Tropaeolum, commonly known as nasturtium, is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum, and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae. The nasturtiums received their common name because they produce an oil similar to that of watercress.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. Geranium is also the botanical name and common name of a separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. Both genera belong to the family Geraniaceae. Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, and they were later separated into two genera by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789.
Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alstroemeriaceae. They are all native to South America, although some have become naturalized in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Almost all of the species are restricted to one of two distinct centers of diversity; one in central Chile, the other in eastern Brazil. Species of Alstroemeria from Chile are winter-growing plants, while those of Brazil are summer growing. All are long-lived perennials except A. graminea, a diminutive annual from the Atacama Desert of Chile.
John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.
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.
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.
The Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society.
RHS Garden Hyde Hall is a public display garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society in the English county of Essex. It is one of five public gardens run by the society, alongside Wisley in Surrey, Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, Rosemoor in Devon, and Bridgewater in Greater Manchester.
(Ernest) Charles Nelson is a botanist who specialises in the heather family, Ericaceae, especially Erica, and whose past research interests included the Proteaceae especially Adenanthos. He is the author or editor of over 24 books and more than 150 research papers. He was honorary editor of Archives of Natural History between 1999 and 2012 and remains closely linked with the journal as one of the Associate Editors, and was honorary editor of Heathers for 23 years until 2017.
Symphyotrichum ericoides, known as white heath aster, frost aster, or heath aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to much of central and eastern North America. It has been introduced to parts of Europe and western Asia.
Allium cristophii, the Persian onion or star of Persia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Iran, Turkey, and Turkmenistan, though grown as an ornamental bulbous plant in many parts of the world. It may be sold under the synonym of Allium albopilosum.
Brian Laurence "Bill" Burtt FRSE FLS, was an English botanist and taxonomist who is noted for his contributions to the family Gesneriaceae. In a career that spanned 74 years, he worked first at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and then at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). He made numerous field trips to South Africa and Sarawak and described a total of 637 new plant species. Burtt is denoted by the author abbreviation B.L.Burtt when citing a botanical name.
Diascia is a genus of around 70 species of herbaceous annual and perennial flowering plants of the family Scrophulariaceae, native to southern Africa, including South Africa, Lesotho and neighbouring areas.
Epimedium pinnatum is a species of flowering plant in the barberry family Berberidaceae, native to northern Iran. It is a slowly-spreading evergreen perennial growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall and broad, with oval hairy leaves and bright yellow spurred flowers in late spring and early summer.
Diascia rigescens, called the stiff twinspur, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Diascia, native to South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Plectranthus ciliatus, called Indian borage, speckled spur flower, blue spur flower, and candlestick plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to South Africa and Eswatini, and introduced to Victoria in Australia and the North and South Islands of New Zealand. With its Coleus‑like foliage, its cultivar 'Easy Gold' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental.
Diascia barberae, called twinspur along with other members of its genus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native to South Africa and Lesotho. Its cultivar 'Blackthorn Apricot' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Many other cultivars that vary largely by the color of their flowers are available, including 'Ruby Field', 'Lilac Belle' and 'Rupert Lambert'.
Diascia integerrima, the entire-leaved twinspur, is a species of flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native to South Africa and Lesotho. It is the hardiest of the twinspurs, to USDA zone 6a. It gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1995, but the award appears to have been recently revoked.
