Get to know 20 plants selected from Europe. Discover their scientific names, identifying features and growing needs.
Hedera helix
H. helix is a vigorous, self-clinging climber with three- to five-lobed, glossy, evergreen leaves, often with pale green veins, and some reddish or bronzy colours in autumn. Mature plants produce bushy, non-clinging branches with diamond-sh
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Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
K. blossfeldiana is a bushy evergreen succulent perennial to 40cm, with fleshy, ovate leaves, and terminal panicles of tubular red flowers spreading lobes in early spring
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Achillea millefolium
A spreading stoloniferous perennial with narrow, finely pinnately dissected leaves and small, cream or pink flowerheads in flat heads in summer
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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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Epipremnum aureum
An evergreen self-clinging climber to 4m or more, with glossy bright green ovate leaves spotted and streaked with cream or yellow; green flowering spathes appear only rarely in cultivation
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Solanum lycopersicum
This is the original plant from which all know varieties of tomato have been bred. The original species is quite a large, branching and climbing plant growing up to 2m tall that is perennial subshrub in its native tropical habitat. The stem
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Hydrangea macrophylla
A large, rounded, deciduous shrub with rather coarse, oval, dark green leaves to 20cm long. In mid- and late summer produces large, flattened flowerheads consisting of a few sterile, pink florets with large petals and many small, fertile, b
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Zamioculcas zamiifolia
an evergreen, rhizomatous perennial. The smooth, shiny leaves, 40-60cm long, arise directly from the ground, and have six to eight pairs of leaflets. One or two green and white, arum-like flowers may appear among the leaf bases in summer, f
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Aloe vera
An evergreen perennial to 0.6m, forming rosettes of fleshy, narrow, dull green leaves with spiny margins, with long racemes of tubular greenish-yellow flowers 3cm in length in racemes to 90cm in length
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Crassula ovata
A bushy succulent evergreen sub-shrub growing slowly to 2m, with rounded fleshy dark green leaves often edged with red, and flat clusters of small starry white or light pink flowers in late summer
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Acer pseudoplatanus
A large, fast-growing, resilient, deciduous tree with dark green, five-lobed leaves 10-20cm long. Yellow-green, catkin-like flowers in spring are followed by bunches of green, winged fruit
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Fagus sylvatica
Large, vigorous deciduous tree reaching 30m in height, with a broad, spreading crown. Leaves broadly elliptic, yellow-green in spring, rich golden copper to russet-brown in autumn. Small, green flowers in early spring, are followed by brist
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Dracaena fragrans
An upright, evergreen, tropical shrub with cane-like stems and glossy, strap-shaped leaves to 40cm long. Its slender habit and tolerance of a range of conditions make it a popular houseplant
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Fraxinus excelsior
A vigorous deciduous tree to 25m, with pale brown bark, dark green, pinnate leaves that turn yellow in autumn, and small deep purple flowers, followed by conspicuous bunches of winged fruits in late summer and autumn and black buds in winte
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Monstera deliciosa
M. deliciosa is an evergreen shrub to 5m or more, climbing by aerial roots, with heart-shaped, pinnatisect and often perforated, glossy deep green leaves to 90cm; flower spathes 30cm, white, followed by cone-like cream fruit
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Sambucus nigra
S. nigra is bushy large shrub or small tree to 6m, with pinnate leaves turning pale yellow in autumn, flat sprays of fragrant cream flowers in early summer followed by small black berries
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Ficus benjamina
An evergreen shrub or tree to 3m or more, with pendulous branches bearing glossy, slender-pointed ovate leaves to 12cm in length. Flowers insignificant, followed by reddish-orange fruits 1cm in length, becoming black
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Urtica dioica
A herbaceous perennial with spreading roots and creeping horizontal stems able to form large, patches of upright stems, to 1.5m tall, with dark green foliage. Leaves and stems are covered in stinging and non-stinging hairs. Cream or brownis
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Nerium oleander
N. oleander is an evergreen shrub with narrowly lance-shaped grey-green leaves and terminal clusters of salver-shaped, pink, white or red flowers 3-4cm across, in summer
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Corylus avellana
Large, deciduous shrub or small multi-stemmed tree, about 6m tall, with rounded mid-green leaves turning yellow in autumn, and yellow male catkins to 6cm long in early spring, followed by edible nuts in autumn
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