Gardeners World

Stevo_666

Aka name the contents of my garden because I don't have a clue but I need to look after some of them

Managed to take pics of the front on the way put to shops before it started getting unpleasantly soggy so there may be a part 2 later for the stuff out the back.

First one is the F.O. Big Tree which I reckon is a horse chestnut but am happy to be proved wrong. Not sure about any of the others. All info/guesses welcome.

seanoconn

No1 correct
No2 crap picture
No3 rhododendron
No4 Laburnum
No5 Rhododendron
No6 crap picture
No7 Azalea
No8 variegated weigela
No9 Pieris
No10 Lilac
No11 Elaeagnus
No12 Laburnum aka Golden shower tree 😃

seanoconn

FYI. Most of those will look after themselves although the elaeagnus doesn’t look very happy.

Stevo_666

Blimey Seano, never knew you were such an expert on gardening Ta very much for that.

Will try to grab better pics of the two crap ones later. In the meantime, for a bonus point, what's the purple thing behind the Laburnum in pic #4?

masjer

1 Big tree- looks like a horse chestnut. Conkers.
2 Looks like a sick tree. Can't see it well.
3. Rhododendron.
4. Laburnum. Poisonous, don't let your dogs chew it!
5. Rhododendron.
6. ?
7. Honeysuckle.
8. ?
9. Pieris
10. Lilac
11. Eleagnus?
12. Laburnum.

Stevo_666

seanoconn said:

FYI. Most of those will look after themselves although the elaeagnus doesn’t look very happy.

Nice one.

The Elaeagnus kinda looked like that when we moved in. Any thoughts on what to do to improve it?

seanoconn

Stevo_666 said:

seanoconn said:

FYI. Most of those will look after themselves although the elaeagnus doesn’t look very happy.

Nice one.

The Elaeagnus kinda looked like that when we moved in. Any thoughts on what to do to improve it?

Chop it down?

seanoconn

Stevo_666 said:

Blimey Seano, never knew you were such an expert on gardening Ta very much for that.

Will try to grab better pics of the two censored ones later. In the meantime, for a bonus point, what's the purple thing behind the Laburnum in pic #4?

Lilac

masjer

6. Choisya?

Stevo_666

OK, here's a (hopefully) better couple of shots of #2



And #6



And something else I noticed while I was out there:

Stevo_666

masjer said:

1 Big tree- looks like a horse chestnut. Conkers.
2 Looks like a sick tree. Can't see it well.
3. Rhododendron.
4. Laburnum. Poisonous, don't let your dogs chew it!
5. Rhododendron.
6. ?
7. Honeysuckle.
8. ?
9. Pieris
10. Lilac
11. Eleagnus?
12. Laburnum.

Ta for the tip about Laburnums being poisonous, luckily they're only out the front and we always have the dogs on a lead out there in case they run out of the close and onto the road.

Looks like we have 2 differing views on #7 !

Stevo_666

masjer said:

6. Choisya?

Never heard of it before but I'm sure you're right. Will go Google it...

manglier

There is a nifty app for identifying plants called PlantNet.

seanoconn

masjer said:

6. Choisya?

You’ll be waiting a long time for Stevo to give you any answers! 😂

Stevo_666

manglier said:

There is a nifty app for identifying plants called PlantNet.

Good call - although replies on here have been very good and as I've just been out the back in the wet to take more pics, I may as well ask you lot...

Stevo_666

Not so much by way of mystery bushes and flowers in the back garden (although can't get decent pics of most of the trees in this light). Ding ding, round 2...

Number 3 may well be another Rhododendron. And the tree is probably a cherry blossom.

orraloon

How come they're all growing sideways?

Rhodies and Azalea, you have acid / low pH soils in Kent?

The Elaeagnus x ebbingei is a tough plant, that one looks like it's been trimmed to a 1/2 standard type shape. Give it a feed, several handfuls of Growmore, see if it perks up. They have tiny white scented flowers at odd times of the year, e.g. can be in the winter. The bumblebees and chums love them.

Stevo_666

orraloon said:

How come they're all growing sideways?

Rhodies and Azalea, you have acid / low pH soils in Kent?

The Elaeagnus x ebbingei is a tough plant, that one looks like it's been trimmed to a 1/2 standard type shape. Give it a feed, several handfuls of Growmore, see if it perks up. They have tiny white scented flowers at odd times of the year, e.g. can be in the winter. The bumblebees and chums love them.

Ta for that, we're on a sandstone outcrop here so probably slightly acidic soil. Bedrock close to the surface as well - we can see it where they had to chop into the hillside to fit in the extension at the back/side (see the Azelias pic).

