as stewards, rather than owners, of a really precious little island of diversity in the middle of industrial farming Norfolk. We are friends with a neighbouting farmer...an ancient (83) libertarian, anti-authority type...and have learned a fair bit, going both ways. This year, he has adopted no-till with grazing leys comprised of red clover, sainfoin, buckwheats...(it has taken around 5 years for all the old chemicals to finally leach away from the topsoil) and has put 15 sheep in a corner of our wood (I get the fleeces and meat). It's a last adventure, really...and we have had no doubts whatsoever that buying a little wood was one of the best decisions we have ever made..


----------



## campanula (Jun 28, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> As you do


I know. It was a result of some fallout in sweetheart's family...and a bit of a guilt payment. Long story, but we ended up with £34,000. What can you actually do with that amount? It's not really life-changing. We rent a council house and have owned nothing in our entire lives. Seemed obvious to us, to buy land. And woodland has all sorts of odd exemptions regarding use, so we bought a tiny, pocket wood, around 2 hectares, for just over £30,000. We bought an ancient wooden horsebox - an old Leyland Daf, and spent the change on insulation and cladding, built a compost toilet and generally just hang out in the wood, growing trees, planting hedges, watching wildlife, sowing seeds. Took us a whole year to cut and hack our way to the middle, where we felled a dozen trees to make a sunny clearing.
We don't really hold with the idea of private land so we opened a ride through for dogwalkers and naturalists and such, and see ourselves as stewards, rather than owners, of a really precious little island of diversity in the middle of industrial farming Norfolk. We are friends with a neighbouting farmer...an ancient (83) libertarian, anti-authority type...and have learned a fair bit, going both ways. This year, he has adopted no-till with grazing leys comprised of red clover, sainfoin, buckwheats...and has put 15 sheep in a corner of our wood (I get the fleeces and meat). It's a last adventure, really...and we have had no doubts whatsoever that buying a little wood was one of the best decisions we have ever made..


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 30, 2020)




----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 1, 2020)

This looks a bit buttercuppy ?


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## campanula (Jul 1, 2020)

It is a coreopsis, gentlegreen. Coreopsis verticillata - probably 'Moonlight'. 'Zagreb' is a deeper yellow. I find these US natives to be short-lived and temperamental...demanding the elusive 'moist but well drained' soil in sun.
The top is an allium...but wouldn't like to say which one. ''Schubertii'?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 1, 2020)

campanula said:


> It is a coreopsis, gentlegreen. Coreopsis verticillata - probably 'Moonlight'. 'Zagreb' is a deeper yellow. I find these US natives to be short-lived and temperamental...demanding the elusive 'moist but well drained' soil in sun.
> The top is an allium...but wouldn't like to say which one. ''Schubertii'?


growing "wild" at my place of work 

... where I have just spotted this ...

There used to be a patch of bee orchids elsewhere on the site ....

EDIT:- I think this might be Anacamptis pyramidalis - Google Search


----------



## iona (Jul 1, 2020)

Shit photos sorry, can't see my phone screen in sunshine


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 1, 2020)

Salvia, we have the same.


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## campanula (Jul 6, 2020)

salvia microphylla (although there is also salvia greggii and hybrids of both, salvia jamensis. My garden mainstays. I have loads of them because they can be propagated by simply poking a non-flowering bit of stem in soil.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 13, 2020)

This is some sort of bee-friendly minty-sagey thing and it absolutely reeks ...


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 13, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> This is some sort of bee-friendly minty-sagey thing and it absolutely reeks ...
> 
> View attachment 222059



Looks like it might be Meadow Clary


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 13, 2020)

" The meadow clary’s striking blue flowers and *wonderfully aromatic* leaves are a flower-arrangers' favourite. "



... but then rocket tastes like burnt rubber to me and I don't like coriander ...


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## campanula (Jul 13, 2020)

salvia pratensis, gentlegreen


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## gentlegreen (Jul 13, 2020)

campanula said:


> salvia pratensis, gentlegreen


It honks !
I suppose it might be welcome "in the mix", but definitely not one to crush and stuff up your nose !
(well not mine, anyway)


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## two sheds (Jul 18, 2020)

Anyone any idea? Really sweet little flower, only 1.5 cm across or so. Fleshy leaves look a bit alpine like? Old mineworks, so heavily polluted land, a lot of thrift around for same reason.


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 18, 2020)

A sedum of some sort. White star?
Maybe not, flowers are more pinkish aren't they?
English stonecrop perhaps.


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## two sheds (Jul 18, 2020)

Does look like, but only four petals, most look like they have five?


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 18, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Does look like, but only four petals, most look like they have five?


Yeh, just about to edit to say that. 
Paging campanula and gentlegreen


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## StoneRoad (Jul 18, 2020)

I'll go for Rhodiola rosea - Roseroot. (aka Sedum rosea or rhodiola) as the description says four petals.
[my Keeble Martin has most of the other Sedum with five or more petals]

alternative - sedum album (white stonecrop) but that has a branched flowering stem, and the flowers have more petals and longer stamens.


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## two sheds (Jul 18, 2020)

StoneRoad said:


> I'll go for Rhodiola rosea - Roseroot. (aka Sedum rosea or rhodiola) as the description says four petals.
> [my Keeble Martin has most of the other Sedum with five or more petals]
> 
> alternative - sedum album (white stonecrop) but that has a branched flowering stem, and the flowers have more petals and longer stamens.



Does certainly look like a sedum,  and like white stonecrop, but can't see any with four petals


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## two sheds (Jul 18, 2020)

Calamity1971 said:


> A sedum of some sort. White star?
> Maybe not, flowers are more pinkish aren't they?
> English stonecrop perhaps.



Yes I think the centre's pinkish and fluffy. Also given as a common flower around Cornish coast (the valley counts because of the mine waste).


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## campanula (Jul 22, 2020)

Yep, I thought sedum anglicum too. Four petals doesn't necessarily rule this out though - it is quite common for plants to have the odd anomalous flower form.


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## two sheds (Jul 22, 2020)

Thanks all - I think you're right then if it  can have 4 petals  I've tried taking seeds and it looks like you can plant them nowish so I'll give it a try  



> Various sedum species are often used for roofing (green roofing). This way of roofing actually began many centuries ago in Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
> 
> Apparently it gives insulation against the cold and the heat, helps absorb both rainwater and has the added advantahe of suppressing sound.


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 22, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Thanks all - I think you're right then if it  can have 4 petals  I've tried taking seeds and it looks like you can plant them nowish so I'll give it a try


Aren't they easy to propogate like succulents /cacti? If there's an abundance you could pick a couple of leaf things . Or would that be bad form ?.


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## two sheds (Jul 22, 2020)

Would love to - apparently you 'thin them out'  in spring for best results but it's an SSSI so I think I'd better not


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 22, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Would love to - apparently you 'thin them out'  in spring for best results but it's an SSSI so I think I'd better not


Oh   
So you thin the ' leaf blob things out' , got it


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## two sheds (Jul 24, 2020)

And yep thanks again people - must be English Stonecrop because I noticed a couple with five petals yesterday.


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## Calamity1971 (Jul 24, 2020)

This today on my walks , it has pea/ vetch like flowers .


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## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2020)

possibly black medick ?









						Medicago - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




The leaves look too narrow though ... 

It might even be alfalfa - which would be embarrassing as I grow the sprouts all the time


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## platinumsage (Jul 24, 2020)

Kidney Vetch


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## StoneRoad (Jul 24, 2020)

Anthyllis vulneraria, or Kidney Vetch

e2a - ref Keble Martin plate 23


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## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2020)

perhaps even medicago falcata (sickle-leaved) ?


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## platinumsage (Jul 24, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> possibly black medick ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In a big coincidence, that's the plant growing in the middle of my lawn that I've been wondering the identity of for some time. I even found one of the spiky spiral seeds yesterday on the patio and identified that as some sort of burdock, but didn't associate it with the plant on the lawn.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2020)

That's a truly bizarre common name !


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## gentlegreen (Aug 2, 2020)

Another mystery legume - sown in a local community veggie bed ...

EDIT:-
Crimson Clover  (Trifolium incarnatum)

I probably actually have seeds !
I bought some to sprout.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 5, 2020)

A mystery plant that has appeared in my front garden in the area where my compost bin used to be so masses of fruit seeds etc. I had a couple of date palms out of that bin and an avocado sprouted a year or two back, but sadly didn't survive the winter...

I hope it flowers sooner rather than later.
Something has rolled up a leaf or two on it so at least it's serving some purpose.
Initially it looked a bit tree-like, but it's rather sprawly ...


----------



## BCBlues (Aug 6, 2020)

This turned up in a pack of " birds bees and butterflies seeds". Looks a little bit naughty. Anyone know what it is?


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## two sheds (Aug 6, 2020)

hemp seed I'd say, I had similar grow round the bird feeders


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## gentlegreen (Aug 6, 2020)

Yes - not worth the bother of growing to maturity unless you want to make string - you'd need a boy and a girl to make more bird seed ...


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## BCBlues (Aug 6, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Yes - not worth the bother of growing to maturity unless you want to make string - you'd need a boy and a girl to make more bird seed ...



We'll probably just let it run its course. It's in the back garden so I dont think we'll be reported by the neighbours


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## danski (Aug 9, 2020)

Hello. Thread virgin here.

Out walking earlier, stopped dead in my tracks. The smell was divine.
Some type of jasmin?


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## campanula (Aug 10, 2020)

trachelospermum jasminoides


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## gentlegreen (Aug 10, 2020)

The leaves on mine are small and shiny though - so perhaps those belong to something else ?
I see they do a pink form... I wonder if it smells as nice ...


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## danski (Aug 10, 2020)

campanula said:


> trachelospermum jasminoides


Excellent! Many thanks


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## campanula (Aug 10, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> The leaves on mine are small and shiny though - so perhaps those belong to something else ?


 Yes, I was wondering about the leaves in the photo. I think the leaves on t.asiaticum are a little smaller than t.jasminoides...but the flowering period seemed right (unlike stephanotis). Now I am also thinking about mandevilla laxa aka Chilean jasmine...although from Bolivia.


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## campanula (Aug 10, 2020)

danski said:


> Excellent! Many thanks


I wouldn't bet the farm on it. GG (and myself) have some concerns about leaf shape so you could also look up mandevilla laxa  - another evergreen scrambler with fragrance. There is also something about the flower architecture (how they are clustered and arranged on the stem) where I have reservations. Plant ID used to be so much easier before globalisation in the horticulture trade moved up a notch from those old Victorian plant hunters in the colonies.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 10, 2020)

It sounds like another one i will want eventually.
My neighbours have an amazing climbing jasmine in their garden whose fragrance was amazingly strong back in April and May.
I must see if I can get a photo of the foliage ... another neigbour has a "jasmine" hedge that has hardly any fragrance at all ...


----------



## campanula (Aug 10, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> My neighbours have an amazing climbing jasmine in their garden whose fragrance was amazingly strong back in April and May.


Yes, my neighbour has one too. She had cut it right back...which was a huge relief cos I find the scent to be ghastly. Couldn't go into my garden from teatime on...for weeks. The only worst thing I have smelled, was something called tuberose (polianthes) You might like them though. Even some lilies are just too much for my nose. And, OMG - paperwhite narcissus. I like primrose and bluebell fragrances - light, floral, refreshing...not heavy, musky headache-y  plants.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 10, 2020)

campanula said:


> Yes, my neighbour has one too. She had cut it right back...which was a huge relief cos I find the scent to be ghastly. Couldn't go into my garden from teatime on...for weeks. The only worst thing I have smelled, was something called tuberose (polianthes) You might like them though. Even some lilies are just too much for my nose. And, OMG - paperwhite narcissus. I like primrose and bluebell fragrances - light, floral, refreshing...not heavy, musky headache-y  plants.


I have to confess I asked if it was (a particularly good) synthetic laundry fragrance !
I'm generally quite keen on strong fragrance so long as I can pin it down.
I'm constantly amazed by the vile stuff people dunk themselves in that is presumably some cheap industrial chemical that they have learned to like by virtue of it being associated with some celeb or other.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 11, 2020)

Any ideas ?

No others anywhere near - just long grass ...

EDIT:-

I reckon I'm going to have to carefully remove one of the pods and see if there are any seeds that will sprout - they're not going to fare well in such lush grass anyway ...
Incidentally, the experimental meadow at work has lots of ripe yellow rattle seeds (parasite), so perhaps I should sneakily germinate some and see if I can't give this patch of grass a bit of a challenge ...


----------



## two sheds (Aug 12, 2020)

Another one peoples: from valley again looks similar and possibly sedum again?


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 12, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Another one peoples: from valley again looks similar and possibly sedum again?
> 
> View attachment 226209


looks a bit buttercuppy (ranunculacea)


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 12, 2020)

Three years after encountering reseda lutea "dyer's weld" for the first time - in the cabbage family, like woad,  (but used as a *yellow* dye, and in combination you get Lincoln green ..) - and a load of it has sprung up on a dry bank outside an office development near where I work.
I'm growing its garden relative "mignonette" though it's not managing to compete with my industrial quantity of nicotianas, my brugmansia and trachelospermum. Next time the neighbours are out, I'll pop next door and get my nose up close and personal ... 

I wonder if the wild plant is loose in the area because of its industrial uses - like teasels are ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2020)

I foolishly told my crafty colleague and she wants me to plunder them 
I'll leave  plenty of leaves in case they want to go perennial.

To be fair, I suspect I'm the only one who appreciates them and they'll likely get strimmed at some point ...









						Growing Weld
					

An article by Ashley Walker © copyright 2016 Weld or Dyer’s Rocket (Reseda luteola) is a UK naturalised biennial wild flower that prefers to grow on chalk or limestone soil. It has pale yellow flow…



					www.naturesrainbow.co.uk
				





			Weld Dyeing | Wild Colours natural dyes


----------



## campanula (Aug 13, 2020)

two sheds said:


> Another one peoples: from valley again looks similar and possibly sedum again?
> 
> View attachment 226209


 Not a plant I have personally grown but mazus reptans alba is a popular carpeting plant.


----------



## two sheds (Aug 13, 2020)

them and buttercups look close but the leaves don't quite look right. I'll try to take a better photo.


----------



## heinous seamus (Aug 13, 2020)

I took a photo of something similar the other day.


----------



## campanula (Aug 13, 2020)

ooooh on the tip of my....
frantically searches for Keble-Martin


----------



## two sheds (Aug 13, 2020)

yes that's much better photo and looks like - spikey little leaves, ever so sweet little flowers 

mine was in a valley with high levels of heavy metal concentration so poor soil, with a lot of thrift around that also thrives on coastlines with salty soil that other plants don't do well on.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 13, 2020)

Oh I can see the mintyness now.
Does it have square stems ?
Are the flowers asymmetrical ?


----------



## two sheds (Aug 13, 2020)

I shall check tomorrow
Looked symmetrical to me.


----------



## StoneRoad (Aug 13, 2020)

I've had a scan into my Keble Martin ...

Plate 64 - Euphrasia brevipila , commonly known as Short-haired Eyebright.


----------



## heinous seamus (Aug 13, 2020)

Good shout. I didn't even notice the lilac streaks on the flowers but when I zoom in I can see them.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 14, 2020)

Wow.
A lovely new parasitic orobanche :}


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 14, 2020)

I'm guessing these are wild lettuce  ...



And wild chicory - in this instance not deliberately planted ? Though the flowers are pretty ..


----------



## two sheds (Aug 15, 2020)

StoneRoad said:


> I've had a scan into my Keble Martin ...
> 
> Plate 64 - Euphrasia brevipila , commonly known as Short-haired Eyebright.



Yep similarly I went and had a look and there were no lilac streaks as I got closer and closer and then oooh lilic streaks. Really good spot 

I miss my Keeble Martin - I've bought at least three copies and lost all of them somehow I don't really understand. Unless my last copy is hiding somewhere.


----------



## StoneRoad (Aug 15, 2020)

I bought my hardback copy of K-M as a student in the mid - 1970s, on the advice of a geography / ecology lecturer.

The binding is beginning to suffer a little, but I don't take it in the field these days. I've a couple of "pocket" floras for expeditions, and I take pictures for the ones I really can't recognise.


----------



## campanula (Aug 15, 2020)

two sheds said:


> I miss my Keeble Martin - I've bought at least three copies and lost all of them somehow I don't really understand. Unless my last copy is hiding somewhere.


I keep one in my horsebox and one at home (which I cannot find). My eldest 'borrowed' one .
and I gave a copy to daughter...so that's at least 4 copies which have passed through my hands. Francis Rose has a decent publication (The Wild Flower Key) which, similarly to KM, lists plants by family...but in truth, KM is really the unrivalled one for all idents.

I collect and use eyebright for my collie (which is why it was so tantalisingly familiar...

Since getting a smart phone, I have tried various identification apps...all hopeless,  complete waste of time. Plant This didn't even recognise geranium wallichianum 'Rozanne' - surely the most photographed and easily identifiable hardy geranium ever...coming up with g.sylvaticum, even g.sanguineum (!)...and if you put in a plant which veers ever so slightly  from the common top100 plants (such as calceolaria mexicana)...absolutely useless.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 16, 2020)

Reseda lutea produces a shitload of ripe-looking seed - even with the seed pods still green.
I may have to seek out some waste ground near where I work to deliberately infest in case my colleague takes a liking to it...
I went next door while my neighbours were out and stuck its supposed fragrant cousin - reseda odorata up my nose and couldn't detect anything ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 17, 2020)

So I responsibly harvest some off each of the plants on Friday and cycling home this evening I see they've mown the lot 
I could have harvested 10 times as much as I did ...

I'm definitely going to have to seed the storm drainage ditch opposite ...


----------



## platinumsage (Aug 20, 2020)

These seeds are blowing everywhere today, they're all in the house etc.

Any ideas? All I can tell is that they've evolved to be wind-born.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 20, 2020)

silver birch ?

Though it seems a bit early 

(I cheated - my first random thought was hydrangea)



			winged seed - Google Search


----------



## BoatieBird (Aug 21, 2020)

Silver birch. We used to have one in the garden and our house would be littered with them.
There's one a few gardens away so we still get a fair few blowing through the house.


----------



## wayward bob (Aug 21, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> this is one of the large lumpy trees in the park - horse chestnut?
> 
> in the first branching there's a blossoming shrub growing - any guesses?
> 
> View attachment 208276


this shrub now has yellow berries. any more guesses pls?


----------



## Brainaddict (Aug 21, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> this shrub now has yellow berries. any more guesses pls?


Huh, I would have guessed viburnum opulus, but that has red berries.


----------



## wayward bob (Aug 21, 2020)

i wonder if they have more ripening to do still...


----------



## Brainaddict (Aug 21, 2020)

Sorry, I wrote the wrong thing so just had to edit that post


----------



## two sheds (Aug 21, 2020)

Now if they were _white_ berries I'd suggest snowberries. 

But since they're not, I won't


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 21, 2020)

Brainaddict said:


> Huh, I would have guessed viburnum opulus, but that has red berries.





			Viburnum opulus 'Xanthocarpum' - Google Search


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## wayward bob (Aug 21, 2020)

gentlegreen said:


> Viburnum opulus 'Xanthocarpum' - Google Search


i think the leaves are more simple/less lobed than that, and the berries look to be evenly distributed, rather than bunches (panicles?). if i ever remember to take a camera/phone with me i'll try to get a better pic


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## campanula (Aug 21, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> i think the leaves are more simple/less lobed than that, and the berries look to be evenly distributed, rather than bunches (panicles?). if i ever remember to take a camera/phone with me i'll try to get a better pic


Could be one of the golden- berried crabs such as Golden Hornet. Was the blossom white? Apart from that (and the viburnum), can only think of pyracantha, sorbus and the orange-y sea buckthorn...O and prunus cerasifera (mirabelle plums) and a quite rare  willow leaved cotoneaster.


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## wayward bob (Aug 21, 2020)

yes, it was, big blousy blossoms


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## campanula (Aug 22, 2020)

wayward bob said:


> yes, it was, big blousy blossoms


Ah, that narrows it down quite a bit so I would be looking at flowering crabapples. There is one called Golden Raindrops which has fairly small, simple leaves. I have a few native crabs in my wood (malus sylvestris) which, thinking about it, has yellowish/greenish fruits....as well as a few with more exotic lineages. Try to get a hold of some of the fruit, Bob. The ornamental crabs make lovely trees and can be used for bonsai work. Flowering cherries don't really make my heart flutter (apart from our gean cherries - prunus avium) but the crabs are a different proposition, having such a wide range of species in their breeding.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 22, 2020)

Right on cue these have just started coming in through the window ..
I don't know where the nearest silver birch is ...


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## StoneRoad (Aug 22, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> These seeds are blowing everywhere today, they're all in the house etc.
> 
> Any ideas? All I can tell is that they've evolved to be wind-born.
> 
> View attachment 227290



Pretty sure those are Elm or Wych Elm. Most likely the Wych, as it has some resistance to the killer fungus Ceratocystis ulmi (aka Dutch Elm Disease) and seeds freely.


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## heinous seamus (Aug 22, 2020)

I thought they looked like elm too but all the elm seeds are long gone here.


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## two sheds (Aug 22, 2020)

We still do have loads of elms round here but they all die off when they hit 20 ft or so. They have really strange bark, really wrinkled which I thought was disease but they're apparently supposed to be like that 

I loved elms  Majestic tree huge they were and offset at the top remember them from the 70s.

I got four or five "disease resistant" elms from a Scottish bloke. They look ok so far but tallest is still only 10 ft high so I can only hope 🤞


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## heinous seamus (Aug 24, 2020)

I made a wee shelf out of a piece of burry elm last week actually. Not that practical, but  I think it looks nice


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## Lord Camomile (Aug 24, 2020)

Friend gave me this as a gift. When I asked what it was, she said "a bush"  

Any ideas?!


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## gentlegreen (Aug 24, 2020)

erythroxylon coca ?


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## wayward bob (Aug 25, 2020)

campanula said:


> Ah, that narrows it down quite a bit so I would be looking at flowering crabapples.


i think this could be it  i got verrrry stuck in the small/far away thing  

and i guess it's rooted in the first branch of the tree like a bonsai  we have a load of tree stumps that are sprouting other flowering/fruiting things in that bit of the park - that would be a deliberate choice then? i love it


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## heinous seamus (Aug 29, 2020)

Sorry for the terrible picture, anyone know what this is? Closest I can find is grass of Parnassus but I'm not sure. It was at the bottom of Schiehallion in Perthshire, where incidentally there was also loads of eyebright!


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## gentlegreen (Aug 29, 2020)

It looks quite  Ranunculaceae-y to me - a bit marsh marigoldy, a bit anemone-y, a bit helleborey  

What's than encircling leaf form called ? - whorled ?

edit :-

perfoliate

EDIT, I reckon you have it right ...









						Parnassia palustris - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## gentlegreen (Aug 30, 2020)

This mystery tree in my front garden is presumably some sort of prunus.
I crushed a leaf and got a delightful hit of almond / cyanide.
I spotted another one growing out of a wall down the road, so I'm guessing it could be bird-sown rather than any cherry pits that ended up out there ..


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## gentlegreen (Sep 7, 2020)

I'm really enjoying this series of videos about wild flowers...


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## gentlegreen (Sep 7, 2020)




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## StoneRoad (Sep 7, 2020)

Parnassus was the nickname given to the wooden clad "demountable" that was the sixth form "common room / tutor rooms"  at my first secondary school (before it transmuted into a comprehensive).
I always wondered what it was named after ...


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## gentlegreen (Sep 12, 2020)

I noticed this plant growing here maybe 20 years ago and assumed it had been lost because it was initially clambering over this house's heating flue.

I'm amazed it has been so successful as it's fairly poisonous and is at a busy part of the Bristol to Bath railway path.
Perhaps even more amazing is that I only just noticed how well it's done this year after 3 months of cycling past it !
Perhaps it shows how attentive I am as a cyclist at quite a complicated junction.

I know what it is and it's one I look out for because it's the sole UK native member of a commercially important family of fruiting plants. I have just been reminded that a second plant with the same name is in an entirely different family.


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## VfromtheG (Mar 12, 2021)

Virginia Creeper vine :/


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## gentlegreen (Mar 12, 2021)

VfromtheG said:


> Virginia Creeper vine :/


white briony
related to cucumber


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## gentlegreen (Mar 12, 2021)

I cycled past on Monday and the owner of the hedge had got inspired by some path improvement and sadly it is no more


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## porp (Mar 16, 2021)

Lovely thread .

I was walking along the canal towpath and saw this, any idea what it is? I'm no naturalist so if it's something super-obvious that I should know, then sorry.


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## gentlegreen (Mar 16, 2021)

porp said:


> Lovely thread .
> 
> I was walking along the canal towpath and saw this, any idea what it is? I'm no naturalist so if it's something super-obvious that I should know, then sorry.
> 
> View attachment 258910


my first impulse would be to suggest some sort of garden escape euphorbia ...


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## prunus (Mar 16, 2021)

porp said:


> Lovely thread .
> 
> I was walking along the canal towpath and saw this, any idea what it is? I'm no naturalist so if it's something super-obvious that I should know, then sorry.
> 
> View attachment 258910



Looks like a variety of euphorbia to me.

e2a: snap

e2a2: yes, Euphorbia lathyris, commonly known as caper spurge.


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## gentlegreen (Mar 16, 2021)

a key diagnostic in the absence of flowers would be to see if it contains corrosive white sap ...


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## prunus (Mar 16, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> This mystery tree in my front garden is presumably some sort of prunus.
> I crushed a leaf and got a delightful hit of almond / cyanide.
> I spotted another one growing out of a wall down the road, so I'm guessing it could be bird-sown rather than any cherry pits that ended up out there ..
> 
> View attachment 228571



Looks most like a peach to me.  And I should know


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## gentlegreen (Mar 16, 2021)

prunus said:


> Looks most like a peach to me.  And I should know


Could be - given that was where I used to have a compost bin - I even had an avocado for a while - though the winter got it


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## gentlegreen (Mar 16, 2021)

Right on cue, the street cleaner is hacking down my unofficial pavement garden at the base of my garden wall.
I will sow some more verbena bonariensis seeds later ...


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## porp (Mar 16, 2021)

prunus said:


> Looks like a variety of euphorbia to me.
> 
> e2a: snap
> 
> e2a2: yes, Euphorbia lathyris, commonly known as caper spurge.


Thank you Gentlegreen and Prunus.


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## iona (Mar 27, 2021)

What is this I accidentallied the other day, please? Someone left her in a bin bag on the pavement with a sign that just said her name was Hyacinth and she needed a new home, so obvs I had to rescue her


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## gentlegreen (Mar 27, 2021)

iona said:


> What is this I accidentallied the other day, please? Someone left her in a bin bag on the pavement with a sign that just said her name was Hyacinth and she needed a new home, so obvs I had to rescue her


looks somewhat like a hydrangea


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## prunus (Mar 27, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> looks somewhat like a hydrangea



I would say it definitely is. Lazy person’s way of finding out the pH of their soil - plant it out and wait for it to flower - more bluey purple - acid - more pinky - alkaline. 

It flowers on last year’s growth, so don’t prune it til after it’s flowered, if you want flowers this year.

Unkillable. (This is not a challenge...)


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## gentlegreen (Mar 27, 2021)

I was going to say those shoots look like the "mountain vegetables" they enjoy in Japan, but apparently hydrangeas are stuffed full of
Cyanogenic glycosides


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## iona (Mar 27, 2021)

Ta. There's actually a couple of hydrangeas I look after at work so I really should've recognised it but I don't like them and my brain refuses to hang on to any information I don't find interesting


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## campanula (Mar 29, 2021)

O iona, I was a hydrangea refusnik for the longest time... and still wouldn't wish for a nophead type...but my goodness, some of the paniculata, lacecaps and gorgeous oak leaved variety are lovely. I recently bought one called Hayes starburst hydrangea. I cycle in and out of these likes and dislikes and am often amazed at the sheer number of 180 degree turnabouts I make. After years of loathing euphorbias, I find I am an enthuriatic convert - not least because I figured I had finally reached a level of sophistication to fully appreciate green flowers and foliage.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 1, 2021)

Something ericaceous with spines in the park ...


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## prunus (Apr 1, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> Something ericaceous with spines in the park ...
> 
> View attachment 261272



Wintergreen or Chinese barberry.


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## campanula (Apr 1, 2021)

struggling to see the flowers, gentlegreen, but there is something of osmanthus heterophyllus. Cannot think immediately of a rhodie with serrated leaves. Did wonder about kalmia but colour?
Scale is problematic for me as I cannot really get an idea of size at all.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 1, 2021)

campanula said:


> struggling to see the flowers, gentlegreen, but there is something of osmanthus heterophyllus. Cannot think immediately of a rhodie with serrated leaves. Did wonder about kalmia but colour?
> Scale is problematic for me as I cannot really get an idea of size at all.


my first thought was pieris, but I don't think I've ever actually seen one close up.
leaves are a bit rhodi/azalea in scale. flowers def a bit ericaceous. / mahonia-ish.
it was the massive thorns that caught my attention.
I'll try to get better photos.
It's recently been heavily pruned.

edit. that's odd .. had it in my head that berberis / mahonia were in the ericacea.


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## campanula (Apr 2, 2021)

No, not pieris - the flower racemes are much droopier and floriferous.  Cripes,my eyes! I didn't even notice the thorns. Berberis julianae has serrated leaves and those stem thorns - a bit thrown by the colour which is generally yellowish but the architecture certainly fits, so I think prunus is probably on the button.
Would agree that berberis and mahonia are both calcifuge but are not in the heath family (ericacea).  Just looked and they are in the berberidaceae (which figures, I guess).


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## smmudge (Apr 10, 2021)

I think I may have left this thinking it looked nice, however now I see it has embarked on a campaign of spreading its seeds as much as it can! What it is and maybe I should dig it up plus all its children? It is in one of the sunnier parts of my borders.


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## prunus (Apr 11, 2021)

smmudge said:


> I think I may have left this thinking it looked nice, however now I see it has embarked on a campaign of spreading its seeds as much as it can! What it is and maybe I should dig it up plus all its children? It is in one of the sunnier parts of my borders.
> 
> View attachment 262684



I think what you have there is the Blessed Herb, or wood aven.  Used in herbal medicine for its astringent properties and for stomach upsets.  Also wards off evil spirits.  I could well be wrong though so don’t go making any tea from it on my identification!


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## smmudge (Apr 11, 2021)

prunus said:


> I think what you have there is the Blessed Herb, or wood aven.  Used in herbal medicine for its astringent properties and for stomach upsets.  Also wards off evil spirits.  I could well be wrong though so don’t go making any tea from it on my identification!



Oh that sounds lovely. Unfortunately my wife also asked Facebook and everyone there said it's wood aven but also an annoying weed, so it's getting dug up today and replaced with sweet peas we need to plant out. I told her what you said about it helping stomach upsets and warding off evil spirits, but I think it just diminished her opinion of the boards somewhat


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## campanula (Apr 12, 2021)

Yep, wood avens. It is a terrible seeder, but is also the main food plant of the orange tip butterfly so maybe watch out for the small yellow flowers and behead them before they get a chance to set seed.


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 21, 2021)

This been planted on my daily walk round the local gardens. Very prehistoric looking and very large?


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## campanula (Apr 21, 2021)

looks like a phormium. Back in the 90s, these were everywhere. The p.cookianum tricolour species grow to about 120cm and can have some impressive stripes - 'Sundowner', 'Cream Delight' and the gothic 'Platt's Black', for example. The much larger  (and drabber) phormium tenax can reach over 2m, with 3m flower spikes. Personally, I dislike them intensely, not least because of a propensity to harbour mealy bugs in the blade axils.


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 21, 2021)

Must've been donated a job lot as they're in clumps all over the grounds. 
Cheers campanula


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## two sheds (Apr 21, 2021)

Probably isn't but looks like pendulous sedge, too. There was one in the hedge over the road from me and I hadn't realized how invasive they are - absolute thugs. I must have let it seed because the field next to me had hundreds of the little fuckers come up that I've been pulling out over the last couple of year because if _they _seed my garden's going to be full of them 





> A useful saying to tell grasses, sedges and rushes apart (although this is not strictly true for all species) is: 'sedges have edges, rushes are round and grasses are hollow right up from the ground'. (woodlandtrust)


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 21, 2021)

two sheds said:


> View attachment 264355
> 
> Probably isn't but looks like pendulous sedge, too. There was one in the hedge over the road from me and I hadn't realized how invasive they are - absolute thugs. I must have let it seed because the field next to me had hundreds of the little fuckers come up that I've been pulling out over the last couple of year because if _they _seed my garden's going to be full of them


Leaves look wider on what's been planted. Volunteer gardeners are in on Thursdays so I'll ask them. Bloody horrible whatever they are.


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## two sheds (Apr 21, 2021)

The ones I'm killing on sight aren't variegated. There's also large clumps of them in the valley at the back of me which isn't promising .


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 22, 2021)

two sheds said:


> The ones I'm killing on sight aren't variegated. There's also large clumps of them in the valley at the back of me which isn't promising .


That'll be me with Spanish bluebells. Napalm wouldn't shift the bastards. I'm down about 3ft and they keep reappearing.


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## two sheds (Apr 22, 2021)

Yes I'm doing that too  I'm just pulling the flowers and leaves though and hoping I'm weakening them for subsequent years, how the fuck do the bulbs burrow down that deep? Getting them out will destroy the plants around them.


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 22, 2021)

I've dug most stuff up and replanted. Unfortunately we're hitting the minus 3's here and some newly positioned plants have taken a hit . Looks like next week will still be in the minus here.
Last year I threw a load of the bluebells in a bucket, barely any soil on the roots and they're coming into flower!


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 22, 2021)

Sorry for thread derail


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## campanula (Apr 22, 2021)

Ah, spanish bluebells. I have worked in a few gardens where these have colonised (horrendously). My current rectory garden has heaps of the bastards but until I have something to put in the vacated space, I have been slow to shift them. I am using liquid death on the fuckers (along with the equally invasive three cornered leek), then a deep dig over. I will probably sow some annual zinnias or the like, because it is a 2-3 year job, getting rid.


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## heinous seamus (Apr 22, 2021)

Look at this beautiful carpet of wood anemone 😍 (sorry couldn't quite find a suitable thread)


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## geminisnake (Apr 22, 2021)

prunus said:


> Unkillable. (This is not a challenge...)



Really?  I have one left in the garden, I left it cos it blocked the neighbour seeing my front doorstep but she's gone and I want the feffing hydrangea gone too. I'm guessing if I totally cut it back and then axe the feck out of it ti will die the same as the rhubabrb did, no?


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## geminisnake (Apr 22, 2021)

two sheds said:


> how the fuck do the bulbs burrow down that deep?



I would suspect moles, worms and other underearth dwellers tbh. I have had singular crocus and snowdrops show up up to 10/15 foot away from other crocus or snowdrops. They multiply quite quickly too!


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## StoneRoad (Apr 28, 2021)

My turn to ask - growing in shade, dry(ish) area of woodland.  First time I've noticed the flowers ...




SoS - minor mystery par StoneRoad2013, on ipernity


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## gentlegreen (Apr 28, 2021)

StoneRoad said:


> My turn to ask - growing in shade, dry(ish) area of woodland.  First time I've noticed the flowers ...



Pulmonaria ? - leaf spots are supposed to make them look like lungs.


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## StoneRoad (Apr 28, 2021)

gentlegreen - Lungwort was my first guess, but a) I'm in northern England and b) the flowers are really white.

My Keble Martin suggests these as a naturalised garden escapee, rare and chiefly Southern England.


