Identifying plants
Hi,
I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob |
Identifying plants
"Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob I would suggest a few good books. On our shelf we have amongst others The Complete British Wildlife. - Collins The Macmillan Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe The AA book to the British Countryside and the RHS Encyclopaedia of Plants and Flowers plus lots of other books including the series 'The Gardening Expert', books on building gardens and garden themes such as Cottage Garden, Water features etc. The trouble with a web site is that you cannot take it out into the garden to compare with what you have growing or to answer a neighbours questions, you can with a book Hope that helps Mike |
Identifying plants
"Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. |
Identifying plants
The message e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui
from "Just Molly" contains these words: i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. Do courts accept that? Janet |
Identifying plants
"Bob Smith" wrote in message
... I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? On the other hand its always interesting to see what other people have growing in their gardens and what the birds give to them (as it were). And your requests for infor keep us on our toes. I for one like such requests. By the way, the birds gave me a very nice Leycestria formosa which I had had in my previous garden and forgotten to bring a bit of. It was such a delightful surprise. regards Don |
Identifying plants
"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message ... The message e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui from "Just Molly" contains these words: i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. Do courts accept that? Well as it is my bible, they would HAVE to wouldn't they lol. |
Identifying plants
"Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. Franz |
Identifying plants
The message
from "Don" contains these words: "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? On the other hand its always interesting to see what other people have growing in their gardens and what the birds give to them (as it were). And your requests for infor keep us on our toes. I for one like such requests. Most of us use the group to find ID's. You're welcome to ask; it's not putting anybody out at all, because those who aren't interested or don't know won't respond anyway. When someone comes up with suggestions, I find google/images really useful for looking them up to see what they look like. Janet. |
Identifying plants
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. Franz _________ I agree with Franz. The very best texts for identifying wild plants use a comprehensive key and very few illustrations. No cultivated flower key seems to exist. The more comprehensive the encyclopaedia then the greater effort involved, if it is identity needed. Brian. |
Identifying plants
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. I don't think it is. If I see a small blue flower in late summer, I just go to late summer small plants and look in the blue flowered section. Simple. |
Identifying plants
In article , Franz Heymann
writes "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. the encyclopaedia is better than the A-Z for identification becuase it groups according to growth (tree, shrub etc) then within that by season and colour. Otoh the A-Z is handy when you want to look at all the species of a genus together. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
Identifying plants
In article , Brian
writes "Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. Franz _________ I agree with Franz. The very best texts for identifying wild plants use a comprehensive key and very few illustrations. Depends a bit on your knowledge level! You have to be a fairly enthusiastic amateur botanist to use Stace, for example. I tend to use Fitter et al, and give up with getting any closer identification than eyebright, dandelion or hawkweed ;-) For garden plants, I use the Roger Phillips and Martin Rix books becuase their photos are close up and therefore better for identification - many of the RHS photos give you an overall picture, but without a close up. But they're a good start. No cultivated flower key seems to exist. It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties being developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the dichotomies further up the key. Long, long ago, in the days before PCs, I remember helping a colleague with a program that took a key, added in your new species in the middle, and checked all the consequences all the way through the key. It was not a simple process. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
Identifying plants
".......... i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers."
"Do courts accept that?" " Well as it is my bible, they would HAVE to wouldn't they lol......... " No they wouldn't unless you swear ON it -- David Hill Abacus nurseries www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk |
Identifying plants
"David Hill" wrote in message ... ".......... i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers." "Do courts accept that?" " Well as it is my bible, they would HAVE to wouldn't they lol......... " No they wouldn't unless you swear ON it -- A person's 'Volume of the Sacred Law' does not have to be a Bible. Mike -- British Pacific Fleet Reunion Birmingham September 17th - 20th H.M.S.Collingwood Assoc. Mini Reunion Weekend at Coventry Sept 24th - 27th Nat. Service (RAF) Assoc. AGM & Reunion Hayling Island 8th - 11th October |
Identifying plants
On Thu, 1 Jul 2004 10:07:32 +0100, "Bob Smith" wrote:
Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob If I have an idea about a possible name I have a look on the MAVICA site where they have photos and desciptions of over 4000 plants. Not relevant really but in the last couple of years I have grown two perennials from un-named seeds of the HPS. I liked them both very much. When the first one was in flower I came across it in the gardening section of the Sunday Times magazine it was verbena bonariensis. The next one I spotted just as I walked into the small garden centre I use; it is erysium helveticum. Great to get a name. Diana |
Identifying plants
"Kay" wrote in message ... In article , Brian writes "Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. Franz _________ I agree with Franz. The very best texts for identifying wild plants use a comprehensive key and very few illustrations. Depends a bit on your knowledge level! You have to be a fairly enthusiastic amateur botanist to use Stace, for example. I tend to use Fitter et al, and give up with getting any closer identification than eyebright, dandelion or hawkweed ;-) For garden plants, I use the Roger Phillips and Martin Rix books becuase their photos are close up and therefore better for identification - many of the RHS photos give you an overall picture, but without a close up. But they're a good start. No cultivated flower key seems to exist. It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties being developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the dichotomies further up the key. Long, long ago, in the days before PCs, I remember helping a colleague with a program that took a key, added in your new species in the middle, and checked all the consequences all the way through the key. It was not a simple process. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" __________________ I agree that a key for cultivated plants would be impossible. A help to group them is quite often found and then the encyclopaedia assists. For wild plants I use Clapham,Tutin & Warburg~and can still get lost. It is totally comprehensive and is the 'bible'. It has very few illustrations. However I understand the point you make~~if one can understand the use of a complex flora then it is quite likely that you don't need a flora at all!! Regards Brian. |
