PLANT ENCYCLOPEDIA

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38,238 plants

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emerald fern

Asparagus densiflorus

An evergreen houseplant grown for its bright green, densely feathery fronds which drape gracefully downwards with age. Rarely, insignificant pale flowers are produced which, if pollinated, may become red berries

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bar room plant

Aspidistra elatior

An evergreen rhizomatous perennial to 60cm, with glossy dark green, leathery, lance-shaped leaves and inconspicuous dull brownish-cream flowers borne at soil level in early summer

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New York aster

Aster novi-belgii

Aster novi-belgii is an herbaceous perennial that forms upright, clump-forming mounds of lance-shaped green leaves. From late summer to autumn, it produces daisy-like flowerheads with yellow centres and blue, purple, pink or white ray florets. The species is valued for extending colour into the autumn border and for cut flowers. Plants benefit from late-spring pinching to produce a bushier habit.

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lady fern

Athyrium filix-femina

A vigorous deciduous fern to 80cm or more, forming a clump of fresh-green, lacy, bipinnate, lance-shaped fronds, the segments with toothed margins. In some plants the midrib is red, in others green

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begonia 'Looking Glass'

Begonia 'Looking Glass'

Looking Glass' is an evergreen perennial with erect stems that can reach up to 1.8m tall. Silvery leaves, up to 30cm long, are marked with green bands along the veins and coloured red beneath. Clusters of pink flowers are borne in late spring and summer

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Strawberry Cream Begonia

Begonia 'Strawberry Cream'

Begonia 'Strawberry Cream' is a compact, fibrous-rooted perennial with glossy, asymmetrical green leaves. It produces clusters of semi-double flowers in shades of pink and cream, resembling strawberry cream. The plant maintains a bushy habit and blooms continuously from summer into autumn, making it a charming choice for indoor display or sheltered outdoor containers.

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Coral begonia

Begonia corallina

Begonia corallina is a cane-stemmed begonia with smooth, upright stems that resemble bamboo. The asymmetric leaves are oval to narrow, glossy green with silver spots above and reddish-purple beneath. Dense clusters of coral-pink or red flowers hang from the leaf axils over a long season. Its compact, branching habit makes it an attractive specimen for a bright room or conservatory.

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Wax Begonia

Begonia semperflorens-cultorum

Wax Begonia is a compact, bushy perennial often grown as an annual bedding plant. It features glossy, waxy, rounded leaves in shades of green, bronze, or variegated, and produces clusters of small, showy flowers in pink, red, white, or bicolor from late spring to frost. The fleshy stems and leaves give it a succulent-like appearance. It is prized for its long flowering period and neat, mounding habit, making it ideal for borders, edging, and containers.

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silver birch

Betula pendula

Elegant, narrowly conical, deciduous tree up to 25m in height, with slender drooping twigs. Peeling white bark, becomes black and rugged at the base. Diamond-shaped, toothed, mid-green leaves, turn yellow in autumn. Flowers in catkins are yellow-brown and appear in early spring

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Beggar's tick

Bidens alba

Bidens alba is an annual to short-lived perennial herb with erect, branching stems and opposite, pinnately divided green leaves. It bears small daisy-like flower heads with 4-8 white ray florets surrounding a yellow central disk, appearing mainly from spring to autumn. The seed achenes are dark and tipped with 2-4 barbed awns that readily cling to clothing and animal fur. It is a tough, fast-growing plant that attracts bees and butterflies, though its self-seeding habit can make it weedy. It is often used in wildlife-friendly gardens and naturalistic plantings.

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Oriental Water Fern

Blechnum orientale

Blechnum orientale is a bold, evergreen fern forming an open rosette of upright or slightly arching fronds. Each frond is pinnate, with many narrowly lance-shaped, dark green pinnae set along a sturdy stipe, giving the plant a lush, tropical look. Young fronds often unfurl with a reddish or copper tint in spring. This large fern is grown mainly for its architectural foliage and can create a strong vertical accent in shaded borders, woodland gardens, or containers.

