A White Garden Trivia Quiz

Answer: Windflower

The name of anemone comes from the Greek language, with anemos being the wind god. Myth says that the first anemone came from the blood of Adonis. The wild, or wood, anemone normally has white flowers, but the cultivated version can be various colours, including pink, lilac and red, as well as white.

Answer: True

Records show that magnolias were found in Europe, Asia and North America. In fact, they are so old that they pre-date bees and are pollinated by beetles in the wild. Very few species have nectar, since they do not need to attract bees. The first magnolias recorded were seen by the Spanish explorers in Mexico. The English name derives from a French botanist named Pierre Magnol.

Answer: Iceberg

Floribunda roses have clusters of several blooms, as can be seen in the specimen in the photograph, while hybrid tea roses normally have only one flower per stem. It was produced by Reimer Kordes, and given the German name of Schneewittchen. Since its development, it has become one of the best known and popular white roses.

Answer: Valley

Lily of the valley is how this flower is known. In the northern hemisphere, it flowers in springtime, from early March onwards, depending on the temperature. It can be grown in shady areas, and the flowers are sweetly scented. The plant itself is poisonous, including the berries produced after flowering, so care should be taken when children are around.

Answer: Africa

The calla lily is a member of the Zantedeschia family, and is native to the southern countries of Africa, from Malawi to South Africa. The calla lily is specifically Zantedeschia aethiopica, with common names also including arum lily, despite the plant belonging to neither the arum family nor the lily family.

The name comes from that of an Italian botanist named Giovanni Zantedeschia and the first specimens were brought to Europe in the seventeenth century.

Answer: Gypsophila

Gypsophila's delicate flowers are the reason for its popular name. The most common species is Gypsophila paniculata, while the name comes from the Greek words for 'lover of gypsum', the preferred habitat of the plant. It is a favourite flower for bouquets, particularly those carried by brides, providing a good contrast to more substantial flowers such as roses.

Answer: Dahlia

Dahlias flower from the summer months and into autumn in the northern hemisphere. They can survive winters, provided the frosts aren't too severe, although some sources recommend that the tubers from which they grow be lifted and stored over the colder months. The dahlia was named for Anders Dahl, in 1791, by the director of the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid.

Fuchsias were named for Leonhart Fuchs, a German botanist while the buddleia was named in honour of an English botanist, Adam Buddle. Michel Begon, the French governor of what is now Haiti, lent his name to the begonia.

Answer: Philadelphus

The common name comes from the similarity of the flowers to those of the orange and the smell. The two families are entirely separate, though, so mock orange is an apt description. There are different varieties, some with the double white blooms shown in the picture, while others have single flowers with yellow centres.

The sizes vary too, so finding one to suit the space you have available should be easy and worth the effort.

Answer: Ox

The ox-eye daisy is the largest daisy native to the United Kingdom, and can be seen growing along grassy verges and in fields as well as being cultivated in gardens. Other names for the flower are the dog daisy or moon daisy. It can be found in many European countries and is also native to cooler areas of Asia.

It has been introduced to other countries, including Australia and the USA, where it is sometimes viewed as a weed.

Answer: Snowdrop

The snowdrop is native to Europe, although it is an introduced species in the United Kingdom. The sight of clumps of snowdrops is a sign that winter is coming to an end and spring on the horizon, although snow frequently falls well after the snowdrops have ceased blooming. Linnaeus named the plant Galanthus nivalis in 1753, with nivalis meaning snowy and Galanthus referring to the white flowers.