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 28, 2021)

P. r. var. albocorollata syn. alba has white flowers and David Ward has white-variegated, sage-green leaves with cream margins and coral-red flowers. Both reach a height of 30cm (12in).
Found this, flowers early so could be it.
Plant of the Month: Pulmonaria - Garden House Brighton


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## Callie (Apr 28, 2021)

Awesome for pollinators


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## Leafster (Apr 29, 2021)

Callie said:


> Awesome for pollinators


The bees go mad for the lungwort in my garden. It was one of the few plants which survived the years of neglect by the previous owners of my place. 

This was taken after I'd cleared away most of the jungle but before the hard landscaping was done.


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## Callie (Apr 29, 2021)

I specifically bought some for my garden for the bees, follows on nice from the flowering currant


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## Leafster (Apr 29, 2021)

Callie said:


> I specifically bought some for my garden for the bees, follows on nice from the flowering currant


You could have had some of mine - they self-seed everywhere!


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## Callie (Apr 29, 2021)

Ruh oh!


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## campanula (Apr 29, 2021)

I have some without spots - a plain leaved pulmonaria longifolia...and also one which has almost silver foliage - p.'Diana Clare'. (also a narrow leaved longifolia) I am not desperately fond of them, but yep, they are good bee plants and look well with other spring ephemerals such as mertensia, omphalodes, brunnera and spring gentians. Prolifically flowering at the moment, I have what I consider the most truly blue flower of them all - the fantastically coloured lithodora 'Grace Ward'.
I like to try something new from seed every year...and a while ago, I stumbled upon psysochlaina orientalis, which also looks good with the borage-y types flowering just now. Another unknown was the Tibetan gentian. I was overjoyed when my seeds germinated...but deeply disappointed that the resulting flowers were far from the heartbreakingly lovely blues normally associated with gentians. Instead, I got a dull cream.


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## Calamity1971 (May 15, 2021)

This is a weed isn't it?
I don't remember planting anything next to my clematis. And it looks a bit on the weedy side.
Hairy leaves and stalk.


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## prunus (May 15, 2021)

Calamity1971 said:


> This is a weed isn't it?
> I don't remember planting anything next to my clematis. And it looks a bit on the weedy side.
> Hairy leaves and stalk.
> View attachment 268470View attachment 268471



Yes I think that’s white campion, generally considered a weed, spreads quite aggressively.


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## two sheds (May 15, 2021)

((((white campion)))) if that is it, I've just planted loads along the hedge in my garden. Do love campion.


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## Calamity1971 (May 15, 2021)

I like campion, will leave it be. Cheers.


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## campanula (May 15, 2021)

I did wonder if it was one of the willowherbs. My campions are a bit more rosette-like until just before they flower
On a (vaguely) related point, I am paying the price for re-using my potting mix, especially from germination fails from last year and having the usual labelling fails. (the collie up to her usual label-stealing tricks)...with loads of seedlings appearing willy-nilly in my current seedling pots. O, no worries, (I thought) I will recognise them...except there are dozens of potential contenders, all with lance shaped, opposite leaves. Peach leaved campanula, calendulas, veronicas, penstemons, sweetwilliam, gaura, silene, vaccaria, gypsophila, forgotten seeds from last year, who bloody knows?


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## iona (May 15, 2021)

campanula said:


> I did wonder if it was one of the willowherbs. My campions are a bit more rosette-like until just before they flower
> On a (vaguely) related point, I am paying the price for re-using my potting mix, especially from germination fails from last year and having the usual labelling fails. (the collie up to her usual label-stealing tricks)...with dozens of seedlings appearing willy-nilly in my current seedling pots. O, no worries, (I thought) I will recognise them...except there are dozens of potential contenders, all with lance shaped, opposite leaves. Peach leaved campanula, calendulas, veronicas, penstemons, sweetwilliam, gaura, silene, vaccaria, gypsophila, forgotten seeds from last year, who bloody knows?


I realised the other day that the mixed salad leaves in a work garden's veg bed are actually mostly just self-seeded stuff from their bloody wildflower meadow that's germinated in a nice neat row coz I was carefully weeding around it


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## two sheds (May 15, 2021)

I did think the bottom leaves looked like willowherb but the top ones didn't so much. I'm not good at identifying plants though.


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## campanula (May 15, 2021)

Me neither...at least on a screen, two sheds.  Friday morning always started with 'idents' at college...which, invariably meant bare twigs, conifers or grasses (the bastards) It is much easier doing these with more context (size and scale,feel, smell, location and habitat) so I don't mind being a bit rubbish on a PC.


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## campanula (May 15, 2021)

Haven't we all ripped out foxgloves thinking they were green alkanet? I have lovingly (and mistakenly) tended numerous herbs (including rosabay willowherb) although I have had a long and difficult experience of growing the white willowherb (chamaerion album).I managed a solitary seedling after several years of frustrating fails.


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## iona (May 15, 2021)

You should see the photos the RHS has been using for idents since they redid the course for covid campanula. Have literally had a tutor stood in the classroom all but tell us the answer with proper blatant hints and crossword type help (six letters, begins with s), they're that shit.


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## campanula (May 15, 2021)

O that's grim, iona . When I did the course (2004), I had an absolutely brilliant tutor who had worked his whole life in horticulture, starting out as a contract grafter at 14. He had been teaching for 40 years or so and just knew...everything. He was retired, but the college pleaded with him  (every year)  to stay to do the RHS course (and he loved it). He taught the first year of advanced but had to finally stop during the second year...and by then, FE was in all kinds of trouble, there were no tutors  to be had, (all sorts of people were drafted in - I did a course with a retired groundskeeper (which I surprisingly loved) but by the third level (4th year) I had to go 30odd miles to Shuttleworth. No public transport but I managed to get a lift with another student on my course. Halfway through the second year, they also had to abandon the course completely. I could, I suppose, have done the 4th level at a different college, but that would have been another 2 years and I had no way of getting to Capel Manor and worse, I would have had to pay heaps of money (I did the gen cert, advanced and dip.hort for free). I was even asked to teach the general certificate myself (although ducked out of that because criminal records..., but I was paid to manage the greenhouse).I honestly can't imagine how difficult and frustrating it must be, doing this course under the current conditions. It really is the worst luck for it to have been while you were doing the course, iona.


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## iona (May 15, 2021)

campanula said:


> O that's grim, iona . When I did the course (2004), I had an absolutely brilliant tutor who had worked his whole life in horticulture, starting out as a contract grafter at 14. He had been teaching for 40 years or so and just knew...everything. He was retired, but the college pleaded with him  (every year)  to stay to do the RHS course (and he loved it). He taught the first year of advanced but had to finally stop during the second year...and by then, FE was in all kinds of trouble, there were no tutors  to be had, (all sorts of people were drafted in - I did a course with a retired groundskeeper (which I surprisingly loved) but by the third year, I had to go 30odd miles to Shuttleworth. No public tyransport but I managed to get a lift with another student on my course. Halfway through the second year, they also had to abandon the course completely. I could, I suppose, have done the 4th level, but that would have been another 2 years and I had no way of getting to Capel Manor and worse, I would have had to pay heaps of money (I did the gen cert, advanced and dip.hort for free). I was even asked to teach the general certificate myself (although ducked out of that because criminal records..., but I was paid to manage the greenhouse).I honestly can't imagine how difficult and frustrating it must be, doing this course under the current conditions. It really is the worst luck for it to have been while you were doing the course, iona.


Yeah I think they were kind of making up as they went along for most of last year till they could eventually bodge something together, so it's been weird. Some of the pro formas just make no sense or repeat questions but want different answers, even the RHS person who'd written one question had no idea what it meant when one of our tutors asked her. Got a load of adapted ident lists to relearn halfway through the year and pro formas are done as homework now rather than in class, which I hadn't planned for time-wise. They just assume everyone has a garden too so lots of running around trying to organise for people to collect compost, seed trays etc from college and talk of meeting up in people's front gardens / local parks to get photos for evidence of various tasks, before we went back to face-to-face teaching.

I'm probably going to ask to restart the course in the autumn tbh, even if they're still doing the new course at least they (hopefully) won't chuck it all out the window and start again halfway through a second time.


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## campanula (May 15, 2021)

I do think prunus is on the button though. You gave me a clue two sheds, mentioning the different (stemless) upper leaves. (made me look a bit harder). Whilst I am happy to ramble on at length, I should  put up a disclaimer for my dire identification skills.

I like a campion too. I have had one solitary white bladder campion (silene vulgaris) appear in my gravel garden, for the last 3 years. Unlike the rampant red campion or pink soapwort (S.dioica, s.officinalis), this is nicely well behaved.


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## clicker (May 19, 2021)

Any ideas? Both blooming now in a park.


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## Leafster (May 19, 2021)

I think the first one may be a tiarella and the second is probably a perpetual wallflower


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## farmerbarleymow (May 19, 2021)

This was an interesting little article today - a plant in British hedgrows related to the Titan Arum (the giant smelly thing).  Has a similar method of temporarily trapping insects to ensure pollination.















						Plantwatch: the ingenious fly trap hiding in Britain’s hedgerows
					

The cuckoopint, or Arum maculatum, gives off a pungent scent to attract and trap small pollinators before releasing them




					www.theguardian.com


----------



## smmudge (May 27, 2021)

What is this? Think I must have planted it last year but don't recognise it at all!! And definitely wasn't that tall....


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## Leafster (May 27, 2021)

I don't really know, but could it be a Chinese Foxglove? Rehmannia _something or other_.


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## Leafster (May 31, 2021)

OK, my turn. 

What's this seedling with the tendrils which has appeared in amongst the Houttuynia?


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## gentlegreen (May 31, 2021)

possibly white bryony - our only native cucurbit


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## gentlegreen (May 31, 2021)

Sadly inedible ....


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## gentlegreen (May 31, 2021)

or some random gourd ....


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## Callie (Jun 3, 2021)

What's this then? I have been nurturing it thinking it's a penstemon


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## BillRiver (Jun 3, 2021)

Could be Annual Mercury?

Aka Mercurialis annua.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2021)

BillRiver said:


> Could be Annual Mercury?
> 
> Aka Mercurialis annua.



Either that or perennis - almost certainly one of the two ...
a euphorbia without much in the way of yellow/green bracts or milky sap ...


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## Callie (Jun 3, 2021)

Ooh a euphorbia!


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## gentlegreen (Jun 3, 2021)

Callie said:


> Ooh a euphorbia!


So fairly poisonus.
I think people sometimes confuse it with fat hen.


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## Callie (Jun 4, 2021)

I'm thinking the bright green plant with weird flowers  and irritating sap (like you mention) 

I'll probably rip it out as I don't like the look of those balls  looks like itll spread those all over the shop and I'll end up with nothing but


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## gentlegreen (Jun 4, 2021)

Bloody hell I had no idea cassava comes from a plant in the euphorbiacea ... it takes a lot of preparation though ...
Castor oil doesn't count as it's not something you would fry your chips in...


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 4, 2021)

two sheds said:


> ((((white campion)))) if that is it, I've just planted loads along the hedge in my garden. Do love campion.





prunus said:


> Yes I think that’s white campion, generally considered a weed, spreads quite aggressively.


Yep . There's none for miles?


----------



## BillRiver (Jun 4, 2021)

prunus said:


> Yes I think that’s white campion, generally considered a weed, spreads quite aggressively.



A weed to some is a beautiful wild flower to others 😉


----------



## BillRiver (Jun 4, 2021)

Or in other words:

"A weed is a flower in the wrong place"
- George Washington Carver


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 4, 2021)

BillRiver said:


> Or in other words:
> 
> "A weed is a flower in the wrong place"
> - George Washington Carver


Those were the first words from my tutor on a conservation course


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 5, 2021)

Can't for the life of me remember the name of this. Pleasant scent.Growing in the woods.


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## BillRiver (Jun 5, 2021)

Looks like honesty to me ?


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 5, 2021)

BillRiver said:


> Looks like honesty to me ?


Different leaves.


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## BillRiver (Jun 5, 2021)

Calamity1971 said:


> Different leaves.



Oops! Yes you're quite right, of course, my bad.


----------



## prunus (Jun 6, 2021)

Calamity1971 said:


> Can't for the life of me remember the name of this. Pleasant scent.Growing in the woods.
> View attachment 272061



Wild phlox or sweet William I think?

edit: not this  - see below.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 6, 2021)

prunus said:


> Wild phlox or sweet William I think?


Cheers. Googled wild sweet William and it comes back phlox/sweet William. Think I'll be collecting some seeds off that.


----------



## two sheds (Jun 6, 2021)

I was wondering how you tell when seeds are viable and ready to be collected and rhs site said generally a couple of months after seeding. Daffs apparently rattle when the seed heads are ready. 

I did go round tying bits of string to flowers I wanted when I first came here, not done it for a while though.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 6, 2021)

two sheds said:


> I was wondering how you tell when seeds are viable and ready to be collected and rhs site said generally a couple of months after seeding. Daffs apparently rattle when the seed heads are ready.
> 
> I did go round tying bits of string to flowers I wanted when I first came here, not done it for a while though.


I do that ( no string) paper bag and nab it. 
Or a sly cutting from something hanging over a wall with a pre prepared damp plastic bag. 
Plant burglar


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## campanula (Jun 7, 2021)

Hesperis matronalis, aka dames rocket @Calamity 1971

The seeds are easy to collect - long, thin seed pods (not unlike Californian poppies)...but they take forever to get fully ripe. Nice fat easy seeds too. Will flower in the first year from an autumn sowing (I have bloody loads of it in the woods, along with red campion).


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 7, 2021)

campanula said:


> Hesperis matronalis, aka dames rocket @Calamity 1971
> 
> The seeds are easy to collect - long, thin seed pods (not unlike Californian poppies)...but they take forever to get fully ripe. Nice fat easy seeds too. Will flower in the first year from an autumn sowing (I have bloody loads of it in the woods, along with red campion).


That's weird, my phone flagged that up about an hour ago after searching phlox yesterday. Says it's edible and the seeds are too. With an aphrodisiac quality! 
Banned from growing in a lot of the states because it's invasive to other plants. 
Cheers .


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 7, 2021)

Here's the article. 
How to Grow Dame’s Rocket in Your Garden | Gardener’s Path


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## gentlegreen (Jun 7, 2021)

Wikipedia suggests it smells nice in the evenings .. I'm going to have to see if I can get my nose in a couple of local specimens later in the day


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## campanula (Jun 7, 2021)

It does have a lovely fragrance. I have a hard time keeping the lilac plants (they seem to default back to white after a couple of generations. If you like wallflowers (which I do) then hesperis is a lovely alternative...but I also grow an absolutely gorgeous lunaria from Corfu which is almost a true blue. I love the brassica family  (arabis and aubretia to stocks) almost as much as the umbellifers.  Phlox is a failure in my dry woods and sandy allotment though.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 7, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> Wikipedia suggests it smells nice in the evenings .. I'm going to have to see if I can get my nose in a couple of local specimens later in the day


It is lovely, I walked down at 9pm. Hopefully I can get some seeds of it.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 7, 2021)

Is this Liquidambar styraciflua ?


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## campanula (Jun 7, 2021)

yes.


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## Brainaddict (Jun 7, 2021)

Yes, great autumn colour and nice seed pods but people have a tendency to underestimate their final size - which is pretty big - so they often get planted in unsuitable places.


----------



## Callie (Jun 8, 2021)

What are these??

1)


----------



## Callie (Jun 8, 2021)

And this
2)


----------



## Callie (Jun 8, 2021)

I do not recall planting either but they look a bit ?nice to be random intruders.

They could of course both be horror weeds that make you think they look nice at first then you can never get rid of them....


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> What are these??
> 
> 1)



Got a better shot of the petals? Are there 5 or 6 of those and are they pointy or rounded or notched?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> What are these??
> 
> 1)


Phacelia ?
definitely boaragy

EDIT:- thought so, one species is used as green manure - so probably not massively invasive ...


----------



## Callie (Jun 8, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> Phacelia ?
> definitely boaragy
> 
> EDIT:- thought so, one species is used as green manure - so proibably not massively invasive ...


Yes! I think it's this, will get another pic of the flower in a bit


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jun 8, 2021)

What's this anyone? On a coastal path


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2021)

I've a feeling the other plant may be in the malvacea - I vaguely remember something like it coming up in a butterfly mixture ...


----------



## Callie (Jun 8, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> I've a feeling the other plant may be in the malvacea - I vaguely remember something like it coming up in a butterfly mixture ...


Maybe I did plant something then


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2021)

Clair De Lune said:


> What's this anyone? On a coastal path View attachment 272572


wall pennywort ?





__





						pennywort - Google Search
					





					www.google.com


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> Maybe I did plant something then


I'm pretty sure the Evening primrose that came up in my packet 30-odd years ago has been infesting my garden and the street ever since


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 8, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> definitely boaragy


That's what I thought


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jun 8, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> wall pennywort ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you 😊


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> And this
> 2)


That looks like a campanula I have. Telham beauty? Might be to small, so not sure, and I'm out so I can't check. Hope I've been of help


----------



## Callie (Jun 8, 2021)

Calamity1971 said:


> That looks like a campanula I have. Telham beauty? Might be to small, so not sure, and I'm out so I can't check. Hope I've been of help


Gaaaa I'm not sure how I feel about campanula. The big bells are on but the non stop creeping horror weed is not July friend.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> Gaaaa I'm not sure how I feel about campanula. The big bells are on but the non stop creeping horror weed is not July friend.


I seem to have a lot of it about. Can get a bit leggy and flop over.


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## two sheds (Jun 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> Gaaaa I'm not sure how I feel about campanula.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 8, 2021)

two sheds said:


>


Lovely little blue flowers.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 13, 2021)

I was given some really nice pots and one of them has this in it. Looks like low growing shrub thing?


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 13, 2021)

Possibly a blueberry?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 13, 2021)

Artaxerxes said:


> Possibly a blueberry?


That would be nice .


----------



## prunus (Jun 13, 2021)

Calamity1971 said:


> I was given some really nice pots and one of them has this in it. Looks like low growing shrub thing?
> View attachment 273363
> View attachment 273364



Is it evergreen do you know? Looks a bit like a large-leaved cotoneaster (which is indeed a low-growing shrub thing - tiny white flower clusters followed by bright red berries).


