The Garden Community for Garden Lovers
 

Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom Gb

Bought this unnamed plant in a garden centre because it looked interesting. The problem is that I can't identify it. Can anyone help please?



Unknown

Answers

 

Cherry Laurel, at a wild guess.

10 Jun, 2016

 

Really? The plant is only supposed to grow a couple of feet tall which is why it's on the new 'rockery'. The staff in the garden centre couldn't remember the name but knew how tall it would be.

I put rockery in inverted commas because it's not my idea of one. Him Indoors dug it out then laid a membrane over the top before filling with soil but the depth of soil is, at most, only about 6 inches or so and I think it should have been dug much deeper. I did carefully suggest that which is as much as I dared say but even then my head nearly got bitten off. I was hoping for something a little larger but stopped suggesting it as I was told we didn't want it any bigger as the front garden is too small. Since my spatial awareness is rubbish I said nothing more but hope the planting will make it look more like a rockery than a load of stones with plants in between. The whole thing will be surrounded by fancy gravel so that he can mow up to the edges without blunting the mower blades.

10 Jun, 2016

 

Looks like Gaultheria procumbens to me... its definitely not cherry laurel!

10 Jun, 2016

 

I would also go with the Gaultheria.

10 Jun, 2016

 

Thank God for that, Bamboo! I'd tried looking it up and Gaultheria was one name that cropped up but I really wanted to know for sure.

Just looked it up online and it is definitely Gaultheria. Thank you very much.

The rockery doesn't look half bad now it's done.

10 Jun, 2016

 

Power to you if you ca keep it going - I've never had any luck with this plant, it always dies on me...

10 Jun, 2016

 

I've never had it before so since it was on the reduced stand I've not got much to lose if it turns up it's toes.

10 Jun, 2016

 

Told you it was a wild guess.
Never been able to keep Gaultheria alive which is why I did not recognise it.

10 Jun, 2016

 

If you squeeze the berries, they smell of Germolene.

10 Jun, 2016

 

The whole plant smells of germolene in late winter, I couldn't stand the smell either right by my door, took me a week to work out where it was coming from, but then it died anyway. Guess that's why its common name is wintergreen.

10 Jun, 2016

 

It is an ericaceous plant so needs an acidic/neutral soil.

10 Jun, 2016

 

Not having succeeded with this plant (I had dry sandy soil at the time) I looked it up - have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaultheria_procumbens.
The trouble with membrane only 6 inched under will be drying out and this plant is very shallow rooted.

10 Jun, 2016

 

I have this plant & it was not thriving, then I dug it up & put it in a pot & now it's doing really well. Perhaps it likes Jack's Magic compost!

10 Jun, 2016

 

I looked it up after Bamboo identified it and found that it liked neutral to acid soil. I think ours might be on the neutral side but if it pops its clogs then I shall replace it with something else if need be. Perhaps by then all the other plants will have taken over a bit. I certainly wouldn't like the smell of Germolene but it is several feet from both window and door so hopefully I won't notice.

Thank you for all the comments. Much appreciated.

11 Jun, 2016

 

I have one aswell and its thriving in a damp shady area. Can't say I've ever smelt it though.

11 Jun, 2016

How do I say thanks?

Answer question

 


Not found an answer?