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bougainvillea [Camarillo Fiesta]

Bougainvillea Camarillo Fiesta ('Monle')

A vigorous, evergreen climber with ovate leaves and clusters of hot pink to burnished orange-gold papery bracts surrounding insignificant white flowers in summer

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oilseed rape

Brassica napus

The wild hybrid plant (a cross between cabbage and turnip) from which swede and oilseed rape have been selected. It is a biennial which has silvery-green leaves and bright yellow flowers, much loved by bees

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Pak choi

Brassica rapa chinensis

Brassica rapa chinensis, commonly known as pak choi or Chinese cabbage, forms a compact rosette of smooth, dark green leaves with thick, white or pale green petioles. The leaves are spoon-shaped and slightly puckered, with a crisp texture. It grows rapidly as an annual or biennial, reaching 20–40 cm in height. The plant is primarily grown for its edible leaves and stalks, which have a mild, slightly peppery flavor. It may produce small yellow four-petalled flowers if allowed to bolt in warm weather.

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Pak choi

Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis

A short-lived herbaceous plant forming a rosette of broad, ovate to oblong leaves with thick, fleshy petioles. Leaf blades are bright green to dark green with prominent veins. Plants typically reach 20-40 cm in height and spread. Grown primarily for its edible leaves and stalks, it grows rapidly and is ideal for home vegetable gardens.

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paper mulberry

Broussonetia papyrifera

A deciduous tree or large shrub with grey-green, hairy leaves, variably lobed and about 20cm long. Male flowers are pale green with cream anthers produced in 7cm long hanging catkins. Female flowers in spherical clusters have long, pale purple stigmas and, if fertilised, are followed by sweet, edible orange fruit

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snowy angel's trumpet

Brugmansia suaveolens

A tender shrub with semi-evergreen leaves. It bears large, hanging, white trumpet-shaped flowers in summer and autumn. These are night-scented

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butterfly bush

Buddleja davidii

A large, fast-growing, deciduous shrub, to 3m tall, with long, arching shoots and lance-shaped, pointed, green or grey-green leaves up to 25cm long. From summer to autumn it bears dense sprays, 30cm or more long, of small, fragrant flowers in various shades of purple

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Paca bursera

Bursera paradoxa

Bursera paradoxa is a deciduous shrub or small tree with a thick, sculptural trunk and peeling, papery bark. Its pinnate leaves are aromatic when crushed and cluster at the branch tips, giving a light, airy canopy. Small greenish-yellow flowers appear in spring, followed by inconspicuous drupes. It is grown mainly for its architectural caudex, attractive bark, and drought-tolerant nature.

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flowering rush

Butomus umbellatus

An herbaceous perennial to 1.2m, with upright, twisted grassy leaves and stiff stems bearing umbels of fragrant rosy-pink flowers 2cm in width in late summer

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small-leaved box

Buxus microphylla

A slow-growing, dense, rounded to spreading shrub to 75cm high, with opposite, rounded to elliptic dark green leaves to 2cm long, that turn bronze in winter. Small yellow-green flowers are produced in the leaf axils in spring

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Million Bells

Calibrachoa parviflora

Calibrachoa parviflora is a low, spreading perennial with small, narrow leaves and slender, freely branching stems. It produces masses of petunia-like, funnel-shaped flowers in violet-purple, each small but so abundant that the plant is commonly called Million Bells. The trailing habit allows it to spill naturally over basket edges or form a colourful ground cover. In cultivated Million Bells series the flower colours now range widely, including pink, red, yellow and white.

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wall bellflower

Campanula portenschlagiana

Low-growing perennial quickly forming an evergreen mound to 15cm tall of small, broadly heart-shaped, mid-green leaves. Tubular to funnel-shaped, violet-blue flowers 2cm in length are borne freely on loose branching stems spreading to 50cm or more, in summer

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trumpet vine

Campsis radicans

A vigorous self-clinging woody climber growing to 10m, with pinnate leaves and bright orange or red, trumpet-shaped flowers 8cm long, borne in clusters in late summer and autumn

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