new garden - need help!

[legless]

i've just inherited a beautiful, established garden... but i only know about vegetables! can anyone tell me what any of these plants are?

mystery plants 1-9 on this link (and the trees if you know them!)

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v186/legless/

thanks in advance, the whole thing is terrifying me, i don't want to ruin it!!

Jo

[legless]

[Bluejane]

Just a few ideas on one or two of your mystery plants. I could be completely wrong, but I think:

1 looks like a sedum - is it leathery? If so, then I'd say a sedum.
4 - possibly a pulmonaria
6 looks like a hardy geranium but hard to tell without flowers
8 maybe a euonymus (not sure of spelling!)
9 looks a bit hydrangea-like.

The good news is if I'm right about them they're all as hardy as hell and almost impossible to kill - the most useful kind of plants!

Good luck with it all - I'm sure it'll all fall into place before you know it and you'll have a lot of fun with the garden along the way.

[busy_lizzie]

Sorry I am not a help with recognising the plants, but Good Luck with your move Jo.  Lucky you inheriting such a lovely garden!  Hope you will be very happy there.   :) busy_lizzie

[Ceratonia]

Not much to add, other than agreeing with Bluejane's post.

1 is most likely Sedum spectabile.

Picture 2 seems to have a few things in it - is it an arum?

3 - not sure - is it a mahonia?

4 - pulmonaria, as bluejane said

6 is a geranium

8 is euonymus fortunei, I think?

[legless]

ah thanks, now i have some names i can do some searching to check! thank you very much.

thanks busy lizzie, not settling in very quickly due to husband going off to hong kong the day after we got the keys, and the removal lorry not arriving until a week after that, but he's back this weekend.

i love this garden, so far i have learnt how to mow a lawn and spent a fortune at wiggly wigglers on bird food - so many birds and frogs and bees and things! such a change from a concrete back yard in cullercoats. i am being stalked by a robin every time i go outside, which is hilarious.

[sallylockhart]

3 is a mahonia

5 and 7 look like spireas (turns out I have one of these - thanks for prompting me to identify it!)

Looks like a good basis of lovely plants  to work with. Good luck!

sl

[beejay]

I think 9 is a viburnum of some sort - sniff the flowers when out!

[ACE]

1 ice flower

2 arum lily

3 mahonia

4 pulminaria

5 dunno

6 geranium  with no flower I cannot tell the variety. But I bet its johnsons blue

7 looks like a mature no.4

8 vinca

9 dunno

tree  I expect its an ornamental cherry/prunus


This is only my thoughts, but I should think they are right.

[legless]

thank you!  ooh an arum lily, i've always wanted one of those.

[Gadfium]

Here's my guess:

1 Sedum spectabile
2 ?
3 Mahonia (aquifolium?)
4 Pulmonaria
5 Spiraea (Gold flame?)
6 Hardy perennial geranium
7 See No. 5
8 Euonymous (variagated evergreen variety)
9 Hydrangea? (petiolaris?) or a viburnum (opulus, tinus?

Tree - blossom looks like a Prunus
Big Tree - The buds look very like Ash... have a gander at these pics http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/field_guides/tree_id.shtml

[cardinalflower]

Hiya  :D

5 & 7 are definitely spiraea Goldflame. I have both the ones you have pics for in my garden.

Brief description I found for you .....

"Deciduous shrub Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' adds a touch of colour to the border. New growth is bronze-red, turning bright yellow, then eventually mid-green. Dark pink flowers are produced in mid- to late summer.
Easy to grow, it enjoys a sunny spot in moist, well-drained soil. For the brightest coloured foliage, prune back hard before growth begins in spring"

[Robert_Brenchley]

2 looks like Arum maculatum, the common Lords and Ladies.

[littlegem]

I cant beleive no-one else had a peek at the other photos and saw some lovely pics, especially those snuggly cats, they're gorgeous legless, are the girls your twins? They are so sweet, sorry for being nosey, love looking at photos x

[lorna]

Beautiful 
Littlegem. Yes I did look at all the photos,but you were first to ask the questions :) :)

[legless]

thanks all, you've been a great help. i've been spending a lot of time frowning at most of the plants and with your help and alan titchmarsh i think most of the biggies are identified - there are patches that i am waiting to see if they turn out to be plants or weeds yet though!

the cats are mine - 3 turkish van cats, the girls are not - i'm more kitten than child orientated!  and none of the wedding photos are of me either, that's work.  ;D

[timnsal]

I've got most of those in my garden.

I don't know much about plants either, but the garden had been neglected for years before we moved in (everything pruned to a straight-topped 4ft high once a year) and the plants have all survived quite happily. So I expect your will be just as tough.

Sally

[Garden Manager]

I had a go at ID-ing the plants and came up with pretty much the same as the others who replied first!

Nice garden - not sure about the layout of the paved area. Looks a bit odd to me.

Keep an eye on the arum. Its definetly a common hardy type. Nice spathe flowers followed by bright orange berries (dont know if they are poisonous or not). Trouble is it can seed itself all over, or at least it has in my garden and the corms go very deep and are dificult to dig up intact.  So dont let it grow where you dont want it!!!

Just a litle friendly warning!

[Garden Manager]

I had a go at ID-ing the plants and came up with pretty much the same as the others who replied first!

Nice garden - not sure about the layout of the paved area. Looks a bit odd to me.

Keep an eye on the arum. Its definetly a common hardy type. Nice spathe flowers followed by bright orange berries (dont know if they are poisonous or not). Trouble is it can seed itself all over, or at least it has in my garden and the corms go very deep and are dificult to dig up intact.  So dont let it grow where you dont want it!!!

Just a litle friendly warning!

[grawrc]

Fun thread! I've really enjoyed it.

[legless]

thanks again, as things have moved on your IDs have been confirmed, wow that arum is amazing i absolutely love it, and the geraniums are now in flower. the big viburnum has flowered and was brilliant.

some delphiniums are appearing at a rate of knots in one border and loads of hostas have popped up - it seems every time i go out and think 'i wish i had one of those' i find it!

thanks again for all your help.