Identifying plants
"Kay" wrote in message ... In article , Brian writes "Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. Franz _________ I agree with Franz. The very best texts for identifying wild plants use a comprehensive key and very few illustrations. Depends a bit on your knowledge level! You have to be a fairly enthusiastic amateur botanist to use Stace, for example. I tend to use Fitter et al, and give up with getting any closer identification than eyebright, dandelion or hawkweed ;-) For garden plants, I use the Roger Phillips and Martin Rix books becuase their photos are close up and therefore better for identification - many of the RHS photos give you an overall picture, but without a close up. But they're a good start. No cultivated flower key seems to exist. It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties being developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the dichotomies further up the key. It would be quite acceptable to me if such a keyed book stopped short of the varietal level. Nowadays nurseries think they have to attach a pet name to every plant they sell. Long, long ago, in the days before PCs, I remember helping a colleague with a program that took a key, added in your new species in the middle, and checked all the consequences all the way through the key. It was not a simple process. Franz |
Identifying plants
"Just Molly" wrote in message news:iA0Fc.178$JG6.62@newsfe4-gui... "Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Just Molly" wrote in message news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui... "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... Hi, I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? Bob i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers. It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like. If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work identifying it from the Encyclopedia. I don't think it is. If I see a small blue flower in late summer, I just go to late summer small plants and look in the blue flowered section. Simple. That's fine if what you are trying to identify happens to be in the picture gallery. Unfortunately that has only a small fraction of the plants mentioned in the A to Z. Franz |
Identifying plants
In article , Brian
writes __________________ I agree that a key for cultivated plants would be impossible. A help to group them is quite often found and then the encyclopaedia assists. Yep. Same way as using taxonomy to identify a wild flower. Easy enough to get the hang of most of the families found in the UK, but more difficult with garden plants because a) they're species from across the world and may be from a family not represented in UK b) there are so many hybrids and particularly double flowers which make it hard to identify the family. So grouping by growth form, flower colour and season of flowering does seem quite useful. For wild plants I use Clapham,Tutin & Warburg~and can still get lost. It is totally comprehensive and is the 'bible'. It used to be the bible, but I gather Stace took over about 10 years back. It has very few illustrations. However I understand the point you make~~if one can understand the use of a complex flora then it is quite likely that you don't need a flora at all!! Well, I wouldn't say that! Rather that your knowledge and interest in botany exceeds mine by rather more than mine exceeds that of the 'man in the street' ;-) Certainly with a flora you need the specimen in front of you and a hand lens. Whereas if you see, say, grass of Parnassus, for the first time on a long walk, you can come home with a strong visual memory and perhaps a few pencilled supplementary notes and identify it from a good illustrated wild flower book, whereas you wouldn't have a hope going through a key. And if there is a closely related almost indistinguishable species recorded from 3 locations above 1200 feet, a) it's unlikely that that's what you saw and b) is your level of interest *really* that strong? Generic you of course, not you specifically ! Though I have to admit that, while I arguing in favour of an illustrated guide in which the flowers are arranged in taxonomic order, I hate guides where the wild flowers are ordered by colour of flower! Yet arguably that could be useful for someone whose interest is less than mine. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
Identifying plants
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Identifying plants
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Identifying plants
"Kay" wrote in message ... In article , Franz Heymann notfranz. writes "Kay" wrote in message ... It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties being developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the dichotomies further up the key. It would be quite acceptable to me if such a keyed book stopped short of the varietal level. Nowadays nurseries think they have to attach a pet name to every plant they sell. Would it in fact be possible? Some of the varieties look different enough to throw your identification, particularly half way down a key. So although you might not be interested in the name of a variety, the fact that it exists might be enough to throw the key completely. You have a point. |
Identifying plants
"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message ... The message from "Don" contains these words: "Bob Smith" wrote in message ... I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a website or piece of software for me to identify things myself? On the other hand its always interesting to see what other people have growing in their gardens and what the birds give to them (as it were). And your requests for infor keep us on our toes. I for one like such requests. Most of us use the group to find ID's. You're welcome to ask; it's not putting anybody out at all, because those who aren't interested or don't know won't respond anyway. When someone comes up with suggestions, I find google/images really useful for looking them up to see what they look like. Janet. Thanks everyone. I will continue to ask. I usually upload a picture to my web space and post a link to make it easier to identify. Bob |
Identifying plants
Quote:
I've just bought the Flowering Shrub expert and the Flower Expert by Dr D G Hessayon and have identified quite a few of the unknown flowers in my garden, athough a website would be very handy. I've thought about taking my digital camera out with me so I can snap pics of flowers I like in other gardens so I can id them from my book and then head off to a garden centre. Any recommendations for good garden centres and nurseries in the Derbyshire/Leics/South Staffs area? (I live in Hilton). Thanks. Denize |
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