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 13, 2021)

prunus said:


> Is it evergreen do you know? Looks a bit like a large-leaved cotoneaster (which is indeed a low-growing shrub thing - tiny white flower clusters followed by bright red berries).


No idea. It was my friends neighbour, I used to pot stuff up for him when I had an abundance of seedlings. He passed away and I was given 3 of his pots. Going to leave it and put some annuals in, doesn't look like a rampant grower.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 13, 2021)

.


----------



## campanula (Jun 14, 2021)

Ah, got a bit lost but the littlw white and blue flowers are vaccaria Callie (an annual) . I have it in one of my pots and generally grow it most years. A nice replacement for gypsophila in it's airy daintiness The phacelia (aka scorpionweed) has already been correctly identified. Now back to look at the others.
I would agree that a cotoneaster such as c.lacteus ...or, (looking at the woody stem) chaenomeles.


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 14, 2021)

campanula said:


> looking at the woody stem) chaenomeles.


That's very pretty. I'm willing it to flower now.


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## campanula (Jun 14, 2021)

I don't think it will until next year, Calamity1971. It probably won't be until it does, that we can definitely identify it...but, on balance, I would go with a flowering quince more than a cotoneaster and, with any luck, you will have a lovely cultivar (I have 'Crimson and Gold'...which I love, and 'Geisha Girl' which I am less keen on).


----------



## 1927 (Jun 24, 2021)

Can anyone tell me what this is? Before you say, it’s NOT knotweed, it’s very woody and has furry stems.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 24, 2021)

1927 said:


> Can anyone tell me what this is? Before you say, it’s NOT knotweed, it’s very woody and has furry stems.


First thought was old man's beard? Can't see the leaves properly.


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## two sheds (Jun 24, 2021)

Doesn't look like japanese knotweed - have you clearer photo of leaves?



> The fastest *Japanese* *knotweed* growth is during the spring. New shoots that emerge are *red*/purple and can look like asparagus spears. The leaves are normally rolled up and dark green or *red* in colour. In late spring, canes can reach up to 3 metres (10 feet) high.


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## gentlegreen (Jun 24, 2021)

Is it a climber ?
my first thought was actinidia (kiwi)


----------



## 1927 (Jun 24, 2021)

two sheds said:


> Doesn't look like japanese knotweed - have you clearer photo of leaves?


It was wrongly identified as knotweed in a friends garden who was obviously concerned but I’ve looked and it isn’t. The leaves are similar but the stems are woody and furry. Looks like it might be a climber as it’s putting out climber type things. Her mum is housebound and the guy that looks after garden is refusing to touch it as he’s convinced it’s knotweed, even tho I know it’s not id I refer to tell him what it is so he’s sure!


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## gentlegreen (Jun 24, 2021)

knotweed stems have "knees" and are hollow


----------



## 1927 (Jun 24, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> knotweed stems have "knees" and are hollow


I’m a knotweed specialist, but I don’t know what things are if they’re not knotweed! 🤣


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## two sheds (Jun 24, 2021)

1927 said:


> I’m a knotweed specialist, but I don’t know what things are if they’re not knotweed! 🤣


the only distinction you need if you're looking for knotweed


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## two sheds (Jun 24, 2021)

I've actually been successful so far in treating knotweed 
(a) get them before they start spreading
(b) cut off stem, soak small piece of paper handkerchief with nasty Monsanto roundup
(c) tie that to exposed stem with a loop of wire


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jun 25, 2021)

Lovely deep purple


----------



## two sheds (Jun 25, 2021)

Mallow isn't it? I do love mallows. I've put several in without success since I've been here but the latest two seem happy with loads of buds, looking forward to them flowering


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## gentlegreen (Jul 3, 2021)

I knew wild chicory had blue flowers, but this is s cultivated lettuce left over from a salad mix...


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jul 3, 2021)

Not the plant...but wtf is this bug that's eating my plant? 
Im wondering...and yes I admit I'm being lazy n not looking it up (but ya know someone might just know n get to feel intelligent ) if it's part of a lady birds life cycle...fuck knows TBF. But it chomps dead loud. I could hear it a few feet away


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 3, 2021)

Cardinal beetle, common black head


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jul 3, 2021)

Artaxerxes said:


> Cardinal beetle, common black head


Thanks 😊


----------



## Leafster (Jul 4, 2021)

Any idea what this is?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 4, 2021)

phygelius ?

also known as "Cape Fuchsia"


----------



## Callie (Jul 4, 2021)

Clair De Lune said:


> Not the plant...but wtf is this bug that's eating my plant? View attachment 276569
> Im wondering...and yes I admit I'm being lazy n not looking it up (but ya know someone might just know n get to feel intelligent ) if it's part of a lady birds life cycle...fuck knows TBF. But it chomps dead loud. I could hear it a few feet away


----------



## Callie (Jul 4, 2021)

lily beetle 

*








						Lily beetle
					

Lilies (<em>Lilium</em>), giant lilies (<em>Cardiocrinum</em>) and fritillaries (<em>Fritillaria</em>) can be defoliated by lily beetle.




					www.rhs.org.uk
				



*


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 4, 2021)

I didn't want to say in case I was wrong ... if it IS a lily beetle. it's the bird-poo -resembling larvae that do the real damage ..


----------



## Callie (Jul 4, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> I didn't want to say in case I was wrong ... if it IS a lily beetle. it's the bird-poo -resembling larvae that do the real damage ..


look at the edges of the petals. The beetles are quite pretty, just not compatible if you like lillies


----------



## Leafster (Jul 4, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> phygelius ?
> 
> also known as "Cape Fuchsia"


Thanks! My mum used to grow fuchsia tryphylla hybrids so I can see how the common name of Cape Fuchsia might have arisen. 

In fact, it's because of the tryphylla hybrids I've started to notice the phygelius in nearby gardens. Recently, in a weak moment at the garden centre I bought one - fuchsia tryphylla "thalia". I remember my parents pampering their tryphyllas making sure they spent the colder months in a heated greenhouse and wondered whether, with the milder winters we're having, they could cope outside all year round. I don't have a proper greenhouse let alone a heated one so I'm wondering what to do with my purchase. 

I started spotting plants that looked like these fuchsias in gardens on my walks. They all looked well established in the ground and quite large but this was the first one near enough to the road to have a closer look.


----------



## Dystopiary (Jul 4, 2021)

Callie said:


> look at the edges of the petals. The beetles are quite pretty, just not compatible if you like lillies





gentlegreen said:


> I didn't want to say in case I was wrong ... if it IS a lily beetle. it's the bird-poo -resembling larvae that do the real damage ..


I did wonder myself but then thought someone else'd know better. I'm no expert!


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 4, 2021)

Leafster said:


> . Recently, in a weak moment at the garden centre I bought one - fuchsia tryphylla "thalia". I remember my parents pampering their tryphyllas making sure they spent the colder months in a heated greenhouse and wondered whether, with the milder winters we're having, they could cope outside all year round. I don't have a proper greenhouse let alone a heated one so I'm wondering what to do with my purchase.


"Thalia" was the only fuchsia I used to grow - I don't remember ever keeping one over winter - I had a convenient garden centre that always had them - even in my unheated greenhouse ...
I grow the trailer "voodoo" these days and it's only through massive carelessness that I all but lose them most years - but then I live in Bristol where we don't often get proper winters ...unlike this last one that destroyed all my pelargoniums


----------



## Leafster (Jul 4, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> "Thalia" was the only fuchsia I used to grow - I don't remember ever keeping one over winter - I had a convenient garden centre that always had them - even in my unheated greenhouse ...
> I grow the trailer "voodoo" these days and it's only through massive carelessness that I all but lose them most years - but then I live in Bristol where we don't often get proper winters ...unlike this last one that destroyed all my pelargoniums


I've got some so-called "half-hardy" fuchsias which do survive the winters outside here on the North Downs. I have grown the upright version of _voodoo_ outside and it has survived a few winters. I think the most tender one I've grown up until now is _checkerboard_. The RHS reckons it's an H3 on their hardiness scale and that's OK outside but _thalia_ is an H1C so I don't fancy its chances over winter.


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jul 5, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> I didn't want to say in case I was wrong ... if it IS a lily beetle. it's the bird-poo -resembling larvae that do the real damage ..


Ah yes there was some of that!


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 5, 2021)

I caught some adults canoodling on my sorry-looking lilies earlier and sent the remaining larvae on their way too ...


----------



## Dystopiary (Jul 5, 2021)

Clair De Lune said:


> Ah yes there was some of that!


It hammers fritillaries too.


----------



## campanula (Jul 5, 2021)

You can direct a furious hose on the lily beetle larvae - they will fall off and cannot get back onto the leaves. I do this after many summers spent fruitlessly cutting the shitey leaves off. Lily beetles and vine weevil larvae are the only pests I actually kill. 
Worth removing the beetles as they will overwinter in the soil and restart the cycle next year.


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jul 5, 2021)

campanula said:


> You can direct a furious hose on the lily beetle larvae - they will fall off and cannot get back onto the leaves. I do this after many summers spent fruitlessly cutting the shitey leaves off. Lily beetles and vine weevil larvae are the only pests I actually kill.
> Worth removing the beetles as they will overwinter in the soil and restart the cycle next year.


Thanks. I have been picking them off but not killing them.


----------



## The39thStep (Jul 5, 2021)

Clair De Lune said:


> Thanks. I have been picking them off but not killing them.


do they come back ?


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 5, 2021)

I wonder if they could be persuaded to eat a different plant


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jul 5, 2021)

The39thStep said:


> do they come back ?


They do I think, but wearing a different coat or hat so it's hard to know for sure.


----------



## The39thStep (Jul 5, 2021)

Clair De Lune said:


> They do I think, but wearing a different coat or hat so it's hard to know for sure.



Very good


----------



## The39thStep (Jul 5, 2021)

One of my neighbours next to a house I had in the UK was a bit of an alternative lifestyle type. Used to do head massage and often had bohemian types round. He used to pick the snails off his broccoli and dump them in the local park , which I thought was anti social. tbh . Ocasionally I  used to pick off snails from plants in my garden and throw them over his fence which my missus said was juvenile.


----------



## campanula (Jul 5, 2021)

I take snails and slugs across the road. I don't do head massages though. I would not throw them into my neighbour's gardens...which does strike me as being more antisocial than rehoming in a park.


----------



## iona (Jul 5, 2021)

When I go round my mum's house I pick up any snails that're in the garden when I leave and release them down the road on the strip of grass and other plants by the station. We're in the process of getting permission to garden that strip of land as well as the containers on the platforms we already look after. When that happens the closest snail-rehoming option that isn't someone's garden will be to take them back on the train and chuck them in the park on my way home. That should stop them finding their way back at least.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 5, 2021)

I leave snails mostly but I murder every slug bastard I see


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## campanula (Jul 5, 2021)

When my daughter was small, we did a rehoming experiment, painting a blob of nail varnish on snail shells, then taking them to various places around our estate. A large percentage returned to their hibernaculums, over several days. I  now fight a nightly battle of ethics,: whether to relocate the snails on the other side of a fairly busy road, knowing of their very strong homing impulse. 
My neighbour puts her in her green bin. Another neighbour cuts slugs in half with scissors! I feel a bit wretched stamping on lily beetles (I put the vine weevils on the birdtable). I love it that plants are beautiful, interesting and have no central nervous system, so I can have them in my life without the perpetual anxiety/guilt/empathy which has frequently overshadowed my  relationships with the animal/human world.
I was distraught to read 'The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter  Wohlleben (sp?) which postulated a certain level of arborial sentience.


----------



## Clair De Lune (Jul 6, 2021)

I can't kill things. Never have been able to.. bar nits, fleas and fruit flies. When I was little my great nan had me pick all the snails and slugs off her veg patch and once I was done she stamped on the lot of them. Well traumatised me tbh. Next time I picked them all off I ran up the lane with the bucket and let them go in a field.


----------



## Leafster (Jul 6, 2021)

campanula said:


> When my daughter was small, *we did a rehoming experiment, painting a blob of nail varnish on snail shells*, then taking them to various places around our estate. A large percentage returned to their hibernaculums, over several days. I  now fight a nightly battle of ethics,: whether to relocate the snails on the other side of a fairly busy road, knowing of their very strong homing impulse.
> My neighbour puts her in her green bin. Another neighbour cuts slugs in half with scissors! I feel a bit wretched stamping on lily beetles (I put the vine weevils on the birdtable). I love it that plants are beautiful, interesting and have no central nervous system, so I can have them in my life without the perpetual anxiety/guilt/empathy which has frequently overshadowed my  relationships with the animal/human world.
> I was distraught to read 'The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter  Wohlleben (sp?) which postulated a certain level of arborial sentience.


I saw an item on a TV nature programme where they did the same thing. They came to the same conclusion that eventually many of them returned to the same place in the garden.


----------



## danski (Jul 11, 2021)

Don’t know if people know about this but saw gf using it earlier and was mightily impressed.
Plant and wildlife identifier, in real-time 








						Seek by iNaturalist  ·  iNaturalist
					






					www.inaturalist.org


----------



## campanula (Jul 11, 2021)

I don't have much faith in these, danski. I have found that most of these ID sites are rubbish at rare plants and also pretty hopeless with some very common things such as hardy geraniums (which I have seen identified as delphs, japanese anemones) and if, by some chance they get the genus, they never get the exact species.  Sorry to come across as a bit dismissive because they do have some use and maybe in a few more years, when the databases have become much bigger, (because of more uploading) but just now, they are still a bit lacking. I actually paid cash money (fleetingly) for one...but have gone back to field guides and botany keys.
 The greater part of identifying plants occurs with less visual things such as petals, leaf shape and colour...and much more to do with leaf placement on the stems, petioles, sex organs, textures, scents and bracts and the like...which is also one of the reasons I rarely confidently identify plants on here with a photograph. That and my dodgy eyesight. And as for identifying twigs!
Some of the birdsong ones are OK if you can get a clear sounding...but in a busy woodland, no chance.


----------



## Brainaddict (Jul 14, 2021)

I use the PlantNet app and find it's pretty good. You can check whether the ID is correct by looking at all the photos of the plants rather than just trusting it. I'm sure it could get some stuff wrong, but it's mostly fine, except with distinguishing closely related and very similar plants - but even then it at least gives you the different options.


----------



## AnnaKarpik (Jul 19, 2021)

This is supposed to be a gherkin. Even I know it isn't! It's a little over a week since the flower opened and the fruit bit behind it was about 2cm long. I took this photo yesterday and it is visibly larger today. Also rounder, measures L5.5, W5. The plant and flowers look exactly like cucumber, though the flowers are huge, it's growing on a cucumberish vine with fruits every 7cm or so, so far. Does anyone know what it is? There are so many questions I need answers to; will I need to construct a hammock for the giant fruits, is it edible, should I leave male flowers on, should I thin out the fruits or feed more? 
My allotment site so far has suggested crown prince squash, cucamelon, melon and 'some kind of squash'.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 19, 2021)

You won't know till it's ripe, if it's a cucubit it could be anything in squash family.

From the skin it looks like butternut squash, they've got that stripe effect early on when young.

Cucubit fruits always benefit from helping them support themselves but should be fine to leave it I think.


----------



## AnnaKarpik (Jul 19, 2021)

Artaxerxes said:


> You won't know till it's ripe, if it's a cucubit it could be anything in squash family.
> 
> From the skin it looks like butternut squash, they've got that stripe effect early on when young.
> 
> Cucubit fruits always benefit from helping them support themselves but should be fine to leave it I think.


Ah, the unpollinated fruit bit at the base of female flowers is reminiscent of the butternut shape, is that a clue?

This may be further proof that believing I can remember what I planted where is, as usual, a triumph of hope over experience! It also means that my last surviving cucumber is fighting slugs and drought up at the allotment.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 19, 2021)

AnnaKarpik said:


> Ah, the unpollinated fruit bit at the base of female flowers is reminiscent of the butternut shape, is that a clue?
> 
> This may be further proof that believing I can remember what I planted where is, as usual, a triumph of hope over experience! It also means that my last surviving cucumber is fighting slugs and drought up at the allotment.



Yeah the proto-fruits of squash family tend to look like like mini-versions of the final fruit, you'll notice it with courgettes and cucumbers to.


----------



## BoatieBird (Jul 19, 2021)

AnnaKarpik said:


> This is supposed to be a gherkin. Even I know it isn't! It's a little over a week since the flower opened and the fruit bit behind it was about 2cm long. I took this photo yesterday and it is visibly larger today. Also rounder, measures L5.5, W5. The plant and flowers look exactly like cucumber, though the flowers are huge, it's growing on a cucumberish vine with fruits every 7cm or so, so far. Does anyone know what it is? There are so many questions I need answers to; will I need to construct a hammock for the giant fruits, is it edible, should I leave male flowers on, should I thin out the fruits or feed more?
> My allotment site so far has suggested crown prince squash, cucamelon, melon and 'some kind of squash'.



Could it be a cucumber 'crystal lemon'?




__





						Buy cucumber or Cucumis sativus 'Crystal Lemon' cucumber 'Crystal Lemon'
					






					www.rhsplants.co.uk


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 19, 2021)

BoatieBird said:


> Could it be a cucumber 'crystal lemon'?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Doubtful, grew those last year and they didn't have that zebra stripes pattern. 

They are also slightly, and I'll just say it, bollock like.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 19, 2021)

Squash plants also cross really well so if you don't know where the seeds from it could be anything


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 23, 2021)

I'm crap at trees.
This one has bugged me for ages.

Looks superficially like hawthorn in some ways, but no thorns ...



EDIT :-

Labelled as "malus" ...  - teeniest apples I ever saw ...





__





						Trees of Bristol
					






					www.bristoltrees.space


----------



## Brainaddict (Jul 24, 2021)

Malus trilobata I think - only produces crab apples


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2021)

Brainaddict said:


> Malus trilobata I think - only produces crab apples


I've never seen anything larger than the tiny berries they're currently carrying ...

I also seem to consistently miss the flowering .. the trilobed leaves are only at the ends of the branches and revert to single blades further down ...