Point noted re the Elaeagnus, will see if it responds to treatment: would be a shame to just chop and replace without giving it a try.

masjer

1.Begonia??
2 Japanese maple
3 Rhododendron
4 Olearia Macrodonta ? More likely if the leaves are serrated.
5 Cherry

Stevo_666

masjer said:

1.Begonia??
2 Japanese maple
3 Rhododendron
4 Olearia Macrodonta ? More likely if the leaves are serrated.
5 Cherry

Thanks again Masjer - I am learning!

pinno

The RHS good plant guide is a handy little fat book for identifying and maintaining plants.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=rhs+good+plant+guide&adgrpid=53669543952&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyYKUBhDJARIsAMj9lkHOaNbcDcMkB7wziUeF-_bZFu71GkNsEmYor7l1hmSaN54z9suLqUYaAl7PEALw_wcB&hvadid=259153286563&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1007273&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15408179524191197763&hvtargid=kwd-301423910876&hydadcr=24427_1748929&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_5yltowg5t2_e

You can also use the website.

Use the search bar. For example, I typed in 'small blue flower' and it comes up with a list of results.

There is also a very handy App for plant identification. Well, actually, there's a few:

PlantSnap. PHOTO: PLANTSNAP. ...
Planta. PHOTO: PLANTA. ...
Leafsnap. Leafsnap operates as a field guide to all things foliage. ...
GardenAnswers. ...
iNaturalist. ...
PlantNet. ...
PictureThis. ...
Agrobase.

Certain creeping plants like Clematis requires cutting back and providing the root stock is good, is pretty resilient.
What you have pictured will all require maintenance but they are low maintenance.

I can picture you now doing all your winter pruning, secateurs in hand.
Who'd have thought?

pinno

Take care of that acer palmatum purpureum - they hate frost. A frost when in leaf can kill it. Might be wise to buy some frost protection and be careful about cutting back plants on close proximity to it as they provide a little bit of cover. Maples exist well under existing large trees.

Stevo_666

pinno said:

Take care of that acer palmatum purpureum - they hate frost. A frost when in leaf can kill it. Might be wise to buy some frost protection and be careful about cutting back plants on close proximity to it as they provide a little bit of cover. Maples exist well under existing large trees.

Thicky question, but which one is the Acer? Is that the Japanese Maple. If so it does have a bit of tree cover which you can't see in the pic, but it's survived however many years outside before we bought the place (they all have) - I assume it's been there for while.

seanoconn

Stevo_666 said:

pinno said:

Take care of that acer palmatum purpureum - they hate frost. A frost when in leaf can kill it. Might be wise to buy some frost protection and be careful about cutting back plants on close proximity to it as they provide a little bit of cover. Maples exist well under existing large trees.

Thicky question, but which one is the Acer? Is that the Japanese Maple. If so it does have a bit of tree cover which you can't see in the pic, but it's survived however many years outside before we bought the place (they all have) - I assume it's been there for while.

Yes it is. Now Pinno has said that it will suddenly catch frost and die after all these years!

Stevo_666

seanoconn said:

Stevo_666 said:

pinno said:

Take care of that acer palmatum purpureum - they hate frost. A frost when in leaf can kill it. Might be wise to buy some frost protection and be careful about cutting back plants on close proximity to it as they provide a little bit of cover. Maples exist well under existing large trees.

Thicky question, but which one is the Acer? Is that the Japanese Maple. If so it does have a bit of tree cover which you can't see in the pic, but it's survived however many years outside before we bought the place (they all have) - I assume it's been there for while.

Yes it is. Now Pinno has said that it will suddenly catch frost and die after all these years!

Probably true in the frozen wastelands of Scotland.

shirley_basso

Can't grow a bay tree up there

Ben6899

manglier said:

There is a nifty app for identifying plants called PlantNet.

And your common or garden iphone will do it, through the photos app. Just tap the little "(i)" button.

pinno

shirley_basso said:

Can't grow a bay tree up there

Nope - you're wrong there. If there was enough light, I would take a pic of mine.
The whole of the West coast is bathed in the gulf stream. We have palm trees on this peninsula.

https://www.rbge.org.uk/visit/logan-botanic-garden/

masjer

pinno said:

shirley_basso said:

Can't grow a bay tree up there

Nope - you're wrong there. If there was enough light, I would take a pic of mine.
The whole of the West coast is bathed in the gulf stream. We have palm trees on this peninsula.

https://www.rbge.org.uk/visit/logan-botanic-garden/

Tis true, but you forgot to mention the downside of the gulf stream, windy wind and wet rain.

pinno

masjer said:

pinno said:

shirley_basso said:

Can't grow a bay tree up there

Nope - you're wrong there. If there was enough light, I would take a pic of mine.
The whole of the West coast is bathed in the gulf stream. We have palm trees on this peninsula.

https://www.rbge.org.uk/visit/logan-botanic-garden/

Tis true, but you forgot to mention the downside of the gulf stream, windy wind and wet rain.

Point of order m'lord [pedant mode: ON]:

The windy windy and the wet train has a more to do with the prevailing westerlies pushed along by the jet stream coming off the Atlantic.

[pedant mode: OFF]

Stevo_666

To be fair we never had a real cold spell this winter gone and certainly no snow. Not sure what I can do apart from see how the Acer gets on next winter. It's quite a big plant so looks like its been around over a few winters.