# Doper Botanists : Front and Center! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 7, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308 "2005-06-07T16:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/1 "2005-06-07T16:36:38Z")
My third thread started within an hour. I’m just a busy little bee today. I’ll make it short - I have a whole bunch of plants in the yard at my new house. I’d love to know what some of them are. If I can link to photographs of said plants, photographs that I take with my digital camera - can I expect some help identifying them? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/2 "2005-06-07T16:51:34Z")
Can’t speak for the botanists, but the gardeners _love_ this game. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/3 "2005-06-07T16:57:00Z")
I guess I’ll have to take a chance on the gardeners being there for me, then. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/4 "2005-06-07T17:13:36Z")
Have no fear, we’ll be elbowing each other out of the way to ID the plants – and offer care tips and other commentary. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/5 "2005-06-08T22:52:40Z")
Got the pictures, will try to post them by sometime Friday (need to crop them so I don’t tax my webhosting bandwidth limit.) ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/6 "2005-06-09T16:02:39Z")
[![](http://www.elvenempire.com/FloraSmall001.jpg) ](http://www.elvenempire.com/FloraSmall001.jpg) There’s the first, a Rose. Rather than post each and every link, let me say there are 16 of them, following the naming pattern : ‘FloraSmall0xx.jpg’ - and one or two of the plants got repeated pictures so as to best capture the details. Let me know what they are! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/7 "2005-06-09T16:18:56Z")
Picture #2 is a variety of [Hosta](http://www.hardytropicals.com/images/H-QJoe.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/8 "2005-06-09T16:31:37Z")
3 is also a hosta. 4 & 5 are a mountain laurel – congrats! they can be hard to get established. State flower of both PA and Conn., btw. 7 is honeysuckle – smells wonderful, doesn’t it? Keep an eye on it, it can get out of control. 11 – dunno, but it might be a weed 13 – pretty! is it fragrant? don’t know it. 16 looks like a weed (thistle) to me. I’m weak on bushes and shrubs, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/9 "2005-06-09T17:36:45Z")
Could 15 be a small yucca plant? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/10 "2005-06-09T17:44:24Z")
I was thinking the same thing, **Faerie Beth** – whatever it is, the small-leaved stuff around the base is a weed and needs to be cleared out. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/11 "2005-06-09T17:44:42Z")
> [@](#): > > 16 looks like a weed (thistle) to me. There _are_ [ornamental thistle](http://www.landofbrokenpromises.co.uk/garden/archives/2000_07/july.htm) varieties. Even the despised [Scotch thistle](http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weed_info/Written_findings/Onopordum_acanthium.html) came to America as an ornamental. The previous owner looks to have been good with plants, and may have planted thistle on purpose. That, by definition, would make it _not_ a weed. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/12 "2005-06-09T18:16:48Z")
6 looks like honeysuckle also. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/13 "2005-06-09T18:34:45Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > the small-leaved stuff around the base is a weed and needs to be cleared out. Especially the [Ground Ivy](http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/glehe.htm). 14 might be a variety of [Mock Orange](http://www.msu.edu/user/asquith/BY/mockorange.JPG). They come in many shapes and sizes. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/14 "2005-06-09T18:43:52Z")
10 looks like Pokeweed with Poison Ivy behind it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/15 "2005-06-09T19:32:35Z")
I thought I espied a mock orange too - should give lovely white blossom - and your hostas look really healthy - you may get a flower out of them but thet’re really foliage plants. Can I point you to this [friendly community](http://www.blossomswap.com/garden-forums/index.php?) for advice support and ideas - they were very nice to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/16 "2005-06-09T23:46:34Z")
1. Rose. Difficult to determine variety, as there are just so many of them. Closes to ‘Alpine Sunset’ in my book. 2. Hosta. Possibly a variety called ‘wide brim’ 3. Another Hosta. Perhaps _venusta_ 4. Choisya (Mexican Orange Blossom) 5 - Kalmia (Calico Bush) 6 - not sure - I’d like to see those flowers a little closer (or do they belong to 7?) 7 - honeysuckle 8 - Cymbalaria muralis (Ivy-Leaved Toadflax) 9 - Oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) 10 - dunno - possibly Impatiens glandulifera (himalayan Balsam) - if it is, then the flowers will be white-pink and shaped sort of like easter bonnets, and the seed pods will pop when you touch them. 11 - Philadelphus (Mock Orange) back for the rest in a moment ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/17 "2005-06-09T23:59:22Z")
12- 14 - the pink one looks like weigelia spiraea - the white ones, well, there’s another mock orange in there, I think, plust perhaps a clematis - unable to make out the flowers properly - it might just be more of the mock orange. 15 that’s a yucca - it’s about to flower. 16 - the rather aptly-named _tall thistle_ - a weed, by most people’s defintion. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/18 "2005-06-10T00:01:47Z")
Actually, hang fire on 16 - it may not be a weed - it might be Cardoon - still a thistle, but a cultivated one, usually grown as an ornamental, but used to be grown for the table. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/19 "2005-06-10T00:03:22Z")
13 is a weigelia, 15 is absolutely a yucca and 16 would be getting some Roundup at my house. It’s a thistle of some kind and I don’t tolerate thistles well. Off to look at more pictures. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308/20 "2005-06-10T00:25:11Z")
#8 sure looks like an Oenothera, but the bloom time is too early for O. biennis. Bloom time is right for O. fruticosa, but the serrated leaf edges don’t jibe with the O. fruticosa I know. The Philadelphus, aka Mock Orange, should be fragrant. In any case, the poor thing is being overshadowed by its neighbors. The thistle looks more like a weedy thistle (don’t get me wrong, I love thistles), and not cardoon. Cardoon has more massive, grayish leaves. I have a soft spot for Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, too. They fall under the weed umbrella, but, look fantastic in fall, with drooping purple fall berries that birds adore. That’s probably who planted yours, as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-botanists-front-and-center/307308.md?page=2)