Vinca spp. - Periwinkle

Vinca spp. - Periwinkle

Location: Croydon/ London. Vinca spp. can grow as herbaceous perennials or evergreen shrubs. The way to quickly recognise them is by their 5 lobed fan shaped flower heads. The conditions here look exposed to the sun, but others are growing just as fine tucked away deeper amongst sheltering vegetation.

This species is called Vinca minor 'La Grave'. They are an invasive species and they do prefer to grow in sunlight but manage in partial shade and even fully shaded areas.

Distinguishable flowers that are violet/blue in colour, they can appear in all seasons apart from winter.

This specimen has become prone to aphid attack.

The leaves are bright green and heart shaped with smooth edges.

Green stems with a red pigment occurring from the bottom to half way up. The lateral buds grow opposite each other, one on each side.

Location: Dunham Massey National Trust. This species is called Vinca minor f. alba, these are also evergreen and grow ovulate leaves

Choisya ternata - Mexican orange blossom

Choisya ternata - Mexican orange blossom

Location: Croydon/ London. C. ternata is a round evergreen shrub that can grow up to 2.5m tall as well as wide. It prefers to grow in full sunlight and in well drained soils. It is commonly seen in suburban areas used as an ornamental in front gardens.

Here you can see the flower buds ready to show clusters of 5 white lobed stars with yellow stamen in the centre. They bloom from Autumn to Spring. The leaves are dark green, glossy and trifoliate.

In the bottom right you will notice that some of the leaves are damaged by an animal, C. ternata is prone to damage by snails.

Fresh new light green foliage emerges.

Location: Croydon/ London. This species is called Choisia ternata 'sundance'.

It has the same characteristics as C. ternata only the foliage is yellow/green. It is favoured because of it's range of colours.

Euonymus fortunei - Emerald surprise

Euonymus fortunei - Emerald surprise

Located in Chorlton, Manchester along Longford road. E. fortunei is a medium, evergreen, bushy shrub that is yellow as well as green all year round, it's because of these characteristics that make it an excellent hedge plant for buffering the hard edges of boundaries. It is a common sight in suburban areas.

The leaves grow opposite each other on the stems, they are ovulate, rather fleshy and have serrated edges. Pink highlights appear in the winter.

The leaf buds come out bright green with pointed tips.

Located growing right next to its yellow relative is E. fortunei 'silver queen' as you can see more distinctively here they also have pink highlights that appear in the winter.

Pachysandra terminalis - Japanese spurge

Pachysandra terminalis - Japanese spurge

Location: Dunham Massey National Trust/Manchester. P. terminalis is an evergreen matt forming perennial. It grows to about 15cm in height and can colonise vast stretches of shaded land. It prefers to grow in low sunlight conditions which is why it has been planted under neath these other shrubs.

Its evergreen characteristics make it a great 'all year round plant' and can be used to define urban edges.

It's leaves are obovate and 7cm in length, they are shiny dark green and the ends, up to the middle, are serrated.

It's flowers are white and bloom in Spring-early Summer.

An example of how the species can be used in an urban environment found in Exchange Quays/Manchester.

Pyracantha coccinea - Firethorn

Pyracantha coccinea - Firethorn

Location: Chorlton, Manchester. P. coccinea is a medium sized evergreen shrub that can reach heights of up to 4m. It is planted for it's striking colourful fruits that appear in Autumn/ Winter, another reason why it would be planted is that it makes a good hedge plant (topiary is practiced on it) and can keep animals and people away because of it's defensive thorns. It is generally disease and pest free, this specimen is in prime condition.

The scarlet fruit that grows in bunches is a seasonal interest for animals (for food) and people.

The leaves are dark and shiny with fine serrated edges.

The plant shoots long narrow stems in all direction that are riddled with thorns hidden in the foliage.

Garrya elliptica - Silk tassel bush

Garrya elliptica - Silk tassel bush

Location: Dunham Massey National Trust/ Manchester. G. elliptica is an evergreen shrub that can reach  a height and spread of 3-4m. It favours to grow in full sun/partial shade and in well drained soils.



It's flowers are produced in late Winter/ early Spring in the form of long white pendulous catkins (up to 20cm in length).



They are made up of many individual white flowers with brown stems and fine silvery-silky hairs.



The leaves are dark green, hard and leathery. They are oval shaped and have wavy margins. This specimen is suffering from leaf spot disease it is a pathogen that is only showing symptoms in the leaves.



The bark is rough, grey and riddled with pores.

A younger stem has a dark clay colour.

Hamamelis mollis - Witch hazel

Hamamelis mollis - Witch hazel

Location: Dunham Massey National Trust. H. mollis is a deciduous shrub that is planted for its ornamental features and for its fragrant flowers. They can reach heights of 4m and can take 10-20 years to get there, this specimen is around 2m tall so its already halfway through its ultimate growth capacity. It prefers to grow in full sunlight and moist-well drained soils. Around it are ornamental grasses, tulips and daffodils in the background.

The flowers that appear in late Winter are frost resistant and produce an irregular crown of yellow-paper like strips for petals.

The bark appears grey, this specimen has moss growing around it thats giving the distinctive green colour.

The leaves are ovulate with a point at the tip and are serrated on the margins. They have small hairs on the underside.

An emerging leaf showing it's hairs and another earlier emerged leaf behind it.