There is nothing half so much worth doing as messing about with bulbs. Indoors or outdoors it doesn't matter.
Wildflower and Plant Rosettes
Lots of plants start as rosettes so I wanted to show all the examples I've seen. Some are more rosette-like than others. I will be adding to this page as I see them or find my photos (challenging as I've taken so many).
Unknowns at the bottom
| Autumn Hawkbit | Scorzoneroides autumnalis |
| Beaked Hawk's-Beard | Crepis vesicaria |
| Black Medick | Medicago lupulina |
| Bristly Oxtongue | Helminthotheca echioides |
| Buck's Horn Plantain | Plantago coronopus |
| Cat's Ear | Hypochaeris radicata |
| Celery-Leaved Crowfoot | Ranunculus sceleratus |
| Charlock | Sinapsis arvensis |
| Comfrey | Symphytum |
| Common Daisy | Bellis perennis |
| Common Knotgrass | Polygonum aviculare |
| Common Whitlowgrass | Draba verna |
| Common Stork's-bill | Erodium cicutarium |
| Creeping Buttercup | Ranunculus repens |
| Creeping Yellowcress | Rorippa sylvestris |
| Jersey Cudweed | Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale |
| Dock | Rumex |
| Eastern Rocket | Sisymbrium orientale |
| Evening Primrose | Oenothera biennis |
| Forget-me-not | Mysotis |
| Fox-and-cubs | Pilosella aurantiaca |
| Foxglove | Digitalis |
| Garlic Mustard | Alliaria petiolata |
| Dove's-foot Crane's-bill/ Dovesfoot Geranium | Geranium molle |
| Globe Thistle | Echinops |
| Great Mullein | Verbascum thapsis |
| Greater Celandine | Chelidonium majus |
| Groundsel | Senecio vulgaris |
| Hawkweed | Hieracium |
| Hawkweed Ox-Tongue | Picris hieracioides |
| Hairy Bittercress | Cardamine hirsuta |
| Hedge Mustard | Sisymbrium officinale |
| Herb Robert | Geranium robertianum |
| Honesty | Lunaria annua |
| Hoary Mustard | Hirschfeldia incana |
| Horseweed | Erigeron canadensis |
| Greater Knapweed | Centaurea scabiosa |
| Knautia Macedonica | |
| Knotted Hedge Parsley | Torilis nodosa |
| Lesser Burdock | Arctium minus |
| London Rocket | Sisymbrium irio |
| Mallow | Malva sylvestris |
| Marsh Yellow Cress | Rorippa palustris |
| Moth Mullein | Verbascum blattaria |
| Nipplewort | Lapsana communis |
| Ox-eye Daisy | Leucanthemum vulgare |
| Greater / Broadleaf Plantain | Plantago major |
| Poppy | |
| Corn / Red / Field Poppy | Papaver rhoeas |
| Long-Headed poppy | Papaver dubium |
| Prickly Sow Thistle | Sonchus asper |
| Ragwort | Senecio Jacobaea |
| Ribwort Plantain | Plantago lanceolata |
| Rue-Leaved Saxigrage | Saxifraga tridactylites |
| Salad Burnet | Sanguisorba minor |
| Small Scabious | Scabiosa columbaria |
| Scented-Leaf Pelargonium (aka Geranium) | |
| Sea Radish | Raphanus raphanistrum |
| Selfheal | Prunella vulgaris |
| Sheep's-bit | Jasione montana |
| Shepherd's Purse | Capsella bursa-pastoris |
| Smooth Sow Thistle | Sonchus oleraceus |
| Smooth Hawk's-beard | Crepis capillaris |
| Short-fruited Willowherb | Epilobium obscurum |
| Spotted Medick | Medicago arabica |
| Stone Parsley | Sison amomum |
| Sweet Rocket | Hesperis matronalis |
| Swine Cress | Lepidium coronopus |
| Teasel | Dipsacus fullonum |
| Thale Cress | Arabidopsis thaliana |
| Thistles | Cirsium vulgare, Cirsium arvense |
| Great Mullein | Verbascum thapsis |
| Viper's Bugloss | Echium vulgare |
| Water Figwort | Scrophularia auriculata |
| Wall Lettuce | Lactuca muralis |
| Winter Purslane | Claytonia perfoliata |
| Wood Avens | Geum urbanum |
| Yarrow | Achillea millefolium |
| unknown rosettes |
Autumn Hawkbit (Scorzoneroides autumnalis)
Beaked Hawk's-Beard (Crepis vesicaria)
see more at Beaked Hawk's-Beard Rosettes as I have so many photos.
Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)
Bristly Ox-tongue (Helminthotheca echioides)
I have other photos of Bristly Ox-tongue rosettes but this one was amazing.
Buck's Horn Plantain (Plantago coronopus)
this area near me at the edge of a business park had the most prolific buck's-horn plantain rosettes (above and below) of anywhere I've seen, sadly they didn't bloom as they were savagely mown down regularly although a few that had spread to the pavement did bloom (see my wildflower page) but sadly the area is now a building site
Cat's Ear and ragwort end of February 2019
cat's-ear
Celery-leaved Crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus)
left to right, honesty, comfrey, milk thistle
Common Daisy / Lawn Daisy (Bellis perennis)
this was at the bottom of this page as an unknown but seeing the one above in flower I'm pretty sure it's a daisy as well
Common Knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare)
not sure how rosette-like this is but vaguely it is a rosette
Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium)
March 2019 quite a small example
late summer stork's-bill rosette
mid-February
mid-February
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
this dock rosette is huge
distinctive strong vein down the centre of the leaves
end of March
a younger example, end of February
a close-up of a foxglove showing the texture of the leaves
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
not sure how "rosette" it is but in February 2018 one of the few plants growing so it caught my eye
a more developed geranium molle end of January 2019
Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsis)
I never thought of greater celandine as starting with a rosette but this January example looks rosette-like to me.
a less-developed example 2020
Hawkweed Ox-Tongue (Picris hieracioides)
January 2019 I saw this at Rainham Marshes
I think this is hawkweed ox-tongue
March 2021
February 2019 I'm seeing a lot of hedge mustard rosettes but no plants in flower yet, too early for that.
the same rosette a month later
another knautia rosette
I think this is knautia macedonica but I think other knautia initial rosettes are probably similar (eg knautia arvensis / field scabious)
Knotted Hedge Parsley (Torilis nodosa)
Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus)
London Rocket (Sisymbrium irio)
Tower Hill, March 2023
Whitechapel, east London, May 2023
as are so many plants, quite variable, the first two photos are a plant I saw recently (29-4-2022) which I at first puzzled over but think it is nipplewort although different from the other examples here
Atlas Poppy (Papaver atlanticum)
I'm not sure if this is one rosette or more than one.
Corn / field / red poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
bit different, assuming prickly sow thistle, not thistle
I saw this prickly sow thistle (I think) at Rainham Marshes January 2019
prickly sow thistle is quite variable, I saw this very different one a couple days ago (some flower bits dropped on it in the centre, ignore those)
early small ragwort rosette March 2017 on the patio next door
quite a small ragwort rosette March 2019 London NW1
large ragwort rosette at Rainham Marshes January 2019
a very small ragwort rosette I saw locally self-seeded in a pavement crack 9-2022
Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
early March
late March
Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
April 2021
middle of February 2019
I think this is the same rosette, first of April 2019
a bud in the centre
Scented Leaf Pelargonium (aka Geranium)
sheep's-bit rosette first year, before flowering
sheep's-bit rosette second year after over-wintering
shepherd's-purse initial basal rosettes are extremely variable
shepherds-purse on the left, swinecress on the right
I saw these 14-2-2019 along the Regent's Canal. Two main rosettes are shepherd's purse but on close examination I see a hedge mustard in between them to the left.
shepherd's purse on the left, hedge mustard on the right
shepherd's purse with a small hedge mustard to the left below and another growing amongst below
photo below: two lower rosettes shepherd's purse, rosette above left hedge mustard
shepherd's purse next two photos
the rosette still extant when in flower for this example, variable whether the rosette persists
Seen in isolation the two plants below might both be identified as smooth sow thistle but right next to each other, it's clear they are different. I think the one on the left is shepherd's purse and on the right smooth sow thistle but I will keep and eye on them and take some better photos and confirm as they develop. Just down the road from me so should be feasible.
Smooth Hawk's-Beard (Crepis capillaris)
a smooth hawk's-beard in bud with the rosette still present
Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica)
Swine Cress (Lepidium coronopus) / Lesser Swine Cress (Lepidium didymum)
without examining the fruits, I can't tell these apart
I saw this 4-1-2019
another rosette in the same area at the above, tiny buds in the centre
I saw the 3 swine cress rosettes above in the same place (Euston Road at Warren St) and that was the only place I'd seen swine cress until the other day when I saw these at a nearby park. This first one is a bit sparse and I thought it might be a buck's-horn plantain but looking more carefully I think it is swine cress but a very young less developed one.
this one is slightly more developed and more recognisable as swine cress, seen close to the one above
the first year, teasel starts as a low rosette
second year, the rosette is enormous
thale cress on the right, hairy bittercress on the left
I think this is a spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare).
this thistle has more pronounced spears than the one above which makes me wonder, is that spear
this is even hairier, natural variation? January 2019 Rainham Marshes
close-up of the thistle rosette above
a comparison of thistle leaves (2 kinds anyway), spear on the left, creeping on the right
moth mullein (Verbascum blattaria ) tall with white flowers
this verbascum rosette does look a bit like teasel but it's smooth and doesn't have the blisters, on March 20th (first day of Spring 2018) it has ice, we've had a bitter cold few days
verbascum seedlings
Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsis)
Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)
Water Figwort (Scrophularia auriculata)
Winter Purslane (Claytonia perfoliata)
February 2019
The weeds above and below are in a church garden up the road, which unfortunately is locked sometimes so it may be difficult to follow up on these but I do hope to see them develop and flower this spring/summer and become identifible (also visible hairy bittercress, chickweed, petty spurge, oxalis and something I'm not sure of). Umbellifers - definitely something I need to come back to and I've seen recent examples which are more accessible
not sure how identifiable this is yet
close-up of this weed rosette -update- saw this round the corner, end of summer 2018 but it's gone now 2019
another view of that weed rosette showing to scale how small it is
not sure I'll be able to see this to maturity and therefore identification - but in case thought I'd take a pic - update - this has disappeared, did someone remove it on purpose?
In the back garden next door, I think this must be a knautia macedonia or a scabious, both of which I've grown from seed and purchased small plants. I maixqw entain some pots on the patio next door, inc knautia and scabious plants and sure seeds are spread from my garden there as well. Hopefully he won't mow the "lawn" before I see what happens with it. Very soft, definitely not a thistle. -update- it's gone now - no idea why as that area hasn't been mown but sure it was a knautia.
this could be prickly sow thistle, if it was in my garden I'd leave it and see how it develops but as I saw it on the pavement, no guarantees it will be left to grow
I saw these on Dec 31st 2018. I went back yesterday (7-2-2019) and they look exactly the same. I guess the cold weather has prevented any further growth. Will revisit in coming weeks to see how it develops.
one of those difficult to identify umbellifers? - update - knotted hedge parsley (Torilis nodosa)
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January 2019 Rainham Marshes
January 2019 Rainham Marshes
I saw this on St Pancras Way on the patch of ground where the buck's-horn plantain rosettes were, February 2019. Poppy?
end of March, I thought I'd seen something like this before but I don't seem to have a photo here
end of March, at first glance I thought this was a thistle but it actually felt quite soft, I'll have to keep an eye on it to confirm one way or the other
poppy
cat's-ear and ragwort?
cat's-ear
Garden Withindoors
