1. fragrant plantain lily
Hosta plantaginea
H. plantaginea forms a large dome-shaped mound, to 60cm high, with mid-green, glossy leaves and white flowers, very fragrant at night and borne on stems to 80cm, from late summer to autumn
Learn more →Plants in Van
Get to know 15 plants selected from Van. Discover their scientific names, identifying features and growing needs.
Plants to discover
2. curled dock
Rumex crispus
A vigorous, tap-rooted perennial with pointed, wavy-edged leaves and tall, stiff flowering stems supporting a narrow column of very small, reddish green flowers, the stem and seeds turning rich brown in autumn and persisting into winter
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3. evergreen magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
A large, rounded evergreen tree about about 12m tall or more with glossy dark green, leathery, oblong-elliptic leaves, often rusty-brown beneath, and highly fragrant, cup-shaped, cream flowers to 25cm across in late summer and autumn
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4. bacon weed
Chenopodium album
A fast-growing, upright, branching annual to 2m high, with silvery green, lightly toothed leaves, which are narrower further up the plant, and mealy white underneath. Produces spikes of small, tightly clustered green flowers, which can go o
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5. garden anchusa
Anchusa azurea
A herbaceous perennial to 90cm with coarsely-hairy, lance-shaped, mostly basal leaves. Bright gentian-blue flowers, aging to blue-purple, are borne on erect, branching stems
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6. Mexican hat plant
Kalanchoe daigremontiana
K. daigremontiana is an upright succulent perennial with trinagular-lance-shaped, grey-green leaves, often spotted with brown, and with a row of plantlets on each edge; pendent, tubular greyish pink flowers 2cm long open in winter
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7. sweet william
Dianthus barbatus
A biennial or short-lived perennial with prostrate rosettes of wide, lanceolate green leaves and stiff, erect stems, thickened at the nodes, to 40-60cm tall, bearing many-flowered, terminal, flattened heads. Flowers come in many colours fr
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8. common mock orange
Philadelphus coronarius
A large, upright, deciduous shrub with mid-green foliage and clusters of heavily scented, bowl-shaped, cream-white flowers appearing in early summer
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9. peace lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii
S. wallisii is an evergreen perennial with erect, lance-shaped, glossy dark green leaves, and ovate white flowering spathes to 15cm in length, each with a slender cream spadix within
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10. rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
A bushy, evergreen shrub, variable in habit from prostrate to upright, from 15cm to 2m tall. Aromatic, linear, dark green leaves 1.5-5cm long have pale, felty undersides. Flowers usually pale violet-blue and white, can also be pinkish or bl
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11. African Violet
Saintpaulia ionantha
African Violet is a compact, stemless perennial with a rosette of hairy, oval to rounded leaves. It produces clusters of five-petaled flowers in shades of violet, pink, white, blue, or purple, often with yellow centers. The plant typically
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12. String of Nickels
Dischidia nummularia
Dischidia nummularia, commonly known as String of Nickels or Nickel Vine, is a creeping, epiphytic succulent with small, round, fleshy leaves resembling coins. The leaves are bright green and densely arranged along thin, wiry stems that tra
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13. hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
H. officinalis is a compact, spreading, semi-evergreen sub-shrub with erect shoots bearing aromatic, linear leaves and terminal spikes of whorled, 2-lipped, tubular blue flowers in summer and early autumn
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14. deodar
Cedrus deodara
An evergreen conifer making a large tree, at first conical with a drooping leading shoot, later broad-crowned. Needles to 4cm in length, slightly glaucous, mostly whorled. Cone to 10cm in length, broadly-ovoid
Learn more →Croton
15. Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
Codiaeum variegatum, commonly known as croton, is a striking evergreen shrub grown primarily for its bold, leathery leaves. The leaves come in a dazzling array of colors including green, yellow, orange, red, and purple, often with variegate
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