The first picture is of a Sanguisorba probably obtusa. I know the shrub but as I began typing the name went, sorry.

Lol. Thats happened to you before.....I recall ;-)

The second is Spiraea douglasii with S. salicifolia very similar too.

Just prune out old flowered stems back to a strong young new growth.

I have this shrub, Fractal, I thought it was Spiraea x billardii 'Triumphans'....is that wrong, or has it changed its name?

Thanks for your replies. I can now log these in my book.

Well, you have three names for your shrub!

Beat me to it Fractal. I am very good at forgetting names these days. I walk round the garden and know most of my plants, until someone says the dreaded words, "What is that one called?" Then I have had it.

I do that, too...embarrassing, isn't it!

Cannot even claim old age, I have been doing it for the lat 40 years!

Like Spritz I to thought the 2nd (third pic) was Spiraea x billardii 'Triumphans' - it looks the same as mine.

I greatly admire 'the few' who can name their plants just like that.

Not sure I understand you BB? I can name a lot of my plants but by no means all.

I'm the same, Denise! Anyway, why do I keep my plant list on GOY up to date?? It's for those occasions when I 'do' have a memory lapse! LOL.

Lets' confuse things a little more :-)

Spiraea x billiardii is a hybrid of S. douglasii and S. alba.

Having been reclassified at least twice before S. 'Triumphans' is now considered to be a form of S. × pseudosalicifolia, which is a hybrid of S. douglasii and S. salicifolia (the two species that Fractal suggested).

All three of these plants (S. douglasii, S. salicifolia & their hybrid S.x psuedosalicifolia 'Triumphans') are near identical. The hybrid was chosen and named for it's larger and more dense-flowering panicles, but unless you have one of it's parents on hand to compare it with that's not much help.

The only difference between the two species is that S. douglasii has a white, tomentose (furry) lower leaf surface, whilst the lower surface of the leaves of S. salicifolia is hairless and green. The leaves of the hybrid are somewhere between the two, but are still grey-ish and hairy beneath

I can't really see the leaf under-surface in the pic above, and that's what's needed to answer the ID question for certain.

I don't take my lap-top round the garden with me, though, and it is too much trouble to com,e all the way into the house for ity ;-)

now I can see why plants often have their (much easier to remember) common names in plain English. In our garden it would be called "the pink tufty one!"

Ah, but calling something by its soi dit 'common name' can be even more confusing. I was asked recently about a plant the person called' Devils claw'. Great except that there are at least three very different plants called that.
I think the shrub in question in our garden was labelled Triumphans, but the label is now long gone, (probably to that great magpies nest in the sky!).

Wow I didn't expect all these replies!!
Ilex when its stopped raining and I have hubby's iphone I will take another piccy for you. Am I correct in presuming you just need the under side of the leaf?

I shall stick to S x billardii 'Triumphans' for mine - it's too difficult to give it three or more names in my plant list! Not enough space. lol.

I shall also hold fast to using latin names - at least everyone in the world can look them up with a certain degree of success...(or not, in the case of pdb's shrub! ;-/ )

Confusion reigns - and as it's now raining or should that read - errr - 'reigning'?? I'm not intending to go out with an umbrella to examine the underside of a leaf. LOL.

Hi Pdb,

yes please, a close up of the underside of a leaf (or two!) should do the trick.

Ilex I have taken the photos but had to start a new question as I couldn't add a photo to this link.

Thanks for clearing that up Ilex :-)

We are all gardeners on this site and I thought the object was to help each other?

Are you confused, Denise? ;-) (I am! lol)

I certainly am Spritz

Never mind. Let's be confused together! LOL.

ha ha

;-)