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Old 05-08-2009, 12:22 PM
echinosum echinosum is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2006
Location: Chalfont St Giles
Posts: 1,340
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rowanc88 View Post
alright.

thanks for all the help. gives me a better idea now
I'm not totally convinced by some of the identifications so far, though we can't be definitive on a photo such as this.

Far left is a grass, probably a Carex or Stipa of some kind. I think pheasant grass (Stipa tenuifolia) has broader leaves, though there are some other Stipa spp with leaves as narrow as that. Strictly speaking, Carex is a sedge, not a grass. These plants will stay fairly small.

For second from the left, we've had phormium and cordyline suggested. Well it isn't phormium, because you can see that two of them have the beginning of a trunk. So it could be a cordyline. But it doesn't look quite right for a bog-standard C australis to me. Maybe its a different Cordyline. But what it said to me at first glance is Yucca filamentosa. But I'm not convinced by that. There are all sorts of plants of similar form, such as those Furcraeas or Beschornerias that are suddenly so fashionable. But the lesson is that you will find quite a few similar-appearing byt different plants with spiky strap-like leaves like that. Best to find out the ultimate appearance though. Phormium will grow 8 feet tall and fill a huge area, though there are some more modest ones, such as P cookianum; Cordyline will extend its trunk considerably and its leaves will be a tuft on top, high but still not a large plant. The Yucca will stay smaller and nearer the ground. Astelia is a good choice, drought resistant, doesn't get huge, though that is definitely not pictured.

Middle one, much as for the first one, probably carex or stipa of some kind.

I have no idea for the 4th one, but whoever said iris could be right.

The last one, well phormium is probably my best guess too, though I'm not totally convinced. If it is Phormium, it is pretty small at the moment, and it was hardly necessary to buy three of them to plant so close, one would soon spread into that area.

Whatever Bob says, I have a mature full size Phormium in my garden, and I like it, and my wife likes it. Its a bit of work as about once a year I have to cut out the dead leaves, which is a bit of job as they rae very tough. But I have a dry soil so it doesn't get as huge as it can other places.