----------



## Brainaddict (Jul 24, 2021)

At the smaller end of crab apple size the apples can appear similar to hawthorn berries - a related tree - but if you bite them (neither are toxic) you will taste apple.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2021)

Brainaddict said:


> At the smaller end of crab apple size the apples can appear similar to hawthorn berries - a related tree - but if you bite them (neither are toxic) you will taste apple.


I'll hold you to that next time I'm in the park 
(though of course I don't have to swallow it)
For some reason I've never got around to chomping on hawthorn berries.


----------



## Brainaddict (Jul 24, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> I'll hold you to that next time I'm in the park
> (though of course I don't have to swallow it)
> For some reason I've never got around to chomping on hawthorn berries.


They're not very tasty so few people do. But they are technically edible. Sometimes people make a jelly from them, but I think even for that rowan berries are better, and rosehips definitely better.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2021)

Brainaddict said:


> They're not very tasty so few people do. But they are technically edible. Sometimes people make a jelly from them, but I think even for that rowan berries are better, and rosehips definitely better.


I spotted some rowan berries yesterday - I'll have to taste those too ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 24, 2021)

The green crab apples definitely had an apply taste.
The sorbus berry was insanely sour - I'm guessing they would be handy if I ever got scurvy ... 

oops ...



> Rowan fruit contains sorbic acid, and when raw also contains parasorbic acid (about 0.4%-0.7% in the European rowan[15]), which causes indigestion and can lead to kidney damage, but heat treatment (cooking, heat-drying etc.) and, to a lesser extent, freezing, renders it nontoxic by changing it to the benign sorbic acid. They are also usually too astringent to be palatable when raw. Collecting them after first frost (or putting in the freezer) cuts down on the bitter taste as well.


I definitely didn't swallow any ...


----------



## campanula (Jul 27, 2021)

I used to make rowan jelly and still make crabapple jelly, but mainly because my crab is a John Downie, one of the best for jelly. I make a mixed 'hedgerow' one with whatever comes to hand (have used loads of things such as juneberries, saskatoons, aronia, even fuchsia) ...but in all honesty, the only one I regularly eat a lot of is redcurrant jelly.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 4, 2021)

A mystery tree - pruned as a standard ..


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## campanula (Aug 7, 2021)

Where did you see this, gentlegreen? Looks like Allspice. I have a garden which has Carolina Allspice (calycanthus) where the leaves are similar but not the florets. It also looks a lot like Pieris, but with only the bracts and not the deeper red sepals. Is this in  ericaceous soil (would put money on it that it is)? As usual, a combo of crappy eyes and dodgy monitor, making it hard to really get a good look.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 7, 2021)

campanula said:


> Where did you see this, gentlegreen? Looks like Allspice. I have a garden which has Carolina Allspice (calycanthus) where the leaves are similar but not the florets. It also looks a lot like Pieris, but with only the bracts and not the deeper red sepals. Is this in  ericaceous soil (would put money on it that it is)? As usual, a combo of crappy eyes and dodgy monitor, making it hard to really get a good look.


It's in a Bristol park -  soil possibly at least not alkali as the underlying rock is probably sandstone ... but there isn't any ericaceous planting ..


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 7, 2021)

This tree is simply listed as "pinus"

It's actually very near that previous tree ...





__





						Trees of Bristol
					






					www.bristoltrees.space


----------



## campanula (Aug 7, 2021)

Again, gentlegreen , hard for me to see how many needles in each fascicle. Looks like just 2. That, and the elongated cone shape, looks a lot like one of the black pines (pinus nigra) but there are subspecies such as austriacus and corsica, I think. I confess to not being as well up on trees, particularly conifers, as I ought to be.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 7, 2021)

campanula said:


> Again, gentlegreen , hard for me to see how many needles in each fascicle. Looks like just 2. That, and the elongated cone shape, looks a lot like one of the black pines (pinus nigra) but there are subspecies such as austriacus and corsica, I think. I confess to not being as well up on trees, particularly conifers, as I ought to be.


It's annoying that the tree database is so sketchy - especially that ericaceous-looking thing which has a dedication tag but no database entry ...


----------



## StoneRoad (Aug 7, 2021)

gentlegreen - what's the bark like on that Pinus ?

I was thinking it looked a little bit like the Lodgepole Pine that is growing in my garden.


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 7, 2021)

StoneRoad said:


> gentlegreen - what's the bark like on that Pinus ?
> 
> I was thinking it looked a little bit like the Lodgepole Pine that is growing in my garden.


I'll get a photo tomorrow and count the needles


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## campanula (Aug 7, 2021)

Yep, the lodgepoles are another 2 needle species (just been out to check my seedlings)

Take another picture of the evergreen standard (which I am assuming it is).


----------



## gentlegreen (Aug 7, 2021)

Actually the dedication tree has a QR code - I'll try to get a better photo of it
Some of the trees in the park have explanatory notices in Romanian ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 17, 2021)

Spotted in Bath botanic garden - apologies for photo.
Blousey, rosy-looking flowers, 7-sepals on fruit ...


----------



## Calamity1971 (Sep 17, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> Spotted in Bath botanic garden - apologies for photo.
> Blousey, rosy-looking flowers, 7-sepals on fruit ...
> 
> View attachment 288735View attachment 288736


Google lens is saying pomegranate?








						When should you prune your pomegranate trees?
					

The key to knowing when to prune any plant is knowing your plant’s flowering behavior.




					amp.lcsun-news.com


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 17, 2021)

Calamity1971 said:


> Google lens is saying pomegranate?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that's surreal - I saw a squashed skin on the pavement the other day and started salivating ...



I wonder if there are hardy ornamental varieties ...


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 17, 2021)

__





						Pomegranate Punica granatum Flore PLENO - Google Search
					





					www.google.com


----------



## Calamity1971 (Sep 17, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> ...


£75 ! Be no good on my windy cold hill anyway.


----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 17, 2021)




----------



## gentlegreen (Sep 19, 2021)

An appleish tree seedling with spectacular thorns in my local park ...


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## campanula (Sep 26, 2021)

looks like blackthorn, prunus spinosa, gentlegreen...although I am notoriously bad at identifying plants from photos (better IRL).


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## gentlegreen (Sep 26, 2021)

campanula said:


> looks like blackthorn, prunus spinosa, gentlegreen...although I am notoriously bad at identifying plants from photos (better IRL).


The leaves looked a little big - perhaps it's because it's juvenile foliage ?


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## campanula (Sep 26, 2021)

Think it is almost certainly a prunus, gentlegreen  (because lenticels and leaf shape) so could also be a cerasifera (have seen a few with bloody great thorns)


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## blossie33 (Sep 30, 2021)

Seen in a small park in London today - anyone know what it is please?


----------



## clicker (Sep 30, 2021)




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## blossie33 (Oct 1, 2021)

Sorry clicker I didn't thank you properly yesterday! I associate Muscari with what is commonly know as Grape Hyacinths which are spring flowers, I've never seen this autumn flowering one before - thought they were lovely.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 7, 2021)

A pavement tree or shrub.
This annoys me as I thought I was a connoisseur of pavement flora ...


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## gentlegreen (Oct 8, 2021)

'Not just weeds': how rebel botanists are using graffiti to name forgotten flora
					

Pavement chalking to draw attention to wild flowers and plants in urban areas has gone viral across Europe – but UK chalkers could face legal action




					www.theguardian.com


----------



## blossie33 (Oct 8, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> 'Not just weeds': how rebel botanists are using graffiti to name forgotten flora
> 
> 
> Pavement chalking to draw attention to wild flowers and plants in urban areas has gone viral across Europe – but UK chalkers could face legal action
> ...



That's interesting, I didn't know it was illegal to chalk on the pavement!
I was also interested to read about the young woman who has been marking out plants in Hackney, I live in the borough but I can't say I've seen anything she's done yet.


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 10, 2021)

Is this Bay Laurel?....and do I have a lifetimes supply of bay leaves?


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## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2021)

Part 2 said:


> Is this Bay Laurel?....and do I have a lifetimes supply of bay leaves?


Looks like it.
Next door's tree is 20 feet tall and is self-seeding all over the place.


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## Part 2 (Oct 10, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> Looks like it.
> Next door's tree is 20 feet tall and is self-seeding all over the place.


Google lens says it is aswell. Wtf can be done with that many bay leaves? 🤔


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## Callie (Oct 10, 2021)

Part 2 said:


> Google lens says it is aswell. Wtf can be done with that many bay leaves? 🤔


Give them away, dry them, some sort of bay tincture, some sort of bay infusion, compost


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## gentlegreen (Oct 10, 2021)

Strew the leaves on your doormat or floors generally


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## Callie (Oct 10, 2021)

Xmas wreaths ££££


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## Part 2 (Oct 10, 2021)

Callie said:


> Xmas wreaths ££££


Ooh, good Idea, we've got loads of Holly aswell.


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## Callie (Nov 8, 2021)

What is this tree? And should it sound hollow when you knock it


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## blossie33 (Nov 8, 2021)

Some sort of Pine tree?
Church yards often have Yew trees growing there but I don't think it's that, they have more dense foliage.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 8, 2021)

redwood / sequoia ?







__





						redwood - Google Search
					





					www.google.com


----------



## Callie (Nov 8, 2021)

Not a yew for sure. Some kind of pine or conifer but I'm just not sure which? Was very tall


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## StoneRoad (Nov 8, 2021)

Callie said:


> Not a yew for sure. Some kind of pine or conifer but I'm just not sure which? Was very tall


What were the needles like ?
Ditto cones
[size, paired ?]


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## Callie (Nov 8, 2021)

Hmm didn't really pay attention to that, it was clear of branches lower down.vthis was from underneath so I think it's from the same tree


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## Callie (Nov 8, 2021)

It had a lot of fungi near by and the trunk sounded rather hollow


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## gentlegreen (Nov 8, 2021)

The cone looks sequoia-like.
If that's honey fungus, it probably isn't a good sign ...


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## gentlegreen (Nov 9, 2021)

This is the sequoia in my local park...


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## Callie (Nov 9, 2021)

gentlegreen said:


> The cone looks sequoia-like.
> If that's honey fungus, it probably isn't a good sign ...


I've tried to email the church but their email address doesn't work  I mentioned it on a fungi group and they said "it's in god's hands" so yeah, if it falls and crushes the church I guess it what he wanted  I'll try another way to get in contact!


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## StoneRoad (Nov 9, 2021)

Callie said:


> I've tried to email the church but their email address doesn't work  I mentioned it on a fungi group and they said "it's in god's hands" so yeah, if it falls and crushes the church I guess it what he wanted  I'll try another way to get in contact!


Have a look at the Church "services" board - it might have the details on there, or for the churchwarden.


----------



## heinous seamus (Nov 9, 2021)




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## heinous seamus (Nov 13, 2021)

There was a thing on the news last night about the wildfires in California and they were talking about how giant sequoia's have adapted to deal with fire. One of the adaptations they mentioned was air pockets under the bark (which makes the tree sound hollow).


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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2021)

I will be whacking the tree in the park later


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## Callie (Nov 13, 2021)

heinous seamus said:


> There was a thing on the news last night about the wildfires in California and they were talking about how giant sequoia's have adapted to deal with fire. One of the adaptations they mentioned was air pockets under the bark (which makes the tree sound hollow).


Interesting, I will try and pop back tomorrow to have another look and speak to someone (_looks up_) - that church yard was great for fungi


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## chainsawjob (Nov 13, 2021)

Callie said:


> that church yard was great for fungi


Any pics for the fungi thread? I love a good fungi pic


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## Callie (Nov 13, 2021)

chainsawjob said:


> Any pics for the fungi thread? I love a good fungi pic


Yes! I can post them later today/tomorrow


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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2021)




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## gentlegreen (Nov 13, 2021)

I'm trying to make the effort to learn to recognise the half dozen acer species in the park ...

???


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## blossie33 (Nov 13, 2021)

Looks very similar to a London Plane tree leaf, leaves are that colour in the autumn.


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## campanula (Nov 14, 2021)

The tree is a sequoia gigantea, Callie (aka wellingtonia). I have a couple, as well as a dawn redwood (metasequoia glyptostroboides). Would like the coast redwood, but not a hope in dry East Anglia (they need to be bathed in coastal fogs).

Not totally convinced leaf is a London Plane - looks more like a sugar maple (a.saccharum) or a Norway maple  (a.platanoides) to me. Also, I think your tree is a metasequoia, gentlegreen. Could be a sempervirens (am not familiar with them at all) but not a sequoia gigantea, I don't think.

As always, caveats re. my often dodgy ID skills on screens


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## heinous seamus (Nov 14, 2021)

I collected some horse and sweet chestnuts and larch cones today. I'm going to try and grow the trees from seed.

I tried with cherry and oak last year with no joy.


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## gentlegreen (Nov 14, 2021)

There are a fair few inacuracies in the official list ...





__





						Trees of Bristol
					






					www.bristoltrees.space


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 14, 2021)

LOL


----------



## StoneRoad (Nov 14, 2021)

heinous seamus said:


> I collected some horse and sweet chestnuts and larch cones today. I'm going to try and grow the trees from seed.
> 
> I tried with cherry and oak last year with no joy.



campanula - I'm wondering if those ^^^ needed to be "frosted" before they'll germinate ?

My horse chestnut seedling - planted out about two years ago, seems to have found it's mojo and had grown at least a foot this year ...


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## campanula (Nov 14, 2021)

Nah, StoneRoad, I have grown loads of conkers with the kids - they just need stuffing in soil and leaving outside. I think you can actually split the seedcoat by carefully nicking it, if you want, but as long as the soil is *damp* enough for the seedcoat to swell and split naturally, they come up like cress. Same with oak.
For quite a long time, I did assume various seeds (sorbus, mostly) needed a chilling period to break dormancy but it would seem that they really need the acidic environment of a birds digestive system...or, a dose of gibberellic acid. Haven't grown larch though, so probably best to check on a seed germination site (Tom Clothier or Seedsite).
Some seeds are an absolute nightmare - black poplar, for example, which has a viability period of, like, 2 weeks!  Or Styrax (double dormancy) -take hardwood cuttings - epicornic ones are the best (those little whips which grow directly out from the  bark-y base or trunk ).

Growing trees from seed is quite awe-inspiring, heinous seamus. Have fun.


----------



## gentlegreen (Nov 14, 2021)

deep / bottomless pots for trees ?


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## platinumsage (Nov 14, 2021)

When I was six I planted a conker and an apple pip, and both grew into decent trees for a few years until we moved house. I was disappointed my satsuma tree never sprouted though.


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## campanula (Nov 14, 2021)

You can actually buy special pots for trees,  gentlegreen , with loads of holes in the sides - theory being that the roots make their way to the sides of the pot, then grow out...at which point, they are naturally 'air-pruned'.  Stops them getting rootbound, with spiralling roots. I have a load of these but don't use them myself because they dry out real quick and are only really worthwhile if you have a constant drip irrigation set up. Those deep 5litre rose pots are good though.


----------



## dessiato (Jan 9, 2022)

Apologies for the poor pic, it’s been cropped to remove some personal, identifying information. I need to trim/prune this bush, but am loath to do anything until I know what it is.


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## campanula (Jan 15, 2022)

Um, I can't actually see what that might be dessiato. My eyes are rubbish. It looks a bit like a slightly neglected box, but could as easily be a hebe, a small leaved euonymous or even an ilex crenata. However, I can say it isn't a conifer but is a broadleaf evergreen shrub and, as such, the best time for pruning is not just yet. Hang on until just before new buds are swelling - around late March/April. I A better identification would really be helpful (you are quite right to hold off the secateurs till then). Incidentally, why do you want to prune it? Always good to have a plan.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jan 15, 2022)

campanula said:


> Um, I can't actually see what that might be dessiato. My eyes are rubbish. It looks a bit like a slightly neglected box, but could as easily be a hebe, a small leaved euonymous or even an ilex crenata. However, I can say it isn't a conifer but is a broadleaf evergreen shrub and, as such, the best time for pruning is not just yet. Hang on until just before new buds are swelling - around late March/April. I A better identification would really be helpful (you are quite right to hold off the secateurs till then). Incidentally, why do you want to prune it? Always good to have a plan.


Looks like a Hebe. dessiato could you get a closer pic please.


----------



## two sheds (Jan 15, 2022)

My magnolia's delivered and in campanula  . Thanks again for your help - got it from Burncoose and repotted it in a bit of a bigger (terracotta) pot and sank it into the ground. Got some bubblewrap over the base at the moment but I'll change that for some straw for the frost protection.

I did only just read though that they don't flower for 10 years  . Still really pleased with it though, looks really healthy with some nice big buds on it. ❤️ I measured the ground again and I think it'll be fine.

Never spent so much on a plant  , must phone my sis and thank her for the token.






						Magnolia X Soulangeana 'Satisfaction'  from Burncoose Nurseries
					






					www.burncoose.co.uk


----------



## dessiato (Jan 15, 2022)

campanula said:


> Um, I can't actually see what that might be dessiato. My eyes are rubbish. It looks a bit like a slightly neglected box, but could as easily be a hebe, a small leaved euonymous or even an ilex crenata. However, I can say it isn't a conifer but is a broadleaf evergreen shrub and, as such, the best time for pruning is not just yet. Hang on until just before new buds are swelling - around late March/April. I A better identification would really be helpful (you are quite right to hold off the secateurs till then). Incidentally, why do you want to prune it? Always good to have a plan.


It's starting to grow across the main path, and is causing a bit of obstruction. 



Calamity1971 said:


> Looks like a Hebe. dessiato could you get a closer pic please.


Unfortunately not at this time. I'm not at the house.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jan 15, 2022)

dessiato said:


> starting to grow across the main path, and is causing a bit of obstruction.


I've got 2 Hebes either side of my path that did the same. I got the hedge trimmer on them on their sides. If it is Hebe, the bees love the little flowers, mine are completely covered in summer with them.


----------



## danny la rouge (Jan 15, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> I will be whacking the tree in the park later


Don’t you start.


----------



## dessiato (Jan 15, 2022)

Because my F-I-L is partially sighted, and limited mobility, we're going to need to cut the bush back fairly soon.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jan 15, 2022)

dessiato said:


> Because my F-I-L is partially sighted, and limited mobility, we're going to need to cut the bush back fairly soon.


They're fairly tough. I cut mine back when I shouldn't have. They were blocking out the sun making the path slippy.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 15, 2022)

Is my pretend mini Xmas tree some sort of hebe ?
I swear it honked when I bought it, but it seems OK now ...


----------



## blossie33 (Jan 15, 2022)

Could be some sort of Crassula?
Edit: I've had a quick look but can't see one quite like that.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 15, 2022)

blossie33 said:


> Could be some sort of Crassula?


I always think of those as slow growing.
This thing was £1.50 half price ...


----------



## blossie33 (Jan 15, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> I always think of those as slow growing.
> This thing was £1.50 half price ...


Bargain!
Perhaps someone else can help with identifying.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jan 15, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> Is my pretend mini Xmas tree some sort of hebe ?
> I swear it honked when I bought it, but it seems OK now ...
> 
> View attachment 306097


Looks more like yew.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jan 15, 2022)

What does a yew tree smell like?
Seeds, arils, leaves, and wood emit a disagreeable, fetid odour when bruised or crushed. Although T. taxifolia does well in cultivation, it is critically imperiled in the wild and is considered an endangered species.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 15, 2022)

Definitely not yew - not least because of the implications of selling a highly toxic table decoration !


----------



## blossie33 (Jan 15, 2022)

How about this...










						CHRISTMAS DEAL - Top Point Mini Christmas Tree
					

CHRISTMAS DEAL - Usually 5.99, today just 1.99 - Save £4! The Chamaecyparis thyoides Top Point is a conical shaped compact form of conifer with the appearance of a Mini Christmas Tree, therefore it is frequently used as f




					www.gardeningexpress.co.uk


----------



## gentlegreen (Jan 15, 2022)

blossie33 said:


> How about this...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well if it is, GE have mislabelled it ...

I'm pretty certain it isn't actually a conifer at all ..


----------



## campanula (Jan 15, 2022)

O, I wonder if it's one of those weird southern hemisphere conifer substitutions such as a podocarpus. Although I am currently deep in a Chilean love affair, I don't have anything like enough experience to confidently offer a certain ID.@gentlegreen. Looks like a fleshy money puzzle (araucania)...but, as always, v.likely I am talking shit.

two sheds - surely not suggesting you may have to wait 10 year for a bloom! For sure, trees and shrubs which are close to the species will often take ages - 30 years for some citrus...but nearly all commercial plants have been bred with a degree of precosity so I would be astounded if you were not seeing buds in the next coupla years.


----------



## campanula (Jan 15, 2022)

I think a hebe seems the most likely,, dessiato  looking at it's habit. Could you, as a rough compromise, tie the plant back. If you poke a couple of stout canes on either side, you can run a hammock of twine between the posts which will hold the hebe away from the path without breaking the stems or damaging the foliage. It is very risky, cutting any evergreen during the coldest months of winter...and hebes, while tough, can indeed succumb to a winter fungus and cark almost overnight. Waiting until it starts to show new fresh growth ( April in Scotland) is really what I recommend...when you can remove entire branches, from the base...as well as trimming out some of the top growth.


----------



## Clair De Lune (Feb 27, 2022)

Can anyone identify these seed pods please? And how likely I might actually be able to grow anything from them. They've been drying out on my windowsill for months. 

The first came from a tree in a park in london. The second from a bush in a local park. If I'm remembering right, when it was in bloom it had orange spiky flowers.


----------



## blossie33 (Feb 27, 2022)

I can't help but they look interesting!


----------



## gentlegreen (Feb 27, 2022)

The first one may be Catalpa bignonioides, also known as the Indian Bean Tree ?

The second one has the look of some sort of leguminous plant - but rather large for any kind of vetch ...

EDIT:-



			vicia sativa seed pods - Google Search
		


It's just the size that has me ...


----------



## Clair De Lune (Feb 27, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> The first one may be Catalpa bignonioides, also known as the Indian Bean Tree ?
> 
> The second one has the look of some sort of leguminous plant - but rather large for any kind of vetch ...
> 
> ...


Cool, thank you 😊 

I'm just going to plant them indoors for now and hope for the best.


----------



## gentlegreen (Feb 27, 2022)

The seeds in the second one might benefit from a gentle roughing up with sandpaper .. just enough so moisture can find its way in ... perhaps do one or two like that...


----------



## dessiato (Feb 27, 2022)

Clair De Lune said:


> Cool, thank you 😊
> 
> I'm just going to plant them indoors for now and hope for the best.


Some seeds need to get cold before they’ll grow. Maybe put them in a fridge for a week first. It’s what I used to do when I was into growing bonsai from scratch.


----------



## gentlegreen (Feb 27, 2022)

googling suggests catalpa seeds are tiny and should be pressed into the surface of compost and covered with polythene and given a little light.


----------



## two sheds (Mar 5, 2022)

couple here: I think this one's a weed (yellow flower?) looks like a clover but don't think it is

these bulbs/rhyzomes? I planted them a couple of months ago have totally forgotten what they are:


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 5, 2022)

two sheds said:


> couple here: I think this one's a weed (yellow flower?) looks like a clover but don't think it is
> View attachment 312872
> these bulbs/rhyzomes? I planted them a couple of months ago have totally forgotten what they are:
> View attachment 312873


1. Wood sorrel/ oxalis?
2. Iris reticulata.


----------



## two sheds (Mar 5, 2022)

Calamity1971 said:


> 1. Wood sorrel/ oxalis?
> 2. Iris reticulata.


1. might be one of them although the ones I just looked at seem to have smoother leaves
2. ta


----------



## campanula (Mar 5, 2022)

two sheds, the first pic is likely to be wood avens (geum urbanum), aka herb bennet. If you pull it up, the roots smell like cloves. Beloved of the orange tip butterfly (caterpillar), along with garlic mustard. Sodding annoying though (it infests my allotment).


----------



## two sheds (Mar 5, 2022)

yes that looks like them, ta  

I've been leaving them on the basis that I don't like killing things I don't know the name of but they do look infesty. I'll perhaps leave them round the outside of the garden since I do get orange tips around here.


----------



## BoatieBird (Mar 20, 2022)

Can anyone tell me what this is?


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 20, 2022)

BoatieBird said:


> Can anyone tell me what this is?
> View attachment 315128


Cuckoo pint. Arum ? Woodland plant.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 20, 2022)

Arum maculatum - Wikipedia
					






					en.m.wikipedia.org


----------



## BoatieBird (Mar 20, 2022)

Calamity1971 said:


> Arum maculatum - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Of course 
Thanks Calamity1971


----------



## two sheds (Mar 20, 2022)

looks like lords & ladies but probably isn't  

Eta: HA!!!!


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 20, 2022)

two sheds said:


> looks like lords & ladies but probably isn't
> 
> Eta: HA!!!!


Yes it is. Also known as Cuckoo pint.
Oops,just seen ya ETA


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 20, 2022)

Supposed to be confusable with Common Sorrel, Garden Sorrel, Narrow Leaved Dock, Spinach Dock, Rumex acetosa ... perhaps when young  - personally I have an aversion to anything with a lot of oxalate ...


----------



## iona (Mar 24, 2022)

This week in Mystery Plants I've Decided To Rescue


Anyone want a guess?


----------



## Leafster (Mar 24, 2022)

Crocosmia bulbs?


----------



## surreybrowncap (Mar 24, 2022)

I don't want to be at that barbecue .....


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2022)

Leafster said:


> Crocosmia bulbs?


Indeed - I'm jealous - damn I'm probably going to order some now - amazing I managed to kill all mine


----------



## Leafster (Mar 24, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> Indeed - I'm jealous - damn I'm probably going to order some now - amazing I managed to kill all mine


If you were nearby I'd offer to dig some up for you. They do have a habit of spreading themselves about a bit in my garden.


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2022)

surreybrowncap said:


> I don't want to be at that barbecue .....


I had to look it up - they apparently sometimes extract a yellow food dye from the flowers as a saffron substitute ..


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2022)

Leafster said:


> If you were nearby I'd offer to dig some up for you. They do have a habit of spreading themselves about a bit in my garden.


Thanks 

To be honest I don't really have a suitable niche at the moment.
I failed with them because I tried to grow them in a container so I could move them about ...


----------



## iona (Mar 24, 2022)

Leafster said:


> Crocosmia bulbs?


Nope (though I have endless amounts of those if anyone wants some). 

Only possibilities I can think of from that garden are cyclamen or something hesperantha-y...


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2022)

iona said:


> Nope (though I have endless amounts of those if anyone wants some).
> 
> Only possibilities I can think of from that garden are cyclamen or something hesperantha-y...



def not cyclamen, but hesperantha is also in the  Iridaceae


----------



## geminisnake (Mar 24, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> Indeed - I'm jealous - damn I'm probably going to order some now - amazing I managed to kill all mine


I have orange ones in the garden, if you pm an address I could send some to you?

Could they be freesia bulbs Iona?


----------



## StoneRoad (Mar 24, 2022)

iona - I think those are crocosmia, given that some of them are "stacked"


----------



## iona (Mar 24, 2022)

StoneRoad said:


> iona - I think those are crocosmia, given that some of them are "stacked"


There's _definitely_ not any crocosmia in the garden they came from...


----------



## two sheds (Mar 24, 2022)

montbretia then? 


I've done this joke before


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2022)

geminisnake said:


> I have orange ones in the garden, if you pm an address I could send some to you?


That's very kind,  but I wouldn't do them justice.
I hope to have a new garden in a few years time with the right sort of microclimate


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 24, 2022)

Those so are crocosmia - I have memories of those things going back to the 1960s 
They're *everywhere *in Cornwall as two sheds will confirm.
I went on a tour of a tin mine some years ago and they reckoned it was the fault of Tin miners emigrating to South Africa when the tin became unprofitable and bringing corms back with them when they retired back home...


----------



## iona (Mar 24, 2022)

I'll stick them in my garden and see what happens, there's already loads of crocosmia there anyway. Would love to know how those ended up buried a good foot down in a compost heap in a crocosmia-free private garden though!


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 24, 2022)

Another vote for crocosmia here. Be good if it's the Lucifer one. I'm not keen on the orange as it invades very quickly.


----------



## campanula (Mar 25, 2022)

I think they are gladioli. The crocosmia seem to makemuch longer chains of corms...whereas I have just dug out a selection of glads and yours are awfully similar.

I used to like crocosmia...and am still very fond of a variety called 'Hellfire' but of late, mine have become impossibly weedy and all revert to a nasty orange/red "Emily Mackenzie' type which is sadly nondescript. Fed up with Lucifer too.


----------



## Idaho (Mar 25, 2022)

I already looked this up already on lens, but I thought I'd post it up for the satisfaction of those who can identify by eye.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 25, 2022)

Idaho said:


> I already looked this up already on lens, but I thought I'd post it up for the satisfaction of those who can identify by eye.
> View attachment 315849


Jack by the hedge/ garlic mustard.


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 25, 2022)

You must be south Idaho? No flowers on the ones in hedgerows here.


----------



## Idaho (Mar 25, 2022)

Calamity1971 said:


> You must be south Idaho? No flowers on the ones in hedgerows here.


Taken at about 50.4 degrees north


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 25, 2022)

Idaho said:


> Taken at about 50.4 degrees north


Definitely darn sarth. I'll have a look out in Bristol at 51.5...


----------



## Calamity1971 (Mar 25, 2022)

54 on a hill,  deffo no flowers here.


----------



## clicker (Mar 30, 2022)

Any ideas on either of these please? They were outside a house with a 'please take me' sign, so I very happily did.


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## gentlegreen (Mar 30, 2022)

clicker said:


> Any ideas on either of these please? They were outside a house with a 'please take me' sign, so I very happily did.


My first vague stab is crassula on the left and sedum on the right, but I'm not  a very succulent person 

You could very quickly make a crazy number of plants from those and if they're hardy, you could have yourself a succlulent-roof for a bike shed or bin shelter 

EDIT:-

I thought it looked vaguely familiar - it seems crassula and purslane are remotely related - which reminds me I need to buy some seeds for _Portulaca oleracea - _which is supposed to be tastier than the miner's lettuce I have self-seeding everywhere .. it will eventually form part of my halophile (salt-tolerant) garden ...


----------



## campanula (Mar 30, 2022)

Just this week, received a packet of golden purslane, from Premier seeds (99p), gentlegreen . My D-i-L is my go-to succulent expert, so I am a bit rubbish on ID apart from the smaller stonecrop specimen.


----------



## gentlegreen (Mar 30, 2022)

campanula said:


> Just this week, received a packet of golden purslane, from Premier seeds (99p), gentlegreen . My D-i-L is my go-to succulent expert, so I am a bit rubbish on ID apart from the smaller stonecrop specimen.


Thanks for the pointer campanula - looks like I am about to order more seeds than I should 

They have an amazing login screen image which I've borrowed for wallpaper  - and I found a larger version too ...





EDIT :- apparently it's Monet's gardens at Giverny.
I suspect I may go there one day  - I'm bound to want to visit Paris and its environs ...






						Claude Monet's garden at Giverny
					

Famous gardens of impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny, house, water garden and flower garden. Visitor information.




					giverny.org
				












						Giverny · France
					

France




					www.google.com


----------



## clicker (Apr 13, 2022)

I've got to clear a border which had a load of top soil put on it last autumn, loads of these are growing...the purple ones . Are they nettles? 

And there's a frothy white flower, behind the purple ones....is that a weed?

They both look so pretty at the moment, but are doing a bit too well?


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## two sheds (Apr 13, 2022)

looks like purple deadnettle



Cleavers making a guest appearance behind?


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## gentlegreen (Apr 13, 2022)

Dead nettle or henbit - certainly in the mint family.
The frothy flowers are probably of hairy bitter cress - some say it makes a nice sald, but they probably also think rocket doesn't taste like burnt 
In terms of salad, apart from the cleavers, there may be some sort of sow thistle there - but don't eat the annual mercury ...
rubber ...


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## two sheds (Apr 13, 2022)

Edible apparently, I'd quite like any to spread though.









						Foraging for Purple Dead Nettle: an edible backyard weed
					

Purple dead nettle is an easy to forage edible and medicinal plant that is most likely growing in your backyard or somewhere nearby!




					www.growforagecookferment.com
				




Flower looks a bit like an orchid?


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## gentlegreen (Apr 13, 2022)

two sheds said:


> Edible apparently, I'd quite like any to spread though.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


doubtless it serves a similar function - though not the full-on sexual mimicry of some orchids ...


----------



## bluescreen (Apr 13, 2022)

Idaho said:


> I already looked this up already on lens, but I thought I'd post it up for the satisfaction of those who can identify by eye.
> View attachment 315849


By the way, garlic mustard is plentiful right now and good in salad








						Garlic mustard: Foraging for culinary and medicinal use
					

Learn how to identify, collect and use garlic mustard for culinary and medicinal purposes. Safe and sustainable garlic mustard foraging.




					britishlocalfood.com


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 13, 2022)

Poorer Victorians used to pick them and white dead nettle and remove all leaves, pop into a vase and it looked like you had a bit of wealth with fresh flowers. As you say two sheds they look a little orchidy. 
More shit facts tomorrow


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 13, 2022)

bluescreen said:


> By the way, garlic mustard is plentiful right now and good in salad
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just say coming into flower here.


----------



## clicker (Apr 13, 2022)

Aha yes thanks,  it does have a look of mint and orchid. I'll keep some then, there's  loads. I've also got lots of your bog standard stinging nettles, I've just read they often grow together . I'm oiking those out though.

The sticky one I recognise.


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## gentlegreen (Apr 13, 2022)

clicker said:


> Aha yes thanks,  it does have a look of mint and orchid. I'll keep some then, there's  loads. I've also got lots of your bog standard stinging nettles, I've just read they often grow together . I'm oiking those out though.
> 
> The sticky one I recognise.


Stinging nettles are regarded by some as the most nutritious greens available.
Also you can make cordage and dye and they're a must in a wildlife garden.


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## two sheds (Apr 13, 2022)

and throw into water any left over to make fertilizer


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## clicker (Apr 17, 2022)

Any ideas what this is? There's  a lot springing up .


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## gentlegreen (Apr 17, 2022)

geranium of some kind - "cranesbill" ...






						Geranium carolinianum Carolina cranesbill Carolina atrum carolinum langloisii sphaerospermum Care Plant Varieties & Pruning Advice
					

Find help and information on Geranium carolinianum Carolina cranesbill Carolina atrum carolinum langloisii sphaerospermum, including varieties and pruning advice. Click here to find out more.




					www.shootgardening.co.uk
				




Perhaps it's forrin then ... 

campanula is your first port of call for an exact ident - though you may need to wait for flowers ...


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## StoneRoad (Apr 17, 2022)

clicker said:


> Aha yes thanks,  it does have a look of mint and orchid. I'll keep some then, there's  loads. I've also got lots of your bog standard stinging nettles, I've just read they often grow together . I'm oiking those out though.
> 
> The sticky one I recognise.


Bog standard [too] common stinging nettles are the main food plant for the caterpillars of Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortishell butterflies - all of which need as much help as they can get at the moment.

If you have any ground available [or pots] at all, make room for some this year, Please.


----------



## clicker (Apr 17, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> geranium of some kind - "cranesbill" ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No flowers yet, I'd love it to be a cranesbill. Is the little white flowered plant, poking out of it, the bitter cress you mentioned in a previous ' name my weed' post?


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 17, 2022)

clicker said:


> No flowers yet, I'd love it to be a cranesbill. Is the little white flowered plant, poking out of it, the bitter cress you mentioned in a previous ' name my weed' post?


Yes. And there's chickweed too


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## campanula (Apr 17, 2022)

For sure it is a cranesbill, clicker...but there are quite a few weedy geraniums which look very similar - g,carolinium, g.pusillum, g.molle, g.lucidum, g.pyrenaicum all come to mind...as well as some which are very location specific (such as a couple native to Breckland). Usually like calcareous grasslands...but quite a few are annual urban weeds.. They can be quite tricky to tell apart without a good botanical key (looking at bracts, stipules and so on. Expect small, pinkish/purple flowers.


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## clicker (Apr 17, 2022)

campanula said:


> For sure it is a cranesbill, clicker...but there are quite a few weedy geraniums which look very similar - g,carolinium, g.pusillum, g.molle, g.lucidum, g.pyrenaicum all come to mind...as well as some which are very location specific (such as a couple native to Breckland). Usually like calcareous grasslands...but quite a few are annual urban weeds.. They can be quite tricky to tell apart without a good botanical key (looking at bracts, stipules and so on. Expect small, pinkish/purple flowers.


I think it's a weedy one, it's filling gaps , so I'll let it bloom. It's all amongst my November panic planting, but I overlooked labelling anything in sub zero temperatures and force 182 gale. Now I'm dithering over what to thin out, incase I pull up my panic plants. Looking forward to some colourful surprises


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## clicker (Apr 17, 2022)

campanula what's the best spray(?) to get greenfly off rosebuds. My Jolly Roger is being a real trooper, really come on, but all green flied up today 😔.


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 17, 2022)

clicker said:


> campanula what's the best spray(?) to get greenfly off rosebuds. My Jolly Roger is being a real trooper, really come on, but all green flied up today 😔.


Spray soapy water, mix a couple of drops in a spray bottle. Still a battle with the buggers though.


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## two sheds (Apr 17, 2022)

not include neem oil?


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## Calamity1971 (Apr 17, 2022)

A bottle is about 7 quid I think. Probably better but I'm being tight .


----------



## geminisnake (Apr 17, 2022)

clicker said:


> Any ideas on either of these please? They were outside a house with a 'please take me' sign, so I very happily did.View attachment 316413



you might want to contain these or they may become intrusive, they are in my garden anyhow, the bees like them though, no idea about names so I hope someone has ided them


----------



## campanula (Apr 17, 2022)

Re: aphids on roses. I admit to doing bugger all - it is astonishing how the buds can be absolutely stiff with greenfly without doing much damage at all. I might, if sufficiently annoyed, just squish the fuckers by hand...but always end up with green smears on my work pants after wiping my hands on them. However, aphids don't look very nice and leave sticky honeydew everywhere. My eldest is a fervent believer in neem oil but I have had a couple of unfortunate incidents with horticultural oils...but mostly cos I sprayed during hot daylight sun and my plants were literally fried.  I also caused a philadelphus to defoliate after a Fairy Green spray, even though I followed the dilution ratios. Since then, I either just use water with a ferocious hosespray  (on my broadbeans) and blast the little swine into outer space or I use a horticultural soft soap (Savona) which has no detergent but does suffocate aphids. While aphids rarely do much damage to a rose, various fungal issues can be quite distressing. I do have a beloved rose which is, sadly, a rust magnet so I am afraid to say, I resort to a twice seasonal spray of Roseclear 3 (also prevents blackspot and cercospora). A lot depends on the rose - how resistant to pests and disease they are (and a lot of them are not very) as well as how much leaf-loss  or surface disfigurement you are prepared to tolerate. It is a vexatious subject with no clear and unambiguous solutions. I will say that you absolutely don't need to be spraying every coupla weeks (which is what chemical manufacturers would have you believe. One spray before the blooms open and another at the end of summer is usually adequate for the worst fungal problems.


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## geminisnake (Apr 17, 2022)

clicker said:


> Any ideas what this is? There's  a lot springing up .
> View attachment 318965


the white flowers/sticks growing through that need pulled before the seed heads burst or you'll have them for years! the wee sticks are the seed head


----------



## campanula (Apr 17, 2022)

Those succulenty things are various sedums  (can never remember exactly which ones) - generally well behaved and easily pulled up if they get out of hand. I would agree with geminisnake and pull the hairy bittercress quicksmart...before they shoot seeds everywhere...although they are only annual weeds. Nothing like couch, bindweed, dock et al.


----------



## iona (Apr 28, 2022)

I know what's in these two pots but my mind's gone totally blank when I try to name them and asking here will probably be quicker than trying to google or waiting for it to come back to me


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 28, 2022)

it's got a sorbussy look, but also sumach / tropical legume ...


----------



## Calamity1971 (Apr 28, 2022)

iona said:


> I know what's in these two pots but my mind's gone totally blank when I try to name them and asking here will probably be quicker than trying to google or waiting for it to come back to me
> View attachment 320405


Definitely staghorn. Can't see the other one properly.


----------



## gentlegreen (Apr 28, 2022)

Coincidentally I bought some sumach powder yesterday - not sure why - doubtless something will appear demanding it - hummus perhaps... 
I'm intrigued by the whole mango-cashew-pistachio-poison ivy thing ...


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2022)

Any idea what this thing is?


----------



## blossie33 (May 3, 2022)

Did you mean the insect?
The plant is some type of fern, no idea about the bug though!


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2022)

blossie33 said:


> Did you mean the insect?
> The plant is some type of fern, no idea about the bug though!



Yeah the bug! The ferns are all sprouting in the forest and curious what this guy is


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 3, 2022)

Artaxerxes said:


> Yeah the bug! The ferns are all sprouting in the forest and curious what this guy is


This maybe. 





						Scorpion Fly | NatureSpot
					






					www.naturespot.org.uk


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 3, 2022)

Oh nice,that looks likely


----------



## blossie33 (May 4, 2022)

I liked this part of the description   ..

can be a dangerous time for the male, if he is not careful the female might decide to kill him! To avoid this he presents her with a gift of a drop of saliva which, it seems, in the world of scorpion flies, is the equivalent of a bunch of roses or a box of chocolates.


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## clicker (May 9, 2022)

This? It's popped up out of top soil and is bullying the wallflowers....but its now got a furry bloom, I'm thinking poppy or a vegetable?


----------



## gentlegreen (May 9, 2022)

clicker said:


> This? It's popped up out of top soil and is bullying the wallflowers....but its now got a furry bloom, I'm thinking poppy or a vegetable?


poppy (oriental ?)


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 9, 2022)

What gentlegreen  said.


----------



## StoneRoad (May 9, 2022)

yup, oriental poppy gets my vote ... wait and see how big the flower gets.

e2a - papaver / poppy seeds can lie dormant for quite a long time, only germinating when the soil has been disturbed ...

although I have a couple of perennial oriental poppies in pots, which are just starting to show signs of flower shoots.
currently hidden in the greenhouse, it's gone very windy today.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 12, 2022)

Is this *really *a gentian ? I cheated with google ...
The photo doesn't do the blue justice.
Growing on the edge of a local community garden.


----------



## blossie33 (May 12, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> Is this *really *a gentian ? I cheated with google ...
> The photo doesn't do the blue justice.
> Growing on the edge of a local community garden.
> 
> View attachment 322360


I'm not sure what it is but they are an amazing blue! I've seen a few in flower recently.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 12, 2022)

I always had them in mind as a posh plant reserved for fancy alpine gardens not hanging over a park wall on a busy road junction growing out of bark ...


----------



## campanula (May 14, 2022)

Lithospermum diffusa, gentlegreen.  Which is what I call it, but sometimes called lithodora (diffusa). A beautifully cear blue with no hint of purple/pink

Yeah, I (mistakenly) thought gentians were invariably tricky and acid loving...but apparently not so. I have been slowly gathering seed and teetering on the edge of another plant-y obsession.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 14, 2022)

campanula said:


> Lithospermum diffusa, gentlegreen.  Which is what I call it, but sometimes called lithodora (diffusa). A beautifully cear blue with no hint of purple/pink


thanks 

So a boragy thing


----------



## campanula (May 14, 2022)

weeeeelllll, I am not sure I would call lithospermum a borage-y thing myself., gentlegreen..but mostly because it is a tough, but small and delicate wee evergreen shrub...whereas 'borage-y' implies some robust hairy vigour along the likes of cynoglossum, alkanet, anchusa, echiums, even pulmonaria (imo)...whereas lithospermum sits more comfortably alongside omphalodes, mertensia, spring gentians and so on. They may be botanically related though (my garden knowledge is unreliable when it comes to family identification). I have l.diffusum "Grace Ward' in the most neglected bit of my whole garden - languishing, overlooked (apart from bloomtimes) and rarely watered, in an old Belfast sink, with a coupla other tough survivors such as allium senescens. subsp. montanum, nemesia and an unnamed blue salvia greggii. While aubretia, linum campanulata, various campanulas have long succumbed to drought, thuggery, loneliness etc., the lithospermum trundles on, bringing in spring with a most heartbreakingly lovely shade of blue. Everyone should have one tucked away.


----------



## clicker (May 16, 2022)

These have now got pink flowers...tiny ones. Lots have popped up...?


----------



## iona (May 16, 2022)

clicker said:


> These have now got pink flowers...tiny ones. Lots have popped up...?
> View attachment 322865


Geranium dissectum


----------



## clicker (May 17, 2022)

And this? There's a few, from the top soil that keeps giving.

It's about 12 inches high now.


----------



## Callie (May 17, 2022)

Tell me about elm trees!

I saw this today: 

Pretty sure that's an elm but I thought they categorically failed to get to any decent size height north of the South downs? And possible south of these days due to Dutch elm disease.

Are these something else or am I misinformed about elms?

campanula ??

These were by the Thames in Chelsea


----------



## gentlegreen (May 17, 2022)

clicker said:


> And this? There's a few, from the top soil that keeps giving.
> View attachment 323022
> It's about 12 inches high now.


Matricaria discoidea ?
"stinking mayweed / pineapple weed"

A member of the daisy family.


----------



## campanula (May 17, 2022)

Yes, they are elms, Callie. Although Dutch Elm disease devastated the English elm (ulmus procera), wych elms (ulmus glabra), as well as various other varieties (such as the white elm  (ulmus laevis) in my local graveyard, cork elm, Chinese elm, American elm, can be found in the landscape...as well as a few stray English elms which, because of isolation, missed out on the main wave of DED in the 70s.  I think there are websites which track the location of the english elm (I know there is one for black poplar - another almost vanished tree). I am really curious now - is there any chance you can get a better photo of the seeds, as well as the leafe margins. That leaf asymmetry is one of the defining characteristics of elms (as well as those coin-shaped samaras). The Chinese elm is increasing in popularity, as a smaller ornamental tree. I still miss that iconic shape...although limes have filled the gaps  to a large extent...even having that impressive stature and outline.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 17, 2022)

None listed near me sadly ,...









						Elm Tree | The Conservation Foundation
					

elm tree DO NOT EDIT OR DELETE PAGE




					conservationfoundation.co.uk


----------



## iona (May 17, 2022)

Loads in Brighton, the national elm collection is here. Means there's a lot of sad, dead, debarked stumps about the place too though.


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## Callie (May 18, 2022)

campanula said:


> Yes, they are elms, Callie. Although Dutch Elm disease devastated the English elm (ulmus procera), wych elms (ulmus glabra), as well as various other varieties (such as the white elm  (ulmus laevis) in my local graveyard, cork elm, Chinese elm, American elm, can be found in the landscape...as well as a few stray English elms which, because of isolation, missed out on the main wave of DED in the 70s.  I think there are websites which track the location of the english elm (I know there is one for black poplar - another almost vanished tree). I am really curious now - is there any chance you can get a better photo of the seeds, as well as the leafe margins. That leaf asymmetry is one of the defining characteristics of elms (as well as those coin-shaped samaras). The Chinese elm is increasing in popularity, as a smaller ornamental tree. I still miss that iconic shape...although limes have filled the gaps  to a large extent...even having that impressive stature and outline.


I shall wander past again this evening. They look grafted? As the trunk has a very    clear demarcation but the base has similar bark to the upper part. They're fairly tall, 20-30ft (although I'm rubbish at height )


----------



## Callie (May 18, 2022)

Elmo?


----------



## contadino (May 20, 2022)

Not the white peony... What's the plant with orangy flowers and red shoots? They were approx 1.2 to 1.5m high. Taken today.

Thanks.


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## gentlegreen (May 20, 2022)

contadino said:


> Not the white peony... What's the plant with orangy flowers and red shoots? They were approx 1.2 to 1.5m high. Taken today.
> 
> Thanks.


euphorbia

(spendens var wulfenii ??)

EDIT:-

Summer Flowering Fireglow Spurge (Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow')​


----------



## contadino (May 20, 2022)

...and my second question...anyone know what variety of euphorbia this is?

Glacier Blue? Tasmanian Tiger? ....


----------



## gentlegreen (May 20, 2022)

It looks poorly 

I have a general mistrust of variegation - except in the spider plant and the green-yellow-orange of the bracts of the euphorbia ..


----------



## two sheds (May 20, 2022)

There are loads of diseased elms around my area in Cornwall, too. I got three or four supposedly disease resistant English? Elm from some bloke in Scotland fifteen years ago. One in particular is doing really nicely, only 15ft high or so, so too early to tell but this autumn I'm going to start pruning to get some serious cuttings.


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## contadino (May 20, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> euphorbia
> 
> (spendens var wulfenii ??)
> 
> ...


Oh, nice one. Thanks. Found one for sale. Bought it. Arriving on Tuesday. How cool is the modern age...?


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## gentlegreen (May 20, 2022)

contadino said:


> Oh, nice one. Thanks. Found one for sale. Bought it. Arriving on Tuesday. How cool is the modern age...?


Yes I would definitely have that one in my garden but not the other one - looks a bit white Range Rover sporty to me - like those nasty "low maintenance " shrubs ...


----------



## BoatieBird (May 20, 2022)

contadino said:


> Oh, nice one. Thanks. Found one for sale. Bought it. Arriving on Tuesday. How cool is the modern age...?



I've got some in my garden, I love it and it comes back reliably every year.


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## campanula (May 20, 2022)

O ho, is that a geranium maderense I see there, contadino? Or palmatum?  Looks very like one of the huge Canary Island cranesbills to me. They are all popping out now...although to my dismay, my desperately wanted g.nodosum 'Silverwood; is out of stock. Back to the search. I did award myself another sorbus as a substitution though - the dwarf s.reducta. My sorbus collection is up to a dozen or so and in danger of getting out of hand (I actually named my eldest offspring Rowan).


----------



## campanula (May 20, 2022)

Ho, euphorbias - I was late to the game with these...but did congratulate myself on finally becoming a garden sophisticat when I finally fell under the spurge-y spell (check out e.ceratocarpa...months and months of fabulousness)...and there's also mellifera, pasteurii, polychroma,.. and my favourite for cutting - e.oblongata. Would now never be without them. Am awaiting conversion to bergenias next.


----------



## gentlegreen (May 21, 2022)

I'd somehow forgotten that ricinus is in the Euphorbiaceae and I appear to be growing at least SIX of them this year ...  
But also the sources of cassava and *rubber *- embarrassingly it seems I still carried the notion that ficus elastica was the source ...
I remembered that there was an unpleasant bio diesel monocrop threat to rain forests that predated the oil palm - but don't remember it being called "Jatropha" - but that's apparently it _...._

Oh and damn ... this rabbithole has reminded me of what those pesky geneticists have done to the moraceae and cannabacea and urticaceae


----------



## contadino (May 21, 2022)

campanula said:


> O ho, is that a geranium maderense I see there, contadino? Or palmatum?  Looks very like one of the huge Canary Island cranesbills to me. They are all popping out now...although to my dismay, my desperately wanted g.nodosum 'Silverwood; is out of stock. Back to the search. I did award myself another sorbus as a substitution though - the dwarf s.reducta. My sorbus collection is up to a dozen or so and in danger of getting out of hand (I actually named my eldest offspring Rowan).


Sorry. I couldn't tell you. It wasn't my garden - I went to Renishaw Hall garden yesterday. Most plants were labelled other than two that particularly caught my eye. It's a bit like shopping: If there's one thing on the shelves without a barcode it's always what I want.

Lovely garden btw, but ended up being an expensive thing to do. I ended up ordering a wedding cake tree, two euphorbias and a choisya last night, and there's a host of new stuff on my plant wishlist for next year.

I think I must be the only person to dislike geraniums. They're all gradually being replaced in my garden.


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## campanula (May 21, 2022)

Shock, horror, outrage contadino. Not liking geraniums (you are now on a list)


----------



## gentlegreen (May 21, 2022)

campanula said:


> O ho, is that a geranium maderense I see there, contadino? Or palmatum?  Looks very like one of the huge Canary Island cranesbills to me. They are all popping out now...although to my dismay, my desperately wanted g.nodosum 'Silverwood; is out of stock. Back to the search. I did award myself another sorbus as a substitution though - the dwarf s.reducta. My sorbus collection is up to a dozen or so and in danger of getting out of hand (I actually named my eldest offspring Rowan).


or stinky old herb Robert close up ? 

I confess I leave the odd one growing in my garden when there would otherwise be a vacuum ... especially if they're thriving with no appreciable soil ...


----------



## campanula (May 22, 2022)

I have the white herb Robert (Celtic white) which I rather like.
Just spent serious money on geranium nodosum 'Silverwood' from the very spendy Burncoose nurseries (although I tagged it on top of a customers order as the delivery charges are eye watering)


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## gentlegreen (May 22, 2022)

My new neighbour has put this out the front - and for some reason I thought "astilbe" - in which case I will probably covet it as I considered it along with my lovely pink filipendula .... but googling suggests the leaves should be serrated ...


----------



## campanula (May 22, 2022)

mmmm, that looks suspiciously paeony-like, gentlegreen


----------



## gentlegreen (May 22, 2022)

campanula said:


> mmmm, that looks suspiciously paeony-like, gentlegreen


thanks 
That did cross my mind - I suppose it's a small plant ...
The ones I notice are always pretty big.


----------



## Calamity1971 (May 24, 2022)

Plant Id tells me this is an alpine rose part of the azalea/Rhody family?


----------



## clicker (Jun 6, 2022)

What  is this...about 2 foot high and not fleshy at the bottom like dandelions? But I'm sure I haven't planted it.


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## cesare (Jun 6, 2022)

Hedge Mustard?


