"An English Country Garden" - Cryptic Style Quiz

Answer: Snapdragon

Snapdragons (also known as antirrhinums) are popular border plants which can be found in a wide range of colours. Most varieties grown in Britain are annuals.

Answer: Foxglove

Foxgloves are common biennial wild plants in Britain. They are found along hedgerows, edges of woodland etc. Wild foxgloves are usually purple but the cultivars grown in gardens are now available in several colours. All parts of the foxglove are poisonous but the plant has medicinal uses as it contains digitalin which can be used in heart medicines.

Answer: Bleeding heart

Bleeding hearts (dicentra) are an ever popular perennial border plant. The heart-shaped flowers are usually found in combinations of pink, red and white and are in bloom during Spring-time. The plant originally came from Japan.

Answer: Solomon's seal

Solomon's seal (also King Solomon's seal) prefers shady parts of the garden. It is a perennial plant which dies back to its rootstock each Autumn. In Spring it grows very rapidly to a height of around 18-24 inches (45-60cm) and produces charming little white bells on the underside of the stem.

It is a low maintenance and durable plant; the clump in my garden originally came from my grandmother's garden sometime around 1930.

Answer: Hollyhock

The hollyhock is a sun loving plant which originally came from parts of south-east Asia. It is a member of the mallow family. They are usually fast growing and tall and so make excellent plants along walls and fences at the back of the borders.

Answer: Love in a mist

Love in a mist (Nigella damascena) is a lovely pale blue annual flower. It originates from southern parts of Europe. Although it dies off during Winter it will readily seed itself around the garden and produce plants the following Spring.

Answer: Snowdrop

The lovely white nodding heads of the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) are a welcome sign that Winter might be coming to an end. The varieties grown in Britain seldom exceed 6-8inches (15-20cm) in height but other species eg the Crimean snowdrop (Galanthus plicatus) can grow to twice that height.

Answer: Bluebell

The bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is a common woodland plant in Britain. Their bulbs grow readily in gardens and will often spread rapidly.
The harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) is from a different family of plants but is sometimes called bluebell in northern parts of Britain.

Answer: Honeysuckle

The beautiful scented flowers of the honeysuckle are best appreciated o a warm Summer's evening. They are normally grown on vines against walls and fences.
Wild honeysuckle flowers are usually a peachy colour but cultivars are now available in several different colours.

Answer: Forget me not

Forget me nots are usually low growing annuals (perennials are available) with beautiful blue flowers. They will readily seed themselves around the garden and often need to be controlled or they will take over flower beds.

I think I used four flowers from the first verse of the song:

"How many gentle flowers grow
In an English country garden?
I'll tell you now of some I know
And those I'll miss I hope you'll pardon
Daffodils, heart's ease and flox
Meadowsweet and lily stalks
Gentain, lupins and tall hollihocks
Roses, foxgloves, snowdrops, forget-me-nots
In an English country garden."