Horticulture is the cultivation of plants in gardens or greenhouses, as opposed to the field-scale production of crops characteristic of agriculture. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and non-food crops such as grass and ornamental trees and plants. It also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance, and arboriculture, ornamental trees and lawns.
Sir Edward James Salisbury CBE FRS was an English botanist and ecologist. He was born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire and graduated in botany from University College London in 1905. In 1913, he obtained a D.Sc. with a thesis on fossil seeds and was appointed a senior lecturer at East London College. He returned to University College London as a senior lecturer, from 1924 as a reader in plant ecology and from 1929 as Quain Professor of botany.
Pieris is a genus of seven species of shrubs in the flowering plant family Ericaceae, native to mountain regions of eastern and southern Asia, eastern North America and Cuba. Known commonly in North America as andromedas or fetterbushes, they are broad-leaved evergreen shrubs growing to 1–6 metres tall and 3–10 ft (0.9–3.0 m) wide. The leaves are spirally arranged, often appearing to be in whorls at the end of each shoot with bare stretches of shoot below; they are lanceolate-ovate, 2–10 cm (0.8–3.9 in) long and 1.0–3.5 cm (0.4–1.4 in) broad, leathery textured, and with an entire or serrated margin. The young leaves in spring are typically brightly coloured. The flowers are bell-shaped, 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long, white or pink, and arranged in racemes 5–12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) long. The fruit is a woody capsule which splits into five sections to release the numerous small seeds.
Grevillea, commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus Grevillea are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the branches, the flowers zygomorphic, arranged in racemes at the ends of branchlets, and the fruit a follicle that splits down one side only, releasing one or two seeds.
Magnolia wilsonii, or Wilson's magnolia, is a species of Magnolia native to China, in the provinces of western Guizhou, Sichuan and northern Yunnan, where it grows in the forest understory at altitudes of 1,900-3,000 m, rarely up to 3,300 m.
Clivia miniata, the Natal lily or bush lily, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Clivia of the family Amaryllidaceae, native to woodland habitats in South Africa as well as in Eswatini. Given suitable conditions it grows into large clumps and is surprisingly water wise. It is also reportedly naturalized in Mexico. It is a popular plant for shady areas and is commonly seen growing in older established suburbs in most Australian states. It is also popular in New Zealand, Japan, China and the US, particularly California.
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
Euonymus alatus, known variously as winged spindle, winged euonymus, or burning bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to central and northern China, Japan, and Korea.
Caputia tomentosa, known as the woolly senecio and the matted caputia, is a perennial, succulent dwarf shrub of the Caputia genus that grows in the Cape Provinces of South Africa, usually between the 900 and 1200 meters elevation. It has been introduced to Myanmar. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental.
Musella lasiocarpa, commonly known as Chinese dwarf banana, golden lotus banana or Chinese yellow banana, is the sole species in the genus Musella. It is thus a close relative of bananas, and also a member of the family Musaceae.
Linnaea amabilis, also known under the synonym Kolkwitzia amabilis and the English name beauty bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is a deciduous shrub grown as an ornamental plant. In China, where it originated, the plant is called wèi shí (蝟实).
Aucuba japonica, commonly called spotted laurel, Japanese laurel, Japanese aucuba or gold dust plant (U.S.), is a shrub native to rich forest soils of moist valleys, thickets, by streams and near shaded moist rocks in China, Korea, and Japan. This is the species of Aucuba commonly seen in gardens - often in variegated form. The leaves are opposite, broad lanceolate, 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) long and 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) wide. Aucuba japonica are dioecious. The flowers are small, 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) diameter, each with four purplish-brown petals; they are produced in clusters of 10-30 in a loose cyme. The fruit is a red drupe approximately 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter that is avoided by birds.
Salvia is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, Salvia is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoideae. One of several genera commonly referred to as sage, it includes two widely used herbs, Salvia officinalis and Salvia rosmarinus.
Lycianthes rantonnetii, the blue potato bush or Paraguay nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to South America. Growing to about 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and broad, it is a rounded evergreen shrub with a somewhat lax habit. A profusion of trumpet-shaped, bright blue-purple flowers with a prominent yellow eye appear in summer, followed by red berries. It is widely cultivated and may be hardy in mild or coastal areas. Alternatively it can be grown in a container and brought under cover in winter. It requires a sheltered location in full sun. Though related to food plants like the potato and tomato, all parts of the plant are considered toxic to humans.
Erica cerinthoides is a species of heath native to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. Common names include fire erica, fire heath, red hairy heath, rooihaartjie or klipheide. Throughout its range the species shows marked variation in habit, flower characteristics and hairiness. A form with white flowers is found in Eswatini and the South African province of Mpumalanga while the variety E. cerinthoides var. barbertona has shorter flowers.
Rhododendron argyrophyllum (银叶杜鹃) is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to forested slopes at 1,600–2,300 m (5,200–7,500 ft) in E and NW Guizhou, S and W Sichuan, and NE Yunnan in China.
Halesia carolina, commonly called Carolina silverbell or little silverbell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae, native to the southeastern United States.
Plectranthus fruticosus, the forest spurflower, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal, Northern, and Cape provinces. Growing up to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, it is an erect evergreen shrub, with rounded, hairy leaves, and spikes of soft blue or mauve flowers in summer.
Mackaya is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, disjunctly distributed in Brazil, South Africa, and the eastern Himalayas, Southeast Asia and China. It is sister to Asystasia.
Viburnum grandiflorum, variously called the cranberry bush, flowering viburnum, grand viburnum, and Himalayan viburnum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Viburnaceae, native to the Himalayan region. It grows in open forests. A sparse shrub or gnarled tree reaching 2–3 m (7–10 ft), it has showy pink flowers larger than the typical viburnum, and red to black fruit, which are edible. It is hardy to USDA zone 6a. The unimproved species is available from commercial suppliers, as is a putative form, Viburnum grandiflorum f. foetens, the stinking Himalayan viburnum, and a number of cultivars, including 'De Oirsprong', 'Desmond Clarke', and 'Snow White'.