----------



## blossie33 (Jun 6, 2022)

clicker said:


> What  is this...about 2 foot high and not fleshy at the bottom like dandelions? But I'm sure I haven't planted it.
> View attachment 325863


I used to think that was wild mustard but I'm not sure it actually is!


----------



## gentlegreen (Jun 6, 2022)

blossie33 said:


> I used to think that was wild mustard but I'm not sure it actually is!


Pretty well all members of the cabbage family have mustard-like properties at various stages of growth ..
I wish hairy bittercress was as tasty as some claim it to be ...


----------



## BoatieBird (Jun 6, 2022)

Any idea what this is?
It's a sizable tree but the flowers and leaves look like wisteria


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 6, 2022)

Could it be this BoatieBird ?








						Robinia – Wikipedia
					






					sv.m.wikipedia.org


----------



## BoatieBird (Jun 6, 2022)

Calamity1971 said:


> Could it be this BoatieBird ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, that looks like it!
Thanks


----------



## Brainaddict (Jun 6, 2022)

Yes, it's Robinia. There's also a yellow-leaved version that can look quite nice. Much rarer but there's also a purple-flowered cultivar.


----------



## blossie33 (Jun 6, 2022)

Is that the same as this - I call it Golden Chain but it's a Laburnum...?








						Laburnum - Wikipedia
					






					en.m.wikipedia.org


----------



## cesare (Jun 6, 2022)

Laburnum's quite toxic, looks as though Robinia is too. It's very pretty but worth keeping the dogs away from. So many trees and plants are though, it's an ongoing thing. Not on the scale of some of the scary ones!


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 6, 2022)

cesare said:


> Laburnum's quite toxic, looks as though Robinia is too. It's very pretty but worth keeping the dogs away from. So many trees and plants are though, it's an ongoing thing. Not on the scale of some of the scary ones!


Both legume/pea family aren't they? I had to chop down a diseased laburnum for a customer. Apparently you can't even burn the wood because of toxicity.


----------



## contadino (Jun 6, 2022)

BoatieBird said:


> Any idea what this is?
> It's a sizable tree but the flowers and leaves look like wisteria
> View attachment 325882View attachment 325883View attachment 325884


Looks like a falso pepe to me. (Schinus molle)


----------



## Calamity1971 (Jun 6, 2022)

contadino said:


> Looks like a falso pepe to me. (Schinus molle)


Description says Tiny white flowers for that though. 








						cluster of tiny white flowers of Peruvian pepper tree Schinus molle isolated on white Stock Photo - Alamy
					

Download this stock image: cluster of tiny white flowers of Peruvian pepper tree Schinus molle isolated on white - R30CGB from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors.




					www.alamy.com


----------



## cesare (Jun 6, 2022)

Calamity1971 said:


> Both legume/pea family aren't they? I had to chop down a diseased laburnum for a customer. Apparently you can't even burn the wood because of toxicity.


Yes I tend to admire laburnams and family from safely afar. But they are beautiful.


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## contadino (Jun 6, 2022)

cesare said:


> Yes I tend to admire laburnams and family from safely afar. But they are beautiful.


Are your family dangerous?


----------



## cesare (Jun 6, 2022)

contadino said:


> Are your family dangerous?


Most of the people I know can be dangerous. Are your people safe/inert?


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## campanula (Jun 6, 2022)

robinia, BoatieBird. Mostly white flowered but there are some bloody lovely pink flowering pseudoacacias/ locust trees to be had. I very much enjoy the legume family but have zero room for either wisteria or laburnum. I do however, grow the modestly charming indigofera ambleyensiseta,

eta. yep, Calamity1971 got there first.


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## Calamity1971 (Jun 6, 2022)

campanula said:


> robinia, BoatieBird. Mostly white flowered but there are some bloody lovely pink flowering pseudoacacias/ locust trees to be had. I very much enjoy the legume family but have zero room for either wisteria or laburnum. I do however, grow the modestly charming indigofera ambleyensiseta,
> 
> eta. yep, Calamity1971 got there first.


I was looking at the pink one earlier. A mature one for £45. I'm fighting the urge to buy it. I can't really justify it atm. Hmmph.


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## campanula (Jun 6, 2022)

I just bought a pink berried sorbus (pseudohupehensis)., Calamity1971 ..while moaning continually about the incredibly overgrown jungle of an allotment. Trees are...just...lovely...and the pink robinias  (Casque Rouge) are a whole lot more well behaved than the plain old white locusts.


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## Callie (Jun 7, 2022)

I think this is a pink Robinia or similar. I call them pea trees because of the flowers. This is in a graveyard near me.


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## Callie (Jun 7, 2022)

I would like to know what this is, which is also pink. It's probably totally unremarkable when not in flower but wow what a show when it is!


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## prunus (Jun 7, 2022)

Callie said:


> I would like to know what this is, which is also pink. It's probably totally unremarkable when not in flower but wow what a show when it is!
> 
> View attachment 325956



That looks very like Manuka, or ‘broom tea tree’.

E2a: you can make yourself some very expensive honey (if it is)


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## gentlegreen (Jun 7, 2022)

prunus said:


> That looks very like Manuka, or ‘broom tea tree’.
> 
> E2a: you can make yourself some very expensive honey (if it is)


Oh yes so it is :-





__





						Leptospermum scoparium 'Red Damask' | YouGarden
					

This Leptospermum Scoparium is a glorious late spring flowering shrub. It is a perfect choice for providing year-round interest in your




					www.yougarden.com
				




Shame about the woo woo honey ...


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## Callie (Jun 7, 2022)

prunus said:


> That looks very like Manuka, or ‘broom tea tree’.
> 
> E2a: you can make yourself some very expensive honey (if it is)


Cool thanks! Where can I get some beers?

Hmm that autocorrected from beees but I'm on holiday so it stands


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## BoatieBird (Jun 7, 2022)

Calamity1971 said:


> I was looking at the pink one earlier. A mature one for £45. I'm fighting the urge to buy it. I can't really justify it atm. Hmmph.



Sorry


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## Dystopiary (Jun 7, 2022)

gentlegreen said:


> Oh yes so it is :-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think it's been proven that there's something in the honey health thing. Seem to remember watching a thing with Chris Packham in it... I'm sure it gets falsely touted as a cure for all sorts of ailments though.


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## clicker (Jul 11, 2022)

Should have potted these somewhere weeks ago....but not sure if they can all be put in the same terracotta pot and left outside all year? Or do they need taking in during winter? Or are they not suited to all being in one pot?  I've only got one spare pot, but need to liberate them today as the guilt is killing me.
So would one pot be ok?


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## gentlegreen (Jul 13, 2022)

clicker said:


> View attachment 331712
> Should have potted these somewhere weeks ago....but not sure if they can all be put in the same terracotta pot and left outside all year? Or do they need taking in during winter? Or are they not suited to all being in one pot?  I've only got one spare pot, but need to liberate them today as the guilt is killing me.
> So would one pot be ok?


People routinely crowd them in sinks and on roofs.
Make sure you add plenty of grit to the compost and good drainage.


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## gentlegreen (Jul 13, 2022)

Consolidating is what I'm doing at the moment - trying to get shot of all the little pots that can need watering twice a day...
I generally only need two good specimens - so I can have them front and back - and some of my plants go in singly, but others in groups ... if I feel it's not working, most plants are amenable to being repotted again...


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## Callie (Sep 28, 2022)

What's this then?? I know the tree is a Lime but why does it have bubbly twigs? Is it caused by animal, vegetable or mineral....or fungi? Parasites? 

I've seen it on a few different Lime trees, one where I wondered if it was a growth response to being battered by buses going past but this tree in the first two pics had no such abuse


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## Calamity1971 (Sep 28, 2022)

Callie said:


> What's this then?? I know the tree is a Lime but why does it have bubbly twigs? Is it caused by animal, vegetable or mineral....or fungi? Parasites?
> 
> I've seen it on a few different Lime trees, one where I wondered if it was a growth response to being battered by buses going past but this tree in the first two pics had no such abuse


Looks like insect galls?


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## gentlegreen (Sep 28, 2022)

Or scale insects ?
I'll have a look in the park later - I certainly spotted leaf galls on lime leaves this year ...


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## Callie (Sep 28, 2022)

I don't think it's a scale insect but possibly. I don't know! I tried to Google lime tree parasites but didn't really come up with much, same for bubbly lime twigs and similar terms


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## Callie (Sep 28, 2022)

They're really rubbish pics 😂 I will try to grab a twig from the tree I saw this morning might be able to reach if I jump!!


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## Callie (Sep 29, 2022)

I can't grab a bit to get a better twig pic but the tree does have scale insects! Calamity1971 👍


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## gentlegreen (Sep 29, 2022)

I looked at several lime trees in the park - small leaved, large and hybrid and just the usual moss, lichen and maybe fungus on the grottier branches.

There were nail galls on several of the trees - I thought I took a photo or two back in the early summer when they were a pretty red colour ..


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## gentlegreen (Oct 2, 2022)

I didn't get a photo - and it would be difficult to capture, but there were loads of harlequin ladybirds on the limes today  - mostly in larva form.


----------



## two sheds (Oct 3, 2022)

Anyone know what this is (lovely white flower with thin fluffy type leaves). I'm impressed with the pink/red flowers in the small plant pot behind it. Don't think I've ever bought an F1 hybrid before because I don't like that you can't collect seeds but this is its second year and doing really well still.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 3, 2022)

cosmos 
I bet it could be propagated


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## Calamity1971 (Oct 3, 2022)

two sheds said:


> Anyone know what this is (lovely white flower with thin fluffy type leaves). I'm impressed with the pink/red flowers in the small plant pot behind it. Don't think I've ever bought an F1 hybrid before because I don't like that you can't collect seeds but this is its second year and doing really well still.
> 
> 
> View attachment 345728


Deffo cosmos.


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## two sheds (Oct 3, 2022)

oo is it? I've tried cosmos before but unsuccessfully. That was actually my second question that I forgot - will the seeds be viable if I've only got one of them? I tried spreading the pollen round a bit between flowers today.


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## gentlegreen (Oct 3, 2022)

two sheds said:


> oo is it? I've tried cosmos before but unsuccessfully. That was actually my second question that I forgot - will the seeds be viable if I've only got one of them? I tried spreading the pollen round a bit between flowers today.


I was googling - apparently *chocolate *cosmos have sterile seeds ..
You said they were F1s ?

Or do you mean it's the begonias that are F1 ?


----------



## two sheds (Oct 3, 2022)

no sorry the small plants in the pot behind are the F1 hybrids.


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## Calamity1971 (Oct 3, 2022)

two sheds said:


> oo is it? I've tried cosmos before but unsuccessfully. That was actually my second question that I forgot - will the seeds be viable if I've only got one of them? I tried spreading the pollen round a bit between flowers today.


Lidl get them in 39p a packet. Are they the ones I sent you shedsy? I know you don't drive, if you want me to send some I'm happy to. I planted candy Stripe this year and they're beautiful.


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## two sheds (Oct 3, 2022)

They may well be: I didn't buy any seeds of them this year  and yes please when you have some available.


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## Calamity1971 (Oct 3, 2022)

two sheds said:


> They may well be: I didn't buy any seeds of them this year  and yes please when you have some available.


Winging there way soon.


----------



## clicker (Oct 9, 2022)

The shop had a dazzling display of bulbs. Really, really don't need any more tulips though.
So got these to satisfy the itch.
And then these little beauties threw themselves into my basket, begging to be planted.


----------



## geminisnake (Oct 9, 2022)

Queen of the night are lovely though, I have some of them


----------



## clicker (Oct 9, 2022)

geminisnake said:


> Queen of the night are lovely though, I have some of them


Fingers crossed. I'm in the wrong thread too...but saw a cosmos here and got excited. Love their feathery greenery.


----------



## clicker (Oct 18, 2022)

Any idea? Both small off shoots from the base of a huge version of this? The 'mother' plant in a neighbours garden is about 4 foot high, like a big sprawly cactus. She can't remember what it is either.


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## Leafster (Oct 18, 2022)

clicker said:


> View attachment 347666
> Any idea? Both small off shoots from the base of a huge version of this? The 'mother' plant in a neighbours garden is about 4 foot high, like a big sprawly cactus. She can't remember what it is either.


It's an Agave.


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## blossie33 (Oct 18, 2022)

clicker said:


> View attachment 347666
> Any idea? Both small off shoots from the base of a huge version of this? The 'mother' plant in a neighbours garden is about 4 foot high, like a big sprawly cactus. She can't remember what it is either.


My late parents had lots of those in pots in their garden, they are very prolific


----------



## clicker (Oct 18, 2022)

blossie33 said:


> My late parents had lots of those in pots in their garden, they are very prolific


Aha, that was my next thought, can it be put in a pot.


----------



## blossie33 (Oct 18, 2022)

clicker said:


> Aha, that was my next thought, can it be put in a pot.


Yes, definitely


----------



## oryx (Oct 29, 2022)

Can anyone identify this for me? I attempted to grow a sage cutting which failed spectacularly (died in days). Then this thing started growing in the pot! Despite being a terrible gardener, even I know it's not sage   It's grown very rapidly in the last few weeks.


----------



## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

oryx said:


> Can anyone identify this for me? I attempted to grow a sage cutting which failed spectacularly (died in days). Then this thing started growing in the pot! Despite being a terrible gardener, even I know it's not sage   It's grown very rapidly in the last few weeks.
> 
> View attachment 349264


Tomato! (Give the leaves a rub, they'll smell lush)


----------



## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

How did you take the sage cutting?


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## oryx (Oct 29, 2022)

iona said:


> Tomato! (Give the leaves a rub, they'll smell lush)


Thanks! I wondered if it was a tomato, but thought I was being over-optimistic that it wasn't a weed. 

I'll try rubbing and smelling the leaves tomorrow.

Sage cutting - I cut of a small branch, put it in water until it grew roots, then planted it outside in a pot, compost. I actually think I did two this way, and both died! I've got a large sage though, which is in the bottom of the photo.


----------



## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

oryx said:


> Thanks! I wondered if it was a tomato, but thought I was being over-optimistic that it wasn't a weed.
> 
> I'll try rubbing and smelling the leaves tomorrow.
> 
> Sage cutting - I cut of a small branch, put it in water until it grew roots, then planted it outside in a pot, compost. I actually think I did two this way, and both died! I've got a large sage though, which is in the bottom of the photo.


Try putting them straight into a potting mix that drains well and doesn't get too claggy. Make a straight cut far enough down a stem that it's a bit woody, not soft new growth - right below a leaf node (where leaves are growing out of the stem). Strip all but the very top couple of leaves, poke the cutting into a pot so ~⅔ of it is buried and firm the soil around it so it's pretty well stuck there (pulling it up by the tip of a leaf should make the leaf rip before the cutting comes up). Keep it damp but not wet, depending on how cold it is outdoors now I'd maybe bring it inside but only if it's fairly cool and you don't have the heating turned right up. Keep it out of direct sun while it roots.

You can also layer sage - pin a branch down against the ground about 4-6 inches from its end, without cutting it off the main plant, then bury it slightly. It'll send out new roots from the buried bit of stem, then you can dig it up once it's grown a bit and plant it somewhere else.


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## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

oryx said:


> but thought I was being over-optimistic that it wasn't a weed.


That little plant growing underneath it in the same pot, with the purple-ish triple leaves, is a weed and I'd get rid asap if your garden isn't already full of the bastard.


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## oryx (Oct 29, 2022)

iona said:


> That little plant growing underneath it in the same pot, with the purple-ish triple leaves, is a weed and I'd get rid asap if your garden isn't already full of the bastard.


Thanks - and for the 'sage' advice!

I think the other one is clover - it seems to get into all the pot plants although I weed them regularly


----------



## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

oryx said:


> Thanks - and for the 'sage' advice!
> 
> I think the other one is clover - it seems to get into all the pot plants although I weed them regularly


Similar leaves but it's actually an oxalis - O. corniculata - and yeah it's a total cunt


----------



## oryx (Oct 29, 2022)

iona said:


> Similar leaves but it's actually an oxalis - O. corniculata - and yeah it's a total cunt


I always thought that clover had some value for soil quality but presuming O. corniculata doesn't?


----------



## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

oryx said:


> I always thought that clover had some value for soil quality but presuming O. corniculata doesn't?


Yeah clover is a nitrogen fixer. Oxalis isn't, although I just googled to double-check that and apparently there's been some research from South Africa that suggested oxalis have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that helps them to thrive in difficult conditions (clover fixes nitrogen through nodules on its own roots)


----------



## oryx (Oct 29, 2022)

iona said:


> Yeah clover is a nitrogen fixer. Oxalis isn't, although I just googled to double-check that and apparently there's been some research from South Africa that suggested oxalis have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that helps them to thrive in difficult conditions (clover fixes nitrogen through nodules on its own roots)


Blimey, I've just googled it and it's edible! Apparently it tastes lemony. Don't think I'll be trying it though.


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## iona (Oct 29, 2022)

oryx said:


> Blimey, I've just googled it and it's edible! Apparently it tastes lemony. Don't think I'll be trying it though.


It's related to wood sorrel which is more well-known as an edible plant, if you've ever tried that? Same lemony taste. The vegetable oca is also an oxalis and the tubers are kind of like a lemony potato. (Oxalis do contain oxalic acid and so shouldn't be eaten in huge quantities, though it's also found in plenty of things like spinach that are generally considered safe to eat)


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## oryx (Oct 30, 2022)

I rubbed and smelt a leaf today and it definitely is a tomato!

Think I need to repot it fairly soon and possibly bring it in for the winter. 

I used home-made compost so there must have been a seed lurking in there.


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## iona (Oct 30, 2022)

oryx said:


> I rubbed and smelt a leaf today and it definitely is a tomato!
> 
> Think I need to repot it fairly soon and possibly bring it in for the winter.
> 
> I used home-made compost so there must have been a seed lurking in there.


It might either sulk and die or turn into a massive triffid that needs constant cutting back tbh but worth a try  They're very easy to take cuttings from too if you do really want to keep it alive.


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