Get to know 13 plants selected from Surt. Discover their scientific names, identifying features and growing needs.
Capsicum annuum
This is the wild plant from which many of our cultivated sweet peppers and chillies have been bred. It shows a wide range of fruit shapes, colours, sizes and degree of capsaicin production - from where the heat may or may not be felt. It ha
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Castanea sativa
A large vigorous deciduous tree with rugged, grooved bark and glossy, serrate, oblong-lanceolate leaves to 20cm in length. Male catkins to 15cm in length, yellowish, followed by spiny fruits containing edible nuts
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Jasminum sambac
J. sambac is a twining or scrambling evergreen shrub with glossy simple leaves and clusters of very fragrant white flowers 2.5cm across, in summer and sporadically at other times
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Pelargonium zonale
One parent of most zonal pelargoniums, P. zonale is an erect, bushy plant with fleshy stems turning woody with age and smooth, rounded, mid-green leaves with a narrow, dark green zone. Generally grows up to 1m but up to 3m against a wall un
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Clivia miniata
A perennial forming a clump of evergreen, strap-like leaves to 60cm in length, with erect stems bearing a terminal umbel of funnel-shaped, yellow-throated, orange-red flowers up to 7cm in length
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Asparagus setaceus
A bushy tuberous perennial developing twining stems to 2.5m tall, with fine feathery bright green foliage, small white flowers and deep purple berries
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Persea americana
P. americana is a bushy evergreen shrub or small tree, with glossy, lance-shaped or elliptic leaves, rarely flowering in cultivation in temperate climates
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Sedum morganianum
S. morganianum is an evergreen succulent with trailing stems to 30cm or longer, bearing overlapping, lance-shaped, fleshy glaucous blue-green leaves and clusters of small, starry reddish purple flowers
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Gardenia jasminoides
A large evergreen shrub with deep glossy green, elliptic leaves and very fragrant, broadly funnel-shaped white flowers 8cm across in summer and autumn
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Chamaemelum nobile
A mat-forming perennial to 25cm in height, with finely divided, aromatic leaves and yellow-centred, white daisy-like flowers 1.5cm across
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Euphorbia characias
Evergreen perennial to 1.5m, with vertical or arching biennial stems, leafy throughout at first, then bare, almost woody at the base, densely leafy above, carrying flower heads in the second year. Slender, blue-green, rather downy leaves to
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Medicago sativa
Also known as 'alfalfa'or 'purple medic' this herbaceous perennial legume with a deep tap-root and clover-like green foliage produces small purple flowers in the summer followed by flat pea-like fruits. Used in many countries as animal foo
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Catharanthus roseus
A woody-based evergreen perennial, to 45cm in height, with somewhat fleshy stems bearing ovate leaves and 5-petalled flowers, to 4cm across, pink, red or white in colour
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