Author Topic: Border plants, ID help please :) (Read 3172 times)

hellohelenhere · « **on:** January 15, 2009, 18:00:20 »

This bushy perennial is in my aunt's garden - my cuttings from it were doing well (last time I checked) but she doesn't know what it is and nor do I.

It was past flowering when I took the cutting, but here's the remains of a flower:

Next - I've been digging up my couch grass and found a couple of things along the border that might or might not be desirable flowers - anyone know what they are? The first one, I took at first glance for a dandelion. You can see the dried remains of flower stalks still attached (hoe blade shown for scale):

And lastly - what are these? They look familar... I pulled them out of the soil, they're not growing out of the wall...

Any ideas?
x H

flowerofshona2007 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 15, 2009, 18:19:57 »

Last one is a weed !!

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #2 on:** January 15, 2009, 19:11:52 »

What *kind* of weed? Just so I know... :D

saddad · « **Reply #3 on:** January 15, 2009, 20:08:18 »

Dunno what the weed is called but we have it as well!
The "Dandelion" is probably a marguerite.... :-\

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #4 on:** January 15, 2009, 20:26:38 »

Shame it's a weed, it makes quite a handsome start! :)
I'll pot the margeurite for now then, shame to throw it away. Can stick it back in somewhere when I've finished digging the bed.
Thanks guys...

saddad · « **Reply #5 on:** January 15, 2009, 20:30:54 »

Yes but it seeds all over the place.... >:(

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2009, 20:40:29 »

What colour is it, usually? (Marguerite).

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #7 on:** January 16, 2009, 12:00:16 »

Anybody know what the pink-flowered busy perennial is?

dimmo · « **Reply #8 on:** January 16, 2009, 12:15:25 »

looks like one of the salvia family

dimmo

dimmo · « **Reply #9 on:** January 16, 2009, 12:33:55 »

think it could be Salvia Microphylla ( baby sage)

hopalong · « **Reply #10 on:** January 16, 2009, 12:57:54 »

Yes, it looks like salvia microphylla. Pink-to-red flowers in late summer/early autumn. What do the leaves smell of? Mine smell of blackcurrant.

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #11 on:** January 16, 2009, 13:24:43 »

I did check it for smell, but didn't notice any - perhaps my sinuses were having an off-day, though, it does happen from time to time! Will try again. :)

shirlton · « **Reply #12 on:** January 16, 2009, 14:14:33 »

The weed looks like willow herb. The stuff that grew on bomb sites

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #13 on:** January 16, 2009, 15:34:01 »

Ah, willow herb - wondered if it might be! Ta!

star · « **Reply #14 on:** January 16, 2009, 15:35:08 »

Number 3 is defo Willow Herb, 2 does look like Dandelion from the angle of your pic ;)

(Posted the same time as you Helen ;)

tonybloke · « **Reply #15 on:** January 16, 2009, 15:49:03 »

lesser willow herb, great for bees!!

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #16 on:** January 16, 2009, 19:25:36 »

If I had a big enough garden for a proper wild area, I could allow some willow herb - sadly not the case. I'll keep a small clump of nettles next to my comfrey patch, all of which I'm hoping will cope happily beside the cherry tree. Other than that, going to be little room for the Wild Ones. :(

saddad · « **Reply #17 on:** January 16, 2009, 22:05:46 »

Lesser Willow Herb, that makes sense now, knew it wasn't Rose Bay WH but it has lots of common features... ::)

Garden Manager · « **Reply #18 on:** January 18, 2009, 16:41:40 »

I can confirm that the first mystery plant does look like an ornamental sage (salvia) Not sure which one but it is clearly one of the hardier ones unless you are in a very sheltