PLANT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Find your plant

bird of paradise

Strelitzia reginae

S. reginae is an evergreen perennial to 1.5m, forming a clump of long-stalked, oblong, grey-green leaves; orange and blue flowers emerge in succession from a beak-like spathe

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African marigold

Tagetes erecta

A bushy annual from 50 to 120cm high with pinnate leaves divided into lanceolate leaflets up to 5cm long. Double flowers 5-10cm wide in shades of yellow, orange and white are produced from summer into autumn; both leaves and flowers are aromatic when crushed or brushed

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sky plant

Tillandsia ionantha

An evergreen, epiphytic perennial to 12cm tall and wide. Its linear, arching incurved leaves, to 6cm long, are grey-silver to green in colour with the inner leaves turning red when the plant is flowering. Tubular, violet-blue flowers with yellow stamens emerge from narrow white bracts in spring and summer

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King of air plants

Tillandsia xerographica

An evergreen, epiphytic perennial ultimately reaching a height and spread of up to 90cm. The light green, silvery-grey, recurving leaves are wide at the base and taper to a point forming a tight rosette. Flower spikes, up to 40cm tall, bear tubular red-purple flowers which emerge from green bracts

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white velvet

Tradescantia sillamontana

T. sillamontana is an evergreen perennial to 30cm, with erect to trailing stems bearing ovate, folded leaves covered with silky white hairs; deep rosy-pink, 3-petalled flowers 2cm across in terminal clusters

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oyster plant

Tradescantia spathacea

An evergreen perennial to 30cm, forming a clump of rosettes of narrowly lance-shaped, dark green leaves, deep purple beneath, to 30cm in length; axillary clusters of small white flowers with leaf-like purple bracts

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Golden Torch Cactus

Trichocereus spachianus

A columnar cactus with a deep green stem, bearing 8–10 ribs lined with golden-yellow spines. Large, fragrant white flowers, up to 15 cm across, open at night from late spring to summer. The plant grows upright with a single trunk, branching only after many years, creating a striking vertical accent.

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blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

A medium-sized bushy deciduous shrub with narrowly ovate leaves turning red and purple in autumn. Sprays of small, white or pink urn-shaped flowers in spring followed by edible, blue-black berries 12mm wide

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sweet corn

Zea mays

Sweetcorn is relatively easy to grow and without a doubt tastes so much better that shop bought. There's a great range of varieties to grow, both heritage and modern, and something to suit most gardens and the shorter British summers. If you are short on space you could also try growing baby corn. Sweetcorn is generally classified into three groups. 'Normal' which is the original type of sweetcorn and seeds tend to have the most vigour - they're not as sweet as some of the newer varieties and should be eaten as soon as picked to avoid the sugar being converted to starch. 'Supersweet' which, as the name suggests, have a high sugar content but are not so easy to germinate. 'Supersweet' varieties should not be grown with other varieties as cross-pollination can result in a reduction in sugar content. 'Tendersweet' which are both tender and sweet (although not as sweet as 'supersweet') and can be grown alongside other varieties.

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cut-leaved Japanese maple

Acer palmatum

A small, slow-growing deciduous shrub, forming a broad dome of lacy, dissected foliage. Leaves divided to base into 7-11 slender, deeply incised lobes, turning deep yellow or orange in autumn. Flowers small, purple

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southern maidenhair

Adiantum capillus-veneris

A low-growing spreading fern with gently arching, twice divided elegant fronds supported on wiry black stems. Semi-evergreen in warm sheltered gardens or if grown as a houseplant

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five-fingered maidenhair fern

Adiantum pedatum

A deciduous fern with a shortly creeping rhizome, forming a clump to 45cm tall. Wiry black stems bear branched, spreading fronds, sometimes deep pink when young

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Delta maidenhair fern

Adiantum raddianum

A tufted evergreen fern to 50cm, shortly rhizomatous, with smooth black stalks bearing triangular, 3-pinnate fronds composed of light green, rounded, lobed segments

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urn plant

Aechmea fasciata

An evergreen perennial forming a rosette of strap-shaped, grey leaves with a dense central head of small purple flowers with showy bright pink bracts, sometimes followed by spherical woolly white fruit

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dark purple houseleek tree

Aeonium arboreum 'Atropurpureum'

A lax evergreen sub-shrub to 1.5m, with deep red-purple leaves and conical panicles of small yellow flowers in late spring

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lipstick plant

Aeschynanthus radicans

A spreading, trailing, tropical perennial with leathery green leaves. From spring to autumn it intermittently bears clusters of flared, tubular red flowers to 5cm long, which emerge from burgundy calyces. Makes a good houseplant for a bright spot

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Parry's agave

Agave parryi

A rosette-forming, evergreen, perennial succulent. The leaves are grey-blue, tipped and edged with short, dark spines. After many years, dense clusters of yellow flowers, tinged red or pink in bud, are produced on a massive, branched, tree-like stem up to 5m tall

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chalk agave

Agave titanota

A medium-sized, evergreen, succulent plant, which forms a solitary rosette when young, but may produce offsets when mature. Leaves have ferocious-looking, curved and twisting light-brown, marginal spines, the bases of which often fuse along the leaf margins. There is also a long twisting spine at the leaf-tip. The plant is monocarpic and dies after flowering and setting seed. The flowers are yellow and are produced on a spike 3-6m in height

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Chinese evergreen 'Silver Bay'

Aglaonema 'Silver Bay'

An upright, clump-forming, slow-growing tropical evergreen perennial houseplant to around 90cm, with large green leaves with dark green margins and a paler green centre. A great plant for purifying the air

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silk tree

Albizia julibrissin

A medium-sized, deciduous tree with a broad, spreading crown. The large, mimosa-like leaves are composed of many small leaflets. Fluffy, greenish-yellow flowers with long stamens open on the top of the crown in summer, followed by clusters of long, narrow, pale brown pods that can hang on into winter

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Pregnant onion

Pregnant onion

Albuca bracteata

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hollyhock

Alcea rosea

A robust biennial or short-lived perennial to 2m or more, with shallowly lobed, rounded leaves and long erect racemes of open funnel-shaped flowers to 10cm across, which may be pink, purple, red, white or yellow

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Purple Allamanda

Purple Allamanda

Allamanda blanchetii

Allamanda blanchetii is an evergreen scrambling shrub or climber with glossy, ovate to elliptic green leaves. From summer into autumn it produces striking trumpet-shaped flowers in rose-purple to violet tones, often with a darker throat. It has a vigorous, spreading habit and is valued as a showy tropical ornamental for warm glasshouses and container culture. The plant combines attractive foliage with a long flowering display.

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Welsh onion

Allium fistulosum

An edible, bulbous perennial, remaining green virtually all year round and producing creamy-white flowers in mid-summer

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