Vinca spp. (Periwinkle)

LOCATION: University of Manchester campus

Vinca is a herbaceous or a subshrub plant and is divided into Vinca major and Vinca minor which are both cultivated as an ornamental flowering evergreen. The flowers consist of five delicate purple-white petals with brighter colours in the center. The leaves are opposite and simple, quite broad and oval with a glossy green surface. 

The low growing shrub reaches from 0.10m - 0.50m and it lives in small clumps. The plant is native to Europe, southeast Asia and northwest Africa but it is also widely used in British gardens.

This specific plant was found on UoM campus in an early winter when it had few flowers left. It was growing in a bark mulch and was covered by dried leaves from the trees surrounding it. There was also quite a lot of litter tangled in the plant's stems which suggests that it has not been taken care of for a while.

Sedum 'Herbstfreude' (Stonecrop 'Herbstfreude')

LOCATION: Benzie Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Roof Garden

'Herbstfreude' is a herbaceous perennial growing in clumps up to 0.60m. It has a succulent stem and fleshy, oblong green leaves with widely spread teeth. The flowers are usually a large terminal flat clusters of star-shaped flowers. The flowers open with greenish-pink buds which then rapidly transform through pale pink to finally turn deep pink. In the autumn they become pink-brown.

I found this plant on the roof garden in the School of Art. Sedum have the ability to store water because of their leaves and are usually used as a roof plant. It was growing with few other plants in the planting bed and it was not very densely planted.

Euonymus fortunei (Spindle 'Emerald 'n' Gold')

I came across Euonymus fortunei near the Fletcher Moss Park, growing under one of the houses. Euonymus is one of the most versatile evergreen shrub. There are many varieties both green and with various patterns. 'Emerald 'n' Gold' is one of the most common forms with bright-golden, colourful leaves. What makes it an ideal ornamental plant for winter are the leaves that turn pinkish-red in cold weather. It can be grown as an informal hedge, climber on the walls or a shrub, however they tend to be highly invasive. It occasionally produces few small, inconspicuous greenish flowers.

The species has circular-oblong leaves with a fine teeth on the edges. Eunonymum fortunei is tolerant to sun and shade, and thrive in well-drained soils. It grows to 1m up and is able to spread to 1,5m wide.

 

Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese Spurge)

Japanese Spurge is a slow-growing shrubby, evergreen ground cover which grows 10-15cm high and spreads by rhizomes to create a heavy carpet of rich, dark green foliage. The plant has oval leaves and it consists of tiny white flowers 2.5-5cm long, terminal, as shown on the photo, spikes bloom in early spring. Flowers are not exceptionally showy, but on the closer look are quite attractive. Best grown in medium moisture, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. Foliage tends to bleach when grown in too much sun. 

Pachysandra terminalis forms large colonies of roots underground and spreads very fast. Leaf blight is a potentially serious problem which can necessitate remedial fungicide applications.

 

Pyracantha coccinea (Firethorn)

LOCATION: Stockport

The characteristic feature of Firethorn are small, red berries and the fragrant white flowers produced in May and June. There are many different varieties which produce a wide palette of yellow, orange and red berries. Pyracanthas are easy to grow and require very little maintenance. They have small, gloss-green elliptical leaves and thorny twigs covered with short white hair.

The species was found growing on a car park in Stockport along the walls of one of the buildings. It was not in an excellent condition as the soil was quite dry and there was a lot of weeds growing all around it. The shrub had aso an unusual appearance as its dark green leaves mixed with the nearby growing yellow-green Euonymus fortunei. The shrub ad a very limited space to grow in and looks like it has been regularly pruned as it developed a dense mass of twigs.

Garrya elliptica (Silk Tassel Bush)

LOCATION: Fletcher Moss Park

I found this plant in Fletcher Moss Park where it was growing hidden under a wall in a residential garden which is perfect for that plant as it needs a sheltered site and the wall provides even additional shelter and warmth for the plant. The leaves are dark green, waxy and leathery with waved margins and are oval in shape. Garrya is an evergreen irregular shrub growing up to 3-4m, its fruits are the silvery-green pendent catkins appearing from winter to spring. The species is native to California and Oregon states in America. Often seen in the UK as an ornamental species. 

This species looked to be in a good health. There was an exceptional amount of silvery-green catkins hanging off the shrub considering how young the plant looks. The soil looked well drained due to a recent rainfall.

