This time of year, it's not unusual for me to look at something in the garden (especially having moved house not too long ago) and think "I wonder what that is?'.
I was trying to find an online source for plant ID but most of the offerings I've found so far by googling are close to useless.
Does anyone know of a useful site for this?
Try
Alternatively, ask on uk.rec.gardening (URG) giving as good a description as you can (flowers, leaves, height etc). You can't post a photo there directly, but if you upload a photo to one of the many image-sharing sites and then post a link on URG, it will help a lot in identification. They're usually pretty good (although Mr Pounder Esq. may disagree!); I had a grass identified there recently, from what was a very sketchy description.
Thanks Chris. I really should sort out an image sharing account for a number of reasons. That site you linked looks exactly like what I was after and it may prove very useful. Unfortunately it didn't identify the first thing that I tested it with, which is a bush about 3 - 4ft tall that has produced berries for the first time since we moved in. The berries, which are clusters like blackberries or raspberries, though about half the size, are pale at the moment but clearly immature at present. It has some vicious thorns on it and, unlike black- or rasp-berries, has leaves that are lobed or dissected, a little like a smaller maple leaf (though a bit more 'pointy'). I suspect the berries will be edible as there are quite a few other fruit bushes but would like to check what they are before they mature. I'm sure anyone who knows would say 'that's a blah-berry' then mutter 'moron'!
Now then Mr Hogg! I posted there and was ignored as my face did not fit. I was very polite. URG is a little club that does not like new faces, thus it is doomed. You helped me out and my lawn has benefited enormously from your advice. People compliment me on my garden thanks to you, Sir. My bulbs were a disaster and Mrs Pounder came back with some bedding plants which now look great. She got fed up of hearing my bullshit. I sneer at the pikey's garden next door everyday. Some people have no idea of how to garden....... ahem ...
Yep sounds like a Blah berry to me
You really don't need an account. I use tinypic which is free and open to anyone
it has me foxed, although I'm not a soft-fruit expert. I'll copy your description to URG and see what they say. My guess would be one of the many gooseberry-blackberry-raspberry hybrids, as gooseberries have leaves and thorns that would fit your description.
Glad to hear about the lawn, but sorry about the bulbs. They may do better next year if you've still got them in the ground.
I've binned them after this year's shameful humiliation. Next year it will be bedding plants again. Easy option.
I've not tried it with plants but had a good result with butterflies
Take an uncluttered photo of the plant ie all plant and no background and upload to google picture search and see what it says.
Try this site. American, but VERY busy and VERY helpful (especially to newcomers....ahem)
As Chris says
is very handy for illustrating your questions
post a pic, ask.
NT
I can help here. Plants are the green things pointing up. Soil is the brown stuff they are in.
Google picture search only finds exact matches to your uploaded picture. Their "similar images" are hopeless. However you could describe your plant in words and scan the Google images until you find one that looks like yours.
The consensus of opinion on URG is that it's a rubus of some sort i.e. blackberry/raspberry/dewberry family
A picture of the leaves, fruit and plant of yours might help identify it further.
Many thanks Chris. I'll try to sort out an image-hosting site asap, but your reference to the rubus page will give me plenty to look through(!). The closest I can see at a quick browse is R. laciniatus (because it has a pic on the main page). Shall have to compare the leaves more closely when I get home tonight, but I don't think they're quite the same.
Well that succinctly clarifies this one then!
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