Ginkgo biloba

Latin plant name Ginkgo biloba Common plant name Ginkgo Plant type Tree Size (meters) <20- 30 m Distinguishing features The ginkgo is a living fossil, as a unique species recognisably similar to fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated and introduced early in human history, and has various uses as a food and in traditional medicine. The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (one to 15 days). A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old. Ginkgo is a relatively shade-intolerant species that (at least in cultivation) grows best in environments that are well-watered and well-drained. The leaves are unique among seed plants, being fan-shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade. Ginkgos are dioecious, with separate sexes, some trees being female and others being male. Male plants produce small pollen cones with sporophylls, each bearing two microsporangia spirally arranged around a central axis. Female plants do not produce cones. Two ovules are formed at the end of a stalk, and after pollination, one or both develop into seeds.

Araucaria - Monkey puzzle

Latin plant name Araucaria Common plant name Monkey puzzle Plant type Conifer evergreen tree Size (meters) < 40 m Distinguishing features Because of the species' great age it is sometimes described as a living fossil. Araucaria araucana is the national tree of Chile. The leaves are thick, tough and scale-like, triangular, 3–4 cm long, 1–3 cm broad at the base, and with sharp edges and tip. They persist for 10–15 years or more, so cover most of the tree except for the older branches. It is usually dioecious, with the male and female cones on separate trees, though occasional individuals bear cones of both sexes. The male (pollen) cones are oblong and cucumber-shaped, 4 cm long at first, expanding to 8–12 cm long by 5–6 cm broad at pollen release. The tree is wind pollinated. The female (seed) cones, which mature in autumn about 18 months after pollination, are globose.

Leylandis

Latin plant name Cupressus x leylandii Common plant name Leylandii Plant type Coniferous evergreen tree Size (meters) < 15 m Distinguishing features Rapid and thick growing. Leyland Cypress is light-demanding but is tolerant of high levels of pollution and salt spray. A hardy, fast-growing natural hybrid, it thrives on a variety of soils and sites are commonly planted in gardens to provide a quick boundary or shelter hedge, because of their rapid growth. Although widely used for screening, it has not been planted much for forestry purposes.

Plants suitable for challenging environments (wind, extreme temperatue changes)

Field trip to Deelish Garden Center

Plant name Type Reasons for suitability Helleborus Herbaceous evergreen perennial  flowering plants It flowers in christmas time Hardy plant Frost resistant Acanthus spinosus spinosa Herbaceous No serious  insect or disease problems. Hardy plant Pothinia - Red robbin Evergreen shrub Hardy plant Tolerant to winter Leaves turn red in winter Attractive Tolerates full shade Somewhat drought tolerant once established Viburnum Evergreen shrub Evergreen Easy maintenance Hardy Scently flower Ecucalyptus tree Evergreen tree Hardy Colourful bark Italian alder Decidious tree Hardy tree for exposed areas Atracts bird life Garlic Vegetable Stands low temperatures during the winter Artichokes Perennial thistle Winter hardy They can be grown almost everywhere Can survive between 90-100 days of frost over the year

Some ideas for plants for special places

http://www.dyg.ie/forum/plants-places

Extreme conditions

Sometimes we need to choose plant for an area where wi will have extreme weather conditions; extreme heat, really low temperatures, continuous winds...

There are plants that will survive in extreme weather conditions.

In Ireland if we have to choose plants adapted to the wind we should go for native shrubs and trees.

Plants that will bear with the high temperatures of Ireland are:

• Ferns
• Bracken
• Alpine plants
• Pine trees
• Succulents plants
• Sedum
• Ornamental grasses
• Herbs
• Furze

Plants that will handle low temperatures are:

• Holly trees
• Pine trees
• Alpine trees
• Artichokes
• Garlic
• Broadbeans
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Leeks
• Rhubarb
• Kale
• Brussel sprouts

True Geranius - Cranesbill

Latin plant name Geranium Common plant name Cranesbill Plant type Hardy herbaceous flowering plant Size (meters) < 0,5 m Distinguishing features The long, palmately cleft leaves are broadly circular in form. The flowers have five petals and are coloured white, pink, purple or blue, often with distinctive veining. Geraniums will grow in any soil as long as it is not waterlogged. Propagation is by semiripe cuttings in summer, by seed, or by division in autumn or spring. They are perect for hedges.

Betula - Birch

Latin plant name Betula Common plant name Birch (abedul) Plant type Decidious tree Size (meters) <10m Distinguishing features They are typically rather short-lived pioneer species widespread in the Northern Hemisphere particularly in northern temperate and boreal climates. Birch species are generally small to medium-sized trees or shrubs, mostly of temperate climates. The simple leaves are alternate, singly or doubly serrate, feather-veined, petiolate and stipulate. They often appear in pairs, but these pairs are really borne on spur-like, two-leaved, lateral branchlets. The fruit is a small samara, although the wings may be obscure in some species. They differ from the alders in that the female catkins are not woody and disintegrate at maturity, falling apart to release the seeds, unlike the woody, cone-like female alder catkins. Birches often form even-aged stands on light, well-drained, particularly acidic soils. They are regarded as pioneer species, rapidly colonising open ground.