New House, New Garden, and a Load of Plants I Need Help Identifying....

Hello,

My wife and I recently moved into our dream family home, which has a lovely big garden for us to look after.

Unfortunately neither of us are particularly knowledgable on plants, and so there are plenty of plants within the garden we need help to identify.

I have taken lots of photos, can anyone help with the identification of these?

Thanks very much for any help in advance.

Some of these are probably blatantly obvious, we just don't know very much about gardening but are keen to learn....

 

1. I can't make out if it's a tree or shrub. If a tree could be an ornamental cherry?
2. Pieris
3. Camelia
4. Spirea
5. Possibly viburnum
6 & 7 I roughly know but others will know more.

 

I'm in agreement with @CharlieBot
1. Possibly an azalea? 2. Pieris
3. Camellia 4. Spirea?
5. Viburnum ?eve price. 6. A conifer? Thuia (I'm hopeless on these!)
7. A grass (worse on these than conifers!!)

I'm sure some experts will be along shortly to show up my lack of knowledge!!

 

Thanks both. Really appreciated.Based on your responses I've mined google images and I think you've definitely got 2) Pieris, 3) Camelia, and most likely 4) Spirea right.

Here's some more photos to help with the rest:

Here's 1) again(IMG_0182.JPG), this time with the sole remaining flower. I think it is an Azalea from what one of the neighbours said.



Another close up of 1):


Here's 4) again but a close up of the flowers:


Close up of the Evergreen 6):


Here's some new one's as well.

8)


9)


10) This one is struggling...


11)

 

4is Spirea (Bridal Wreath),
8 is Skimmia (the one with the yellowing leaves could do with some sequestrin or maybe epsom salts),
is 10 a climber/spreader? the leaves look like an evergreen Honeysuckle but I'm not sure the buds are right.
I'm trying to decide whether 11 is a Mahonia

 

1. Probably an Azalea...... but not looking to healthy.
4. Spiraea?
6. Conifer.
8. Skimmia?
9. It's familiar but I have no idea, sorry.
10. Rhododendron.....again not looking very healthy. It's the same family as the Azalea so there could be a soil issue with these two.
11. Berberis Darwinii.

 

Hi again!
8/9 both look a little skimmia-like to me, but one is obviously very healthy, compared to the others (yellowing leaves is not a good sign). V similar flower and leaf though.

I notice that 9, the sad ?skimmia is right beside the very sad 10, a rhododendron.

(11 is a Berberis)

Looking back at 1,9 and 10, I wonder what soil type you have? But then I can see a relatively happy heather in the background of one of the earlier photos... Is plant 1 also in the same area? (Sometimes, even where the soil is generally acid enough to grow acid-loving azaleas and rhododendrons, there can be an area of a garden where they do not thrive. In my father's case, it was a patch of builders debris, that contained lime. )

 

Thanks again for the really helpful replies guys.

Once you know what they are you can soon Google a care regime and learn how to look after them!

Looks like it might be too late for 10) - The only two plants we recognised on inheriting the garden were Rhododendron and Hydrangeas, but I must admit its in such a poor way I didn't even realise it was also a Rhododendron! - there's a very, very healthy one about five metres away.

With regards to what might by ailing 9) and 10) they are both up against a row of fir trees/hedge which screens our house from the railway line at the back of the garden. They are also deep in a valley (our garden is on two tiers) so I suspect they don't get much sunlight. I'll take some broader context photos so you can get a better feel for the layout of the garden. Also I'm guessing they get run off water from the railway in case that means anything.

In terms of the soil type - you've probably already guessed given my novice gardening status that I have no idea! We live in Gatley near Stockport in Greater Manchester if that provides any kind of clue.... (guessing soil type is more localised than that).

 

Correct according to that website although I am very close to the border between a green and a red area (as in the other end of the road is green!).

Soilscape 15: Naturally wet very acid sandy and loamy soils

​

Texture:
Sandy and loamy

 

Also thanks for posting that!

 

Hello again.

I promised some wider range photos of the garden so here they are. This is the upper level looking broadly North:


Looking slightly more East along the main flower bed:


Looking North West-ish (probably slightly more west looking where the sun is setting.

Looking down the path to the lower level:


Bottom of the path at the lower level. You can see the healthy rhododendron bush towards the back:


Looking back up the path with the sick rhododendron and skimmia on the left.


Another picture of the sick rhododendron. Is it already a goner?


Looking at the rockery bed, and the stairs providing the alternative route to the upper level:


Given the size of the garden and the level of work required we got a gardener to help neaten up the beds. Given we're going for a mature garden look I think he might have taken it a bit far - what do you think?


Another view of the 'treated bed':

 

Also what is this plant? Thanks in advance for the helpful replies.

 

Lovely gardens Credulus. Now I know why that Rhododendron is sick! The conifer hedge behind will be draining the soil of all nutrients and water. I would give the Rhodo a chance by moving it elsewhere and feeding it, along with any other plant that may be suffering in the same area.

The last picture could be Christmas or Sweet Box, 'Sarcococca Confusa'.

 

I agree with Sheal - that hedge will be leeching all the goodness out of the soil, hence why the plants in that border aren't doing too well.