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Perennials - Perennials 5
Keeping a garden is hard work - but very rewarding.

Perennials - Perennials 5

This is the last quiz in our series of gardening with perennials. Several popular cut-flowers are featured along with old favourites such as Escallonia and Laburnum.

There are 40 gardening quizzes on this site dealing with many different categories of plants. We hope that you will stay a while to play and enjoy them!

1 .
There are more than 100 different species of Camellia and they all originate from which continent?
Photograph courtesy of littlegemtrees
Africa
Asia
Europe
South America
  • Camellia varieties boast a wide range of breathtakingly beautiful flower colours.
  • They require acid soil but if your garden cannot provide this then consider growing in large pots filled with ericaceous compost - you will be richly rewarded!
  • They flower early in the year and are frequently damaged by frost so wrap them in fleece or bring them inside whenever frost threatens.
Wild specimens can be found in the Himalayas, eastern and southern China, Japan and Indonesia
2 .
Which essential element can Lupins "Fix" into the soil?
Photograph courtesy of Stephen Downes
Magnesium
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
  • Available in virtually every colour of the rainbow.
  • One of the most popular and reliable of all plants for perennial borders.
  • Usually propagated by seed which is large and easy to handle. Soak for 24 hours before sowing.
  • There are many choice varieties, some of which are protected by plant patent law and propagating new plants from these is illegal. You are not likely to get in trouble though - unless you start selling them!
All plants require Nitrogen and Lupins can effectively extract Nitogen from the atmosphere - an ability that allows them to grow in Nitrogen deficient soils
3 .
These are the flowers of which plant that is often used for hedging?
Photograph courtesy of Anthony-mendoza
Elaeagnus
Erinus
Escallonia
Euonymous
  • A favourite hedging plant because it grows quickly to a few feet high and then stops.
  • Often grows as wide as it is tall and for this reason it is an ideal plant for screening or covering unsightly areas in a garden.
  • Cut back whenever necessary to confine the plant to the area in which you want to see it.
  • The masses of pink or red flowers are a bonus in a hedge and make it worthy of a place in the herbaceous border.
4 .
Nerines are closely related to which other plant?
Photograph courtesy of Badly Drawn Dad
Amaryllis
Crocus
Iris
Tulip
  • The species most often seen is Nerine bowdenii because this is the most reliably hardy in the UK.
  • Nerines love warmth and will thrive against a south facing wall but will soon peter out if they are planted in a cold waterlogged area of the garden.
  • Where they are happy they will rapidly increase in quantity but avoid dividing them too often - they do best when crowded together.
Nerines and Amayllis both belong to the family Amaryllidaceae
5 .
What is the name given to the fruit of a Rose?
Photograph courtesy of T. Kiya
Berry
Hip
Haw
Drupe
  • Roses have everything one could wish for in a decorative garden plant - beauty, perfume and the ability to last a long time as a cut flower.
  • They also have one or two undesirable traits like viscious thorns and a tendency to gather aphids from miles around!
  • The characteristics of the innumerable varieties and different types need to be studied but to many people they represent the essence of gardening.
6 .
Which part of a Laburnum tree is poisonous?
Photograph courtesy of Amypalko
Bark
Flowers
Leaves
All of it
  • Often known as "Golden chain" or "Golden rain".
  • In full flower in early Spring it is one of the most colourful of all small trees.
  • Provided it is planted in full sun the plant will survive and prosper in virtually any type of soil.
  • Laburnums are closely related to peas and their seeds are somewhat similar but make sure you never eat them!
Whilst poisonous to humans it is used as a food plant by some butterfly species.
7 .
What is the scientific name for the Cape Daisy?
Photograph courtesy of M. Martin Vicente
Abutilon
Euonymous
Impatiens
Osteospermum
  • There is often some confusion between Osteospermum and Dimorphotheca - both are equally difficult to pronounce!
  • In gardening terms just remember that Osteospermums are PERENNIALS whilst Dimorphothecas are ANNUALS.
  • They require a warm, sunny position but they will be happy in even very poor soil.
  • Watering in dry periods will ensure a continuous profusion of flowers.
8 .
In which season are Mahonias at their best?
Photograph courtesy of J.G. in S.F.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
  • There are many different species and garden varieties but the flowers are always yellow.
  • The foliage is also attractive and can easily be confused with that of holly.
  • Easy to care for and will thrive in most conditions except boggy areas.
  • Benefits from hard pruning after flowering to prevent the plants becoming untidy.
Its flowers bring a splash of golden colour to the garden during the coldest months of the year
9 .
This winter flowering plant is probably better known in its white form. What is its common name?
Photograph courtesy of Amadej2008
Christmas rose
Easter bonnet
Lent buttercup
Mid-winter tulip
  • The botanical name is Hellebores.
  • In the wild the plants are found in much or Europe including the west of Great Britain.
  • Many flowers are tinged with either green or pink.
  • The plant is cherished because of its ability to flourish in adversity - it can be found happily waving its flower heads throughout a winter blizzard.
  • Often grown in shaded areas but they do not necessarily require shade in order to grow well.
It is not even remotely related to the true Rose!
10 .
This strange looking flower belongs to what plant?
Photograph courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Magnolia
Mahonia
Monarda
Morisia
  • Often known as Bergamot or Scarlet Beebalm.
  • Flowers are usually orange, pink or red.
  • Although it can tolerate some shade it will flower much more profusely in full sun.
  • The flowers are greatly loved by insects of all descriptions and are an essential ingredient of a wildlife garden.
  • Beware of slugs - they love nothing more than the emerging leaves early in the year.

 

Author:  Colin King

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