media ‘Charity’If your plant knowledge is limited, this list can be used as a basis for making choices for your own plant palette. No plant list can be comprehensive, and most garden designers have their own favourite plants.
If the common name of a plant varies from region to region, only the Latin name is given. Where a variety of a particular plant is not stated, you will need to research the variety most suited to the needs of the garden design.
These can spread to 30 m (100 ft.).
Betula pendula (silver birch or European white birch)
Carpinus betulus (hornbeam)
Fagus sylvatica (beech)
Fraxinus excelsior (ash)
Quercus robur (oak)
Betula varieties (silver birch)
Catalpa bignonioides (Indian bean)
Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’ (copper beech)
Ginkgo biloba (maidenhair tree)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Salix babylonica (weeping willow)
Ulmus glabra ‘Pendula’ (weeping elm)
Acer lobelii (maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Alnus cordata (Italian alder)
Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut)
Eucalyptus in var. (gum)
Fraxinus excelsior (ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Juglans regia (walnut)
Platanus mexicana (plane)
Populus alba (white poplar)
Prunus avium (wild cherry)
Pterocarya fraxinifolia (wing nut)
Robinia pseudoacacia (false acacia or locust)
Salix alba varieties (willow)
Tilia americana (American lime or linden)
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Kilmacurragh’
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Wissellii’
Juniperus scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’
Juniperus communis ‘Suecica’ (Swedish juniper)
Taxus baccata ‘Aurea’ (golden yew)
Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ (Irish yew)
Betula varieties (birch)
Malus varieties (crab apple)
Prunus varieties (cherry)
Pyrus varieties (pear)
Sorbus varieties (ash or rowan)
Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree)
Arundinaria varieties(bamboo)
Aucuba varieties (laurel)
Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea’ (barberry)
Bupleurum fruticosum (shrubby hare’s ear)
Buxus sempervirens (box or boxwood)
Camellia varieties.
Choisya ternata (Mexican orange)
Cordyline australis (cabbage palm or cabbage tree)
Eriobotrya japonica (loquat)
Escallonia varieties Fatsia japonica Griselinia in var.
Hebe varieties (veronica)
Ilex varieties(holly)
Ilex aquifolium ‘Pyramidalis’ (holly)
Juniperus communis ‘Hibernica’ (Irish juniper)
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Exmouth’ (Exmouth magnolia)
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Goliath’ (magnolia)
Mahonia media ‘Charity’
Olearia haastii (daisy bush)
Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax)
Photinia
Pittosporum Rhododendron varieties (rhododendrons and azaleas)
Rhus varieties (sumach)
Sambucus varieties (elderberry)
Taxus baccata (yew)
Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’
Yucca
Acer varieties (maple)
Amelanchier (service berry)
Berberis (barberry)
Brachyglottis (ragwort)
Buddleja (butterfly bush)
Cornus (dogwood)
Corylopsis
Cotinus (smoke tree)
Daphne pontica (daphne)
Elaeagnus (silverberry)
Genista aetnensis (broom)
Hamamelis (witch hazel)
Hydrangea varieties
Itea ilicifolia (sweetspire)
Lavandula (lavender)
Ligustrum lucidum (privet)
Magnolia soulangeana (garden magnolia or saucer magnolia)
Magnolia stellata (star magnolia)
Mahonia
Myrtus (myrtle)
Olearia (daisy bush)
Paeonia delavayi (tree peony)
Philadelphus (mock orange)
Rosa (rose)
Rosmarinus varieties (rosemary)
Sarcococca (sweet box)
Skimmia varieties
Tamarix (tamarisk)
Viburnum varieties
Caryopteris
Ceanothus
Chaenomeles
Cistus
Convolvulus cneorum
Cytisus
Deutzia
Fuchsia
Genista
Halimium
Lavandula
Lavatera
Spiraea
Syringa
Viburnum
Weigela
Clematis
Cobaea
Hedera
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris
Lathyrus
Lonicera
Parthenocissus
Passiflora
Rhodochiton
Rosa
Solanum
Trachelospermum
Vitis
Wisteria
Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurpurea Nana’
Buxus
Genista hispanica
Hebe varieties
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
Ruta graveolens
Santolina
Teucrium
Arundo donax (giant reed)
Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Carex elata ‘Aurea’ (Bowles’ golden sedge)
Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hair grass)
Festuca amethystina (sheep’s fescue)
Festuca glauca (blue fescue)
Hakonechloa macra
Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass)
Milium effusum ‘Aureum’ (Bowles’ golden grass)
Miscanthus sinsensis (Chinese silver grass)
Molinia (purple moor grass)
Panicum virigatum (switch grass)
Pennisetum alopecuroides (fountain grass)
Stipa tenuifolia
Achillea
Aconitum
Agapanthus
Alchemilla mollis
Anemone japonica
Anthemis punctata
Artemisia
Aster
Astrantia
Bergenia
Campanula
Crocosmia
Dianthus
Diascia
Dicentra
Digitalis
Epilobium
Eryngium
Euphorbia
Geranium
Hemerocallis
Hosta
Iris
Kniphofia
Lobelia
Macleaya
Nepeta
Oenothera
Paeonia
Penstemon
Persicaria
Rodgersia
Romneya coulteri
Ruta graveolens
Salvia
Sedum
Sisyrinchium striatum
Thalictrum
Veratrum
Zauschneria californica
(B) after the plant name denotes a bulbous plant.
Allium (B)
Alstroemeria
Amaryllis (B)
Anemone blanda (B)
Canna (half-hardy in Britain)
Chionodoxa (B)
Colchicum (B)
Crocus (B)
Cyclamen (B)
Dahlia (half-hardy in Britain)
Digitalis
Felicia
Fritillaria (B)
Galanthus (B)
Galtonia (B)
Gladiolus (B)
Hedychium (half-hardy in Britain)
Helichrysum
Lilium (B)
Lupinus
Malva moschata
Muscari (B)
Narcissus (B)
Nectaroscordum (B)
Nerine (B)
Nicotiana
Osteospermum
Papaver
Phlox
Pulsatilla
Ricinus (half-hardy in Britain)
Salvia
Scilla (B)
Tulipa (B)
Verbena
Viola