Plant ID Help Needed for Newbie Gardener

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by cb2288, Apr 25, 2012.

  1. cb2288

    cb2288 Member

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    Hello all,

    Great forum! My wife and I recently bought our first home and "inherited" quite a few plants that the previous owners left behind. Thankfully, some were labelled. However, there are a handful that are not. I was hoping that I could get some help identifying some of these plants please?

    I hope the pictures turned out okay! :)

    Thanks very much to all the helpful contributors.
     

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  2. Sundrop

    Sundrop Well-Known Member

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    Plant A - Tulip
    Plant C looks like grass.
     
  3. cb2288

    cb2288 Member

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    Thanks, Sundrop.

    I think that you are right about Plant C as it is planted around 3 other types of ornamental grass. Thanks for your help!
     
  4. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Plant D looks suspiciously like Salvia of some sort. Does it have an odour when you rub the leaves?
     
  5. cb2288

    cb2288 Member

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    Hi lorax,

    I will check tomorrow morning when I am out in the yard. This picture was taken when it was raining outside. Usually, the "purple-ish/yellow" leaves have almost a silver tinge to them. When they are wet they look more purple though. I will try to get a better sense of what they smell like tomorrow.

    Thanks for the help! :)
     
  6. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Plant D seems to be a purple variety of garden sage, the popular herb. That can easily be confirmed by crushing a bit of leaf and smelling it.
     
  7. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    A. Looks very like Convalaria majalis (rather than Tulipa.) Common name Lily of the valley.
    However there is no sign of a flower bud so wait until next year.
    It will be happier in the ground than in a pot.
     
  8. Sundrop

    Sundrop Well-Known Member

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    Plant A.
    To make sure carefully uncover the soil on one side of the leaf. If you will see white rhizome of the thickness of a nice fat earthworm close to the surface, it is the Lily of the Valley. If you don't, than somewhere deeper in the soil there is a bulb (can be 5 cm deep at the very least) and it is a Tulip. Let us know.
     
  9. cb2288

    cb2288 Member

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    Hi Sundrop,

    Thanks for the help. And here is an update...

    Plant A: I transplanted into a different pot this afternoon and it had a bulb. That small pot that it was in was very, very small for it I think.

    Plant D: I pinched the end of one of the leaves today and it definitely smells like sage. Any suggestions on what I should do with it? It appears that it has been in a poorly drained pot and in the shadiest part of our yard for a very long time. Not sure what I should do...

    Anyways, thanks very much for all the great help! :)
     
  10. Sundrop

    Sundrop Well-Known Member

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    Plant A.

    Transplanting Tulips at this stage of their life cycle is not a good idea.

    In a month or two the leaf will start wilting and yellowing and the plant will go into dormancy, as Tulips always do. Even the roots attached to the bulb will die. Then it is the time to dig up Tulips, carefully clean up the bulbs without scratching them, leave them for a day or so in a dry, shady place (could be inside) to dry up a little bit and after that put them into a paper bag (or even better two paper bags one inside the other) for storage in a cool, well ventilated place. In October or November, depending on your gardening zone, you will plant the bulbs back into the ground, about 15 cm deep, in well-drained soil.

    In general, keeping Tulips in pots is not a good idea, either.
     

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