Hamamelis mollis (Witch Hazel)

LOCATION: Fletcher Moss Park, Manchester

Hamamelis mollis, commonly known as a witch hazel, is an upright medium to large, deciduous shrub which usually grows up to 4m. It has a rounded shape and it is native to forests and thickets in southeastern and southwestern China. This species produces the most fragrant flowers of all the witch hazels which appear in the winter time therefore this species was still before their bloom. The plant was originally introduced into cultivation in ngland in 1879 from seed collected in China by Charles Maries, British plant explorer. Each yellow flower has narrow, strap-shaped petals with red stamens at the base.

This species was found in Fletcher Moss in the residential garden. It was growing by itself in the middle of the lawn which gave it quite a large space to take over and it provided a lot of sun light which it needs. The plant did not have anymore leaves as the winter time was getting closer, however the flower buds were getting ready to bloom very soon with yellow ribbon-like fragnant flowers. The twigs were covered with small white hair whereas the larger branches had a dark grey colour. 

 

Hebe rakaiensis (Rakai Hebe)

LOCATION: Fletcher Moss, Manchester

The Hebe genus is native to New Zealand, French Polynesia, Falkland Islands and South America and have between 90-100 species. This plant is a Rakai Hebe characterized by dense growth, it has curvy, elliptical-rounded pale green foliage with a spiky tip and a brighter edge of the leaf. The plant is categorized as an evergreen shrub (or in some cases - a small tree).

I found the shrub growing in Fletcher Moss under a residential building where it was growing around a wooden bench in the garden. The leaf bud as shown on the photograph above is ready to split into two leaves. As it was an early winter, the flowers were already dried out but they stayed on the shrub. The soil it was growing in looked well drained, probably because of the recent rainfall. The plant in general looked very healthy.

The photograph underneath shows Hebe x franciscana 'Blue Gem' which was growing near the Rakai Hebe but was showing large deep pink ornamental flowers. The leaves were longer and more spiky with a leathery green surface.

Pittosporum tenuifolium (Kōhūhū)

LOCATION: Fletcher Moss, Manchester

Pittosporum tenuifolium is native to New Zealand therefore it has a very wide range of common names depending on the country where it is used. Also depending on the cultivar the plant looks different. The flowers are usually unnoticeable because of their very dark reddish-purple colour and they are scented only at night. 

This plant was found in Fletcher Moss in Manchester in an early winter therefore it did not have any flowers in this season. The deciduous shrub was growing at the entrance to a building and looked to be in  good condition. The leaves were quite broad and rounded with gentle spiky ends, they were pale green with white uneven 'borders' around the edges. Very attractive features of the plant are the dark stems which in this case are hardly visible because of densely growing foliage. It looked like the shrub had a very limited space for the roots to grow however it still managed to develop such a dense coverage. 

Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange)

LOCATION: Fletcher Moss, Manchester


Mexican Orange is a round evergreen shrub that grows up to 2.5m tall as well as wide. It prefers to grow in full sunlight and well drained soils. It is commonly seen in suburban areas used as an ornamental in front gardens.The flowers are white, star-shaped with five petals and grow in clusters. The green foliage is oblong with glossy and leathery surface which also grows in clusters. 

The shrub I found was located in Fletcher Moss.It was growing on one of the retaining walls in the residential property. It grew large enough that the branches started to hang fron the wall towards the ground. It ooked to be in a generally good condition. There were only few flowers appearing on the plant develops them during autumn and winter time. The shrub was very densely growing.

Wisteria sinensis (Chinese Wisteria)

LOCATION: Copenhagen, Denmark

Chinese wisteria is a deciduous vine which grows vigorously up to 5-6mand features long mildly-fragrant, blue-violet flowers in May when the foliage is just beginning to expand. Flowers usually bloom at the same time therefore it creates an incredible effect where the whole plant becomes purple and at the same time very ornamental. Flowers then usually give way to pendant, velvety bean-like seed pods which grow 5-10cm long and ripen in autumn and can even persist into winter. The leaves are compound, odd-pinnate with a deep green colour. Over time, the stems of Wisteria become twisted, trunk-like and massive which starts to be visible in the photos below.

This species was found in Copenhagen in a courtyard of a residential area. It was not very dense as the plant spread up the wall with sparse foliage. The violet flowers were not present at this time as it was a mid-autumn and the leaves began to turn yellow. It had quite a lot of space for the roots as it was growing in one of the planting beds with few perennials. The soil looked slightly dry but it did not seem unhealthy or lacking in nutrients.

 

Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)

LOCATION: All Saints Park, Manchester Metropolitan University

Cercis canadensis is commonly called Eastern Redbud. It is a deciduous small tree growing from 6-9m high with a slightly wider spread and is often multi-trunked. It is particularly noted for its stunning pea-like rose-purple flowers which bloom on bare branches in early spring from March-April before the leaves appear. This tree is native to eastern and central North America and is found growing in open woodlands, woodland margins, limestone glades and along rocky streams.The flowers are showy and have light to dark magenta pink in color which bloom in clusters of 4-10. Flowers are followed by flattened leguminous bean-like dry seedpods that mature to brown in summer. Each pod has 6-12 seeds. Pods often stay on the tree into winter. Redbud's leaves are alternate,simple and broadly ovate to nearly orbicular. Green to blue-green leaves have a papery texture and are short pointed at its tip.

This species was found in All Saints Park on Manchester Metropolitan University campus growing in quite an open area. The leaves had a very ornamental, deep red appearance and it was only few of them left on the branches. It was still a young shrub as it had up to 1,5m in height and up to 2m wide. The soil was relatively wet due to a recent rainfall. The plant prefers a medium moisture, well-drained soils and a full sun, which it is exposed to in this location, or a part shade  The main uses of that plant are lawns, shrub borders, woodland margins, or along patios and also as a small street tree or a lawn tree.

 

Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair tree)

LOCATION: Bridgeford Building, University of Manchester

Ginkgo biloba is a deciduous tree that grows up to 40m. It is very easily recogniseable due to the one of a kind fan-shaped leaves that grow up to 12cm across divided into two lobes. The leaves have characteristic diverging (almost parallel) veins. As it shows on the photos, they turn bright yellow in the autumn. The species are dioecious (separate male and female trees). The male trees are fruitless that is why they are less messy and more common in, for example, urban area because female trees produce seeds encased in fleshy, fruit-like coverings which, at maturity in autumn, are messy and emit a noxious, foul odor upon falling to the ground and splitting open.

The plant is native to Xitianmu Mountain in Zhejiang, China. It is scattered in broadleaf forests up to 1100m altitude. It is the only surviving member of a group of ancient plants believed to have inhabited the earth up to 150 million years ago. 

I found this plant in the courtyard of Bridgeford Building in University of Manchester campus. The tree was emerging from a densely growing evergreen shrubs therefore I was unable to state the soil conditions. In autumn the two plants gave a very nice contrast of colours. Ginkgo starter already loosing its leaves which created a yellow carpet under the plant. The Ginkgo thrive in a well drained soils and are one of their uses is being a street tree as it does not need much maintenance.

Lagarosiphon major (Curly Waterweed)

LOCATION: Bridgeford Building, University of Manchester

The Lagarosiphon was found almost fully submerged in the pond in courtyard of Bridgeford building on University of Manchester campus. The water it was growing in seemed clean, however I found some litter and a plastic foil tangled in Lagarosiphon. It is a semi-evergreen, submerged aquatic perrenial forming a cluster of branches covered with spirally arranged linear leaves. The plant develops white or pink flowers during summer. It can grow both in sheltered and exposed locations. The plant grows up to 10cm high and spreads 50cm-1m wide.

Lagarosiphon major is a native to South Africa and was brought over to the UK, ofter it is considered to be an invasive species. It survives over-winter in southern areas of the UK. Further north, the amount of plant material present over-winter decreases but rarely dies down completely.

Equisetum arvense (Mare's Tail)

LOCATION: Manchester University Museum

Mare's Tail is a member of the Equisetaceae family; the sole survivor of a line of plants going back three hundred million years. It is a herbaceous perennial plant which is also considered to be invasive because of its deep roots and its speed of spreading. Often it needs a chemical treatment to fully get rid of all the roots. The plant is easily recognised by its upright, fir tree-like shoots that appear in summer. It grows from 10-50cm high.

This species was found growing in a cluster of plants coming out through the fence under the Museum of Manchester building. The plant did not look to be in a good health as it has quite a few shoots dried out. The soil was hard to examine as it was covered by dense leaves.