Plant Encyclopedia
Discover plants for your garden — filter by sun, water, bloom time and more.
32 plants
TreesAcer campestre
Field Maple
The field maple is a native, medium-sized tree with a rounded, dense crown and five-lobed leaves that turn a stunning golden-yellow in autumn. The tree is exceptionally wind-resistant and tolerates pruning superbly, making it widely used as a hedging tree. A valuable tree for birds and insects.
TreesAcer palmatum
Japanese Maple
The Japanese maple is a graceful tree or large shrub with deeply lobed, palmate leaves that turn spectacular shades of red, orange, or gold in autumn. Its elegant growth habit makes it a focal point in any garden. Hundreds of cultivars exist, from compact and rounded to broad and spreading.
TreesAlbizia julibrissin
Silk Tree
The Silk Tree is an exotic presence with a broad, umbrella-shaped crown and finely divided, fern-like foliage. From June to August, striking, fluffy pink flowers appear that look like silken tassels. The tree brings a Mediterranean atmosphere to the garden and attracts butterflies and bees. The leaves fold together at dusk.
TreesAmelanchier lamarckii
Snowy Mespilus
The snowy mespilus is a versatile ornamental tree with something to offer in every season. In April, cloud-like white blossom appears, followed by copper-bronze emerging foliage. In summer, dark purple edible berries ripen. The highlight is autumn, when the leaves turn spectacular shades of orange and red. A perfect tree for small gardens.
TreesBetula pendula
Silver Birch
Silver Birch is a graceful, fast-growing tree with striking white bark that peels in thin layers over the years. The fine, pendulous branches give the tree an airy, elegant silhouette. In autumn, the small triangular leaves turn bright yellow.
TreesCarpinus betulus
European Hornbeam
The European hornbeam is a versatile native tree that excels both as a free-standing specimen and in hedge form. The ribbed, serrated leaves turn golden-yellow in autumn and — like beech — remain on the hedge throughout winter. The tree has a characteristically muscular trunk pattern.
TreesCatalpa bignonioides
Indian Bean Tree
The Indian Bean Tree is a distinctive ornamental tree with enormous, heart-shaped leaves and large panicles of white, trumpet-shaped flowers with yellow and purple markings in June and July. After flowering, long, slender seed pods hang on the tree well into winter. An excellent shade tree.
TreesCercis siliquastrum
Judas Tree
The Judas tree is a spectacular small tree that bears bright pink flowers directly on the bare branches and even the trunk in April and May — a rare phenomenon called cauliflory. After flowering, heart-shaped blue-green leaves appear, giving the tree a Mediterranean character. The Judas tree slowly develops into a graceful, multi-stemmed specimen.
TreesCitrus limon
Lemon Tree
The lemon tree is an elegant evergreen that can bloom and bear fruit almost year-round. Its wonderfully fragrant white flowers appear in clusters and give way to bright yellow fruits. As a container plant it is popular on sunny terraces and in conservatories.
TreesCorylus avellana
Common Hazel
The hazel is a native large shrub or small tree that enlivens the garden as early as February and March with long, golden-yellow catkins — one of the first food sources for bees after winter. In autumn, hazelnuts follow in their characteristic green husks. Hazel grows multi-stemmed and makes a beautiful native hedge or specimen.
TreesFagus sylvatica
European Beech
The European beech is a majestic deciduous tree and one of Europe's most iconic species. Its smooth, grey bark and glossy green leaves that turn bronze in autumn are unmistakable. As a hedge, beech retains its brown foliage throughout winter, providing a dense windbreak.
TreesFicus carica
Common Fig
The common fig is an atmospheric Mediterranean tree with large, deeply lobed leaves and a characteristic broad crown. The hidden flowers sit inside the fig fruit and are not visible from outside. Given a warm, sheltered position, the tree produces sweet, juicy figs from summer to autumn. Surprisingly hardy with protection.
TreesFraxinus excelsior
European Ash
European Ash is a stately, fast-growing native tree with an open, airy crown and compound leaves that appear late in spring. In autumn, the foliage turns golden yellow. Ash plays a vital ecological role, supporting hundreds of species of insects and lichens. Unfortunately, the species is threatened by ash dieback disease.
TreesGinkgo biloba
Maidenhair Tree
The Maidenhair Tree is a living fossil with unique, fan-shaped leaves that turn brilliant gold in autumn and drop almost simultaneously — a breathtaking spectacle. Extremely hardy, tolerant of urban conditions, and virtually pest- and disease-free.
TreesGrevillea robusta
Silky Oak
The silky oak is a fast-growing, imposing Australian tree with finely divided, fern-like foliage and striking, one-sided orange-yellow flower plumes from April to June that are rich in nectar. As a young tree it can be kept as a container plant for its graceful leaf texture. In subtropical climates it grows into a majestic specimen.
TreesIlex aquifolium
English Holly
English Holly is a stately, evergreen tree with glossy, spiny dark green leaves that provide a magnificent backdrop in winter. Female specimens bear bright red berries that are indispensable winter food for birds. The tree grows slowly but can live for centuries.
TreesJuglans regia
Common Walnut
Common Walnut is a majestic tree with a broad, domed crown and aromatic, compound foliage. From late summer, the familiar walnuts ripen inside their green husks. The tree can live for centuries and yields valuable timber. The leaves contain juglone, a substance that suppresses the growth of some neighbouring plants.
TreesLagerstroemia indica
Crape Myrtle
Crape Myrtle is a small ornamental tree with spectacular, crinkled flowers in pink, red, or purple from July to September. The smooth, flaking bark in shades of beige, grey, and cinnamon is decorative year-round. Stunning autumn colour in orange and red.
TreesLiquidambar styraciflua
Sweet Gum
Sweet Gum is a majestic deciduous tree with star-shaped leaves that turn spectacularly in autumn to shades of red, orange, purple, and gold — often all at once on the same tree. Corky bark on older branches adds extra interest. One of the finest trees for autumn colour.
TreesMagnolia stellata
Star Magnolia
Star Magnolia is a compact small tree or large shrub that becomes smothered in star-shaped white to pale pink flowers in March and April, before the leaves emerge. The blooms have a soft, sweet fragrance. Its compact size makes this magnolia suitable even for smaller gardens and front yards.
TreesMalus domestica
Apple Tree
The apple tree is a classic fruit tree that becomes covered in pink-white blossom in April and May — an irresistible spectacle for people and pollinators alike. In autumn, apples follow, ripening early or late depending on the variety. An apple tree in the garden offers blossom, fruit, shade, and habitat for countless creatures.
TreesOlea europaea
Olive Tree
The olive tree is a majestic, long-lived tree with distinctive silver-green foliage and a gnarled trunk that grows increasingly characterful with age. In warm climates it produces edible olives following a modest white bloom in June. As a container plant it can bring Mediterranean charm to cooler regions too.
TreesPaulownia tomentosa
Princess Tree
The Princess Tree is a spectacular tree that flowers lavishly in April and May with purple-blue, trumpet-shaped blooms before the leaves unfurl. The enormous, heart-shaped leaves can reach 40 centimetres across, giving the tree a tropical look. Princess Tree grows extremely fast and can add more than two metres per year in good conditions.
TreesPlatanus × hispanica
London Plane
The London Plane is an imposing, fast-growing tree famous for its mottled bark that peels in large flakes, revealing a mosaic of green, yellow, and cream. The large, hand-shaped leaves provide dense shade. The plane tolerates urban pollution and extreme pruning, making it one of the world's most popular avenue trees.
TreesPlumeria rubra
Frangipani
Frangipani is a tropical tree famed for its intoxicatingly fragrant flowers in soft shades of pink, white and yellow. The waxy blooms appear in clusters at the tips of thick, fleshy branches from May to October. In winter the tree sheds its leaves, revealing an elegantly branched silhouette.
TreesPrunus serrulata
Japanese Cherry
The Japanese Cherry is one of the most beloved ornamental trees in the world, exploding into a cloud of pink or white blossom in April. The bloom is brief but breathtaking and marks the start of spring. In autumn, the foliage turns warm orange to red.
TreesQuercus robur
English Oak
The English oak is the most iconic tree of Northwestern Europe and can live for hundreds of years. With its broad, irregular crown, lobed leaves and acorns, it is unmistakable. The tree provides habitat for hundreds of insect species, making it one of the most valuable trees for biodiversity.
TreesRobinia pseudoacacia
Black Locust
Black Locust is a fast-growing, elegant tree with fine, pinnate foliage casting dappled shade. In May and June, hanging clusters of fragrant white pea-flowers attract bees. The tree is drought-tolerant and fixes nitrogen in the soil.
TreesSalix caprea
Goat Willow
The goat willow is a fast-growing small tree that stands out in early spring with its silver-coloured, velvety catkins that later turn golden-yellow with pollen. It is one of the first trees to provide food for bees after winter. The tree grows in virtually any soil type.
TreesSorbus aucuparia
Rowan
Rowan is a graceful native tree with pinnate leaves, white flower clusters in late spring and stunning orange-red berry clusters in autumn. The tree is one of the most important food sources for birds in winter. The foliage turns beautiful orange and red in autumn.
TreesTaxus baccata
English Yew
English Yew is an evergreen conifer used both as a freestanding tree and as a formal hedge. Its dark green needles are densely packed and form an impenetrable screen. Female trees bear striking red berries in autumn. All parts except the berry flesh are poisonous.
TreesTilia cordata
Small-leaved Lime
Small-leaved Lime is a stately, long-lived tree with a broad, densely branched crown and heart-shaped, glossy green leaves. In June and July, fragrant, yellow-green flowers appear that attract vast numbers of bees — the lime is one of Europe's most important bee plants. In autumn, the foliage turns warm yellow.