take a closer look
Plant Portraits
Here you will find posts about plants – in particular and in detail.
A plant’s name, its family, its structure, and where it grows are just some of the features I study to find something interesting, unusual, or surprising.
If you’d like to see why I find plants so interesting, go to Plants in Detail.
Or carry on and browse Plant Portraits below.
there are lots to choose from
Plant Portraits
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Trachelospermum jasminoides or star jasmine is the most gorgeous climbing shrub, furnishing walls with beautiful evergreen foliage all year and then filling the garden with wonderful perfume for a full two months in the summer.
But, look a little closer. Take the time to really appreciate the exquisite buds and then find out lots more.
It also has some surprising relatives.
Stipa gigantea – golden oats
Stipa gigantea is a fabulous plant and many people’s favourite grass. But do you know what it’s like in detail? I’ve taken a closer look to find out more.
Euphorbia portlandica
Euphorbia portlandica is a very small plant, native to parts of Britain and named after the Isle of Portland, which juts out into the English Channel to the south of Weymouth with the 18 miles of Chesil Beach stretching away to the west. What a glorious place to call home.
Choisya – Mexican orange blossom
Choisya is a genus of shrubs, some of which have become very popular in the UK because of their ease of culture, their evergreen foliage, and their attractive, perfumed, white flowers in the spring. When a plant is as popular as choisya, it tends to become ubiquitous and then dismissed as too ordinary.
But I wanted to know more – why that name, where’s it from, what do those little flowers look like, and where does the perfume come from?
Here’s what I found.
Anemone nemorosa – wood anemone
Anemone nemorosa, the wood anemone, is a native plant that carpets woodland with its white flowers in March and April. But there’s a lot more to find out about this woodland gem.
Anemone blanda – Grecian windflower
This gorgeous blue Anemone blanda, a tiny spring jewel, has hidden depths. See what I found when I looked at the detail.
Are all snowdrops the same?
Are all snowdrops the same? Or, if we look very closely, can we see the small differences that make each variation unique?
Pseudofumaria alba – Corydalis ochroleuca
Pseudofumaria alba, the plant formerly known as Corydalis ochroleuca, is a beautiful, but unassuming, little plant, which surprises you when it pops up unexpectedly in just the right place. But I have found some very interesting information about what is hidden in the tiny flowers.
Beautiful Bergenias
Take a close look at bergenias, the species and some beautiful cultivars. Find out what excellent plants they can be and why they should be in every garden.
Yellow snowdrops
Yellow snowdrops certainly bring a golden glint to the February garden and are greatly valued by many gardeners. They also have a fascinating history and, very possibly, an exciting future.
Galanthus ‘Gloucester Old Spot’
What a strange name for a snowdrop. It’s difficult to imagine anything less like a snowdrop than an enormous pig but that’s its name. Find out how it got that name and what a lovely snowdrop it is.
Three snowdrops – a lady, a wizard, and an oddball
What are these strange-sounding snowdrops? See what they look like, find out about their histories, and how and why they got their names – and a lot else besides.