More flowers are out in February than in January. Early flowering Daffodils may already be in bloom. The wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus  grows in woods and grasslands throughout England and Wales and also in Germany, Portugal and Spain. Plant breeders have produced thousands of cultivars which are grown commercially in Britain, Holland, North America and Australia/New Zealand. Over 25,000 cultivated varieties are listed by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Two dwarf Irises are in flower, the early flowering Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ and the Algerian Iris, shown below,  which flowers from winter to spring. Also out at this time of year are the Early Crocus, the Wallflower  ‘Bowles Mauve’ and the Heather cultivar ‘Ghost Hills’. 

Algerian Iris Iris unguicularis flowers from winter to spring. It is native to Greece and North Africa. 

Early Crocus Crocus tommasinianus flowers in February and March. It is native to Eastern Europe and is planted in many gardens and parks in Britain. .

Wallflower ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ Erysimum linifolium ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a sterile, short-lived shrubby perennial.  It is one of the most popular cultivars and flowers from February to July.

Lenten Rose Helleborus orientalis is a popular garden plant, native to Greece and Turkey. It flowers in February/March. Most Lenten Rose garden plants are hybrids (Helleborus x hybridus) and may have white, pink, green or purple flowers.

Hellebore flowers have 5 white/spotted or coloured sepals not petals. Inside the cup formed by the sepals are 10 green tube-shaped nectaries, which some botanists believe to be modified petals. Inside this are several rings of anthers and in the centre 5 green styles with receptive stigmas which open before the anthers (protogynous) release pollen. Pollinators are honey-bees and bumble-bees seeking nectar and pollen. Stigmas remain receptive if there are no insect visitors so self-pollination will occur as anthers release pollen.

The Cherry Plum is also known as the Myrobalan Plum. It is native to a region from the Balkans to central Asia and has been cultivated in Britain from the 16th century. The word ‘Myrobalan’ was originally used for the sharp-tasting fruit of an Asian tree before it was applied to this plum.The plum is yellow or red and can be eaten raw or used in cooking. It is a small tree and is frequently planted in urban areas because it is one of the first trees to come into flower in the spring. It is also planted widely in hedgerows. Photograph taken in late July.

The Elder is a shrub or small tree which grows in hedgerows and woods throughout Britain. It is also native to Europe, North Africa and south west Asia. The fruit is used to make wine and has many medicinal uses, but the seeds and other plant parts are toxic.

A Tree of Heaven in full leaf in August.

Each leaf has 11 to 25 leaflets. It is a pinnate leaf. At first sight the leaf looks like that of the Common Ash. Click HERE for a photo of a Common Ash leaf. May also be confused with the pinnate leaf of the Stag’s horn Sumach but its leaves are toothed.

The male flowers come out in July.

The fruit hangs, in the form of keys, like this in October. They look like Common Ash keys except for their colour.

The Mongolian Lime Tilia mongolica is a small tree native to eastern Russia, Mongolia and northern China. It was introduced to Britain in the 1880s. It has a very distinctive, attractive, leaf and is slow growing, so it is being used increasingly in town and city parks. The leaves turn yellow in autumn.

Henry’s Lime Tilia henryana is a medium-sized tree native to central China It was discovered in China by Augustine Henry, an Irish plantsman, and introduced to Britain in 1901. It has beautiful leaves with long yellow-tipped teeth but until recently has only been planted in a few gardens. In Europe it tends to be slow growing and so most trees are small.

Oliver’s Lime Tilia oliveri is native to central China. It was named after Daniel Oliver a former Keeper of the Kew Herbarium when it was introduced to Britain in 1900 by E.H.Wilson, the plant collector. It is a medium sized tree with elegant leaves that are silvery underneath. It is a beautiful tree but is only found in a few collections.

Black Mulberry tree in July. The tree often has a twisted trunk and is low-growing. Its barks deep ridges.

The leaf is large and heart shaped. The underside of the leaf is hairy

Five green female flower clusters in early July. Each cluster consists of a spike of flowers.  Individual flowers a style with a pair of stigmas on the end. Green male flowers are in the form of catkins.  Pollination occurs when the stigmas collect male pollen floating in the wind but female trees can produce fruit without pollination.

White Mulberry tree in July. It is an upright tree with a Willow-like trunk.

Most leaves are heart shaped but some have lobes. The leaves are used to feed silkworms.

Female flower clusters in June