Christmas Crossword

Test your horticultural word skill in our bumper Christmas crossword

SOLUTIONS TO THIS MONTH’S CROSSWORD WILL BE PRINTED NEXT MONTH

ACROSS

8/11 Common name of

Viburnum opulus (8,4)

9 Feathery, like ‘Smoke Bush’ flowers – riles up moles! (7)

11 See 8 across

12 Floral smells – of little value in USA, we hear (6)

13 Beauty spots? They would ruin your lawn! (5)

14 ‘Turk’s Cap’ lily species – among art arrangement (8)

15 Eg fruit tree’s short-branched shoot (4)

17 Latin plant form meaning ‘yellow’… some absolute adjective (5)

18 Houseplant, Hippeastrum genus, popular Christmas gift (9)

21 Splits a perennial for replanting (7)

23 Secure a floppy plant to a support, say (3,2)

24 Francis, Kew’s first official plant hunter… seen in

Christmas song fest (6)

25 See 44 across

26 The spruce genus (5)

28 That of Iris foetidissima is pungent (5)

29 An astrantia with pin-cushion flowers – somewhat aromatic (4)

30 A pink/white penstemon in ‘Bird’ series: ‘Fish Eagle’? (6)

32 Thicket of trees (5) 34 A roseate-coloured eucomis, and a cocktail (4,3)

35 A named rock rose – with seven small companions? (4-5)

37 A bright-orange Mexican sunflower – ‘Firebrand’? (5)

39 Division of a leaf (4)

41 If African, it’s Tagetes erecta (8)

44/25 Haricot vert is its Frenchstyle name (5,4)

45 Its caterpillar-like larva feeds on plants – spotted insect? (6)

47 Device to hold floral arrangements… and amphibian (4)

48 Genus of Jerusalem cross and Sticky catchfly (7)

49 ___ x fraseri, aka Christmas Berry, and ‘Red Robin’ (8)

DOWN

1 Some think capsicum is a type of fungus! (3-3)

2 Named tulip with lavender-edged white flowers – good, new sort (4)

3 Pendent inflorescence eg of love-lies-bleeding’ (6)

4 ‘Jingle Bells’ is a cultivar of this climber with fluffy seedheads (8)

5 Succulent-leaved herb – possibly leaps urn! (8)

6 Bulbous underground stem of eg gladiolus (4)

7 Capital European city’s pale violet-blue agapanthus (4)

9 Class of rose smaller than Floribunda – not a phyla alternative (9)

10 As Foremost potatoes are, seasonally (5)

11 A deep red-purple saxifrage – ‘Fab Four’? (7)

16 Gardeners’ World presenter Sarah’s last dark-purple

Geranium phaeum (5)

19 First fruit consumed in a garden? (5)

20 A dwarf, white French lavender – formed after wintry fall? (7)

21 Applies eg manure – gets in the habit? (7)

22 A deep-red rhododendron – a help to 35 across? (5)

24 Eg ‘Galia’ ___ in the Cucumis genus (5)

27 After Christmas, they’re Schlumbergera plants (5)

28 Fragrant, colourful flowers – as you might describe mangetouts? (5,4)

29 A named lily from China, aka King’s Lily… awfully large! (5)

31 Shouting encouragement… for what cuttings should be doing (7)

33 A yellow hybrid tea rose and famous work by Grieg (4,4)

34 Dad, right, clips these root vegetables (8)

36 A circular cluster eg of leaves or petals (5)

38 Blue-flowering herb – last of comfrey in shops, perhaps (6)

40 ___ perennis, the common daisy (6)

42 A dwarf, winter-hardy kale – and curly, bushy hairstyle (4)

43 Weed of genus Rumex found near nettles? (4)

46 Young bare-root sapling – it might be cracked! (4)