Scientific name: Syringa vulgaris

Common name: common lilac

Family name: Oleaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 4

Mature height and spread: 5-7m tall, 4-5m wide

Form: irregular, upright

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: alkaline

Leaf arrangement: simple. Opposite.

Fall colour: yellow

Flower/cone/fruit description: brown capsule. Showy panicle flowers (violet); smells great.

Limitations: suckering

Suitable uses: hedge row, screening. Hardy. Grow for flowers

Quick ID: Dec. Shrub. Simple. South America. Opposite. Smooth margins; no lobes. Ovate. Brown capsule. Terminal buds in pairs. Heart shaped. Large buds (unique; laterally compressed).

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/171?image=h

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/171?image=h

Scientific name: Stranvaesia davidiana

Common name: common stranvaesia

Family name: Rosaceae

Useful cultivars and selections: Prostrata (shorter)

USDA hardiness zone: 7

Mature height and spread: 7-9m tall, 8-10m wide

Form: multi-stemmed, rounded

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: well-drained. Humus rich.

Leaf arrangement: simple, alternate

Fall colour: none.

Flower/cone/fruit description: small white clustered flowers. Pome fruits; red.

Limitations: leaf spot. Sections sometimes die off in summer.

Suitable uses: ornamental, hedge. Multiple seasons of interest.

Quick ID: evergreen, shrub. Toothless margins. New leaves pinkish/bronze. Simple. Alternate. Red pome fruit in clusters. Hard brown stem. Pink petioles.

Scientific name: Rhododendron kiusianum hybrids

Common name: Japonese evergreen azalea

Family name: Ericaceae

Useful cultivars and selections: hino white, hino crimson

USDA hardiness zone: 7

Mature height and spread: 2-3m wide, 0.5m tall

Form: spreading, dense branching

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: acidic

Leaf arrangement: alternate. Simple.

Fall colour: none

Flower/cone/fruit description: insignificant fruit. Funnel shaped flowers (pinkish) and showy.

Limitations: none

Suitable uses: nice, low rhododendron. Loads of great funnel, shaped flowers.

Quick ID: evergreen. Shrub. Simple. Alternate. Smaller leaves than typical. Leaves and shoots covered in brown hairs (stems and leaves). Leaves grouped at tips

Scientific name: Rhododendron ‘Vulcan’

Common name: red rhododendron

Family name: Ericaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 6

Mature height and spread: 0.7-1.3m tall, 2-3m wide

Form: vase, dense

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: acidic

Leaf arrangement: simple, alternate

Fall colour: none

Flower/cone/fruit description: showy, red, tubular flowers. Insignificant fruit.

Limitations: nothing specific. But kind of dirty looking flower parts after bloom

Suitable uses: late flowering

Quick ID: evergreen. Shrub. Simple. Alternate. Leathery. Entire margins. Smaller leaves than unique. Longer, more lanceolate leaves and back of leaves similar to unique but more brown. Lots of flower buds at tips. Not fuzzy.

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/1016?image=h

Scientific name: Rhododendron ‘Unique’

Common name: unique rhododendron

Family name: Ericaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 6

Mature height and spread: 0.7-1.3m tall and 1-1.5m wide

Form: round, dense

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: well-drained, acidic

Leaf arrangement: simple, alternate

Fall colour: none.

Flower/cone/fruit description: showy, white, raceme flowers. Pink/apricot buds. Insignificant fruit.

Limitations: slow growing and back of leaf looks messy. Powdery mildew susceptible.

Suitable uses: shrub border. Mass plantings.

Quick ID: evergreen. Shrub. Simple. Alternate. Oblong. Entire margins. Rhododendron leaves but back of leaves look like someone spilt coffee on it (messy and dirty). Not fuzzy. Very pointy buds and rounder leaves.

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/296?image=h

Scientific name: Quercus robur

Common name: English oak

Family name: Fagaceae

Useful cultivars and selections: sky rocket (narrow)

USDA hardiness zone: 5

Mature height and spread: over 30m tall, 15-25m wide

Form: round, irregular

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: well-drained

Leaf arrangement: simple. Alternate.

Fall colour: brown, not great

Flower/cone/fruit description: insignificant flower; catkin. Brown nut.

Limitations: large tree and looks un-kept and awkward when young. Anthraxnose and powderly mildew.

Suitable uses: screening. Adapatable. Good park tree.

Quick ID: dec. tree. Simple. Alternate. Lobed. Leaf blade very narrow at petiole. Clustered buds on tips. Brown nut (capsule 50% of nut size). Europe. Shallow/rounded lobed (like Frainetto). Short petioles.

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/142?image=h

Scientific name: Pyrus calleryana

Common name: callery pear

Family name: Rosaceae

Useful cultivars and selections: Bradford (lots of branches fall off)

USDA hardiness zone: 5

Mature height and spread: 10-15m wide and tall

Form: pyramidal and upright

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: well-drained

Leaf arrangement: simple. Alternate.

Fall colour: purple/red

Flower/cone/fruit description: showy, white flowers (singular), green/brown pome. Edible.

Limitations: bad smelling flowers. Prone to branches falling off.

Suitable uses: edible fruit. Great fall colour. Stree tree. Great spring flowers.

Quick ID: Dec. tree. Simple. Alternate. East Asia. Upright leaves clustered at ends of branches. Heart shaped leaves and finely serrated.

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/1063?image=h

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/1063?image=h

Scientific name: Prunus lusitanica

Common name: Portugal laurel

Family name: Rosaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 7

Mature height and spread: 10-15m wide and tall

Form: oval, upright

Water use: low

Soil requirements: well-drained, acidic

Leaf arrangement: simple. Alternate.

Fall colour: none

Flower/cone/fruit description: blue/black drupe. Raceme white flowers; fragrant and showy.

Limitations: Can get quite large and tree like. A little invasive in some parts.

Suitable uses: hedge. Tough. Adaptable.

Quick ID: evergreen shrub/tree. Europe. Simple. Alternate. Blue/black drupe. 8cm leaves. Red petioles and stems. serrate.  Wavy leaves (undulate) and lanceolate. New leaves accompanied by stipules.

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/285?image=h

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/285?image=h

Scientific name: Photinia x fraseri

Common name: red tip

Family name: Rosaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 7

Mature height and spread: 3-5m tall, 4-5m wide

Form: oval, upright

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: acidic, well-drained

Leaf arrangement: simple, alternate

Fall colour: none

Flower/cone/fruit description: flowers; panicle and showy and white. Pome; insignificant.

Limitations: bit old fashioned looking. When pruned as hedge; get half cut leaves and looks bad (same issue with all large leaf hedges).

Suitable uses: mixed shrub border. Screening. Hedge. Often looks very healthy.

Quick ID: evergreen. Shrub. Simple. Alternate. Bronze/red leaves when young. Serrate. Very showy leaves (red tip in spring). Long, linear leaves. Spiky looking buds (can be red).

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/275?image=h

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/275?image=h

Scientific name: Osmanthus delavayi

Common name: tea olive

Family name: Oleaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 7

Mature height and spread: 2-3m wide and tall

Form: round and arching

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: alkaline

Leaf arrangement: simple. Opposite.

Fall colour: none.

Flower/cone/fruit description: tubular clustered showy white flowers. Black/blue drupe.

Limitations: dark appearance in landscape

Suitable uses: hedge. Barrier. Great in spring.

Quick ID: evergreen shrub. China. Simple. Opposite. Leather texture. Ovate. Serrate. Black/blue drupe. More obviously serrated than other osmanthus. Large leaves. Decussate at tips of stems. Tan brown stems. Variegated on some leaves.

https://plantdatabase.kwantlen.ca/plant/plantImages/985?image=h