A Pink Garden Trivia Quiz

Answer: Meadowsweet

Filipendula ulmaria grows in damp areas in fields (meadows) and ditches near river banks. In the wild the flowers are white, but a pink variety, Filipendula rubra, has been developed and is often found in gardens. The flowers, as the name indicates, have a sweet smell, resembling honey, and were used in the Middle Ages to cover rushes on earthen floors.

Meadowsweet is also a useful medicine, with bronchitis, stomach upsets, colds and gout among the ailments it has been used to treat.

Answer: Cherry

The photo shows an ornamental cherry tree (from my own garden), and the blossom is something to look forward to as spring approaches. Officially called Prunus serrulata, the Japanese cherry is how it is commonly known. As it has been developed for its flowers, the tree doesn't create anything resembling an edible cherry. At best if will produce a growth around a seed which will never mature.

With flowers like these, though, the lack of fruit is a small price to pay. In Japan, its native home, cherry blossom festivals are a regular spring event.

Answer: Heart

With the original scientific name of Dicentra, now Lamprocapnos, bleeding hearts are native to North America and parts of Asia. They are now grown in other parts of the world and are a popular perennial. Most varieties have pink flowers although there are also white versions.

The popular name comes from the shape of the flowers with a lesser known name, according to some websites, of Chinaman's breeches.

Answer: Green

The colours of hydrangeas depend upon the soil in which they are grown. Aluminium in the soil makes the flowers blue while an alkaline soil is needed for pink blooms is the simple explanation but there are other factors which keen gardeners are aware of.

Some varieties have been specially bred to give green plants, such as Limelight and Annabelle, but all plants can turn green due to nature. As the season wears on, the flowers become green as there is less sunlight. The loss of energy means the plants do not have enough to maintain the brighter colours and fade to green.

Answer: Sharon

Hibiscus is a member of the mallow family and has hundreds of varieties in different colours, including the pink version shown in the photo. The name 'Rose of Sharon' is even mentioned in the Bible although it probably does not apply to the hibiscus. The pronunciation tends to be different from the name, with the emphasis on the second syllable of Sharon. The name can also apply to different flower species, but hibiscus is the most prevalent.

Hibiscus has pretty, but short-lived, flowers but the redeeming feature is that the flowers bloom over a long period.

Answer: Hollyhock

Hollyhocks are a relatively tall plant and are often used at the back of a border with shorte plants in front of it. They take two years to mature, flowering in the second year and then dying off. They come in various colours including an unusual variety called Black Knight, which has flowers which are as dark as any you are likely to see. Other varieties have been developed with different colours on the same stem, but traditional gardens are more likely to have pink or white flowers.

In herbalism, hollyhocks were used for some ailments people don't care to discuss often, such as bedwetting, and constipation.

Answer: Variegated

Variegated describes any leaves which naturally have different colours. In this case, the leaves are green with a yellow edging. Other varieties of weigela have plain green leaves and colours of a darker pink, and white, red and even yellow flowers can be grown. The name comes from the German botanist Christian Weigel with the shrub being native to Asia.

Growing weigela is easy. The shrub pictured was grown from a pair of leaves from an existing plant which was kept in water until it sprouted roots before being transplanted into a pot and later into the garden border.

Answer: Hyacinth

Hyacinths grow from bulbs and are commonly pink, white or blue in colour. The name is derived from Greek mythology - the original Hyacinth was an extremely handsome young man who became the lover of Apollo. Unfortunately, Apollo, not realising his own strength, accidentally killed Hyacinth when he threw a discus which rebounded, injuring his lover fatally. The flower is believed to have sprung up from the spot at which its mythical namesake breathed his last. Hyacinths are native to the eastern Mediterranean so at least the region is right.

The other options also share their names with mythical beings, although the narcissus and iris are not usually pink. Daphne, as well as being a name for the laurel tree, is also used for shrubs which bear flowers, including pink shades.

Answer: Dianthus

Dianthus has a large number of plants in the family with most of them having pink flowers of various shades. As well as the pinks, the family includes sweet williams and carnations. Carnations do come in other shades, such as red and white, and are often used as buttonholes (boutonnieres) - their symmetrical shape, sometimes set off by some greenery, is ideal for this purpose.

The serrated edges of the pinks has transferred the name to other items, such as pinking shears. These scissors cut with a serration and are used to prevent or reduce fabric fraying. The ranunculus family includes buttercups, rosaceae are the rose family while primulas and primroses fall into the primulaceae.

Answer: The Yorkshire Regiment

The historical flower of Yorkshire is the white rose - the Wars of the Roses were fought between Yorkshire and Lancashire, whose symbol is the red rose, giving the wars their common names - so the Yorkshire Regiment rose is the white rose among the pink ones listed.

The pink roses all bear the names of people. Gertrude Jekyll was an English horticulturalist and her namesake rose has a mid pink colour. Frederic Mistral is the variety in the photo and is named for a French author and Nobel Laureate. Marie Henriette was a countess from what is now the Czech Republic (Chechia) who was a renowned grower of roses - her rose is a deep pink.