Plants are fabulous things, and while they are mostly green and have a colourful flower or two, they really aren’t the same. Today, at work, I notice a random oddity that I have only just noticed-I’ve been there for over four months now.
For many people, the picture above is probably just ‘green hedge’. All the plants above are in the genus of Raphiolepis. Great plants, tough as old boots, lovely without flowers, fabulous with flowers. The eagle-eyed amount you may notice that the individual Raphiolepis plant in the middle of the picture above is different to those on either side.
This plant below is the odd one out-still a Raphiolepis but a different species or cultivar, though I don’t know which.
This Raphiolepis below is the same as all the others in the said hedge. It is Raphiolepis indica ‘Snow Maiden’. I only know which specific cultivar it is because I found a label that hadn’t been removed (a massive bug bear of mine, but not a moan for today), which is how I noticed the different plant above.
While this little difference is unnoticeable to most, especially from afar, it is annoying. While the plant that is the odd one out is probably a replacement for a failure, it’s not really an excuse for having a different species or cultivar in a hedge.
On a big site, it can be a bit tricky to keep track of the plants you have and where they are, but with technology like computers and spreadsheets, word documents it’s easy-you could even do old school pens and notebooks. No excuse really.
Why does this matter when they are ‘almost identical’? Each plant species and cultivar, even those belonging to the same genus, can require different care specific to individual species and they can be completely different, which can cause problems. You wouldn’t have a desert plant and a plant from near the arctic circle next to each other.
With plants, all you need is observation, a care about what you are doing with plants and a willingness to learn a little and you will soon pick up what you need to know. This will prevent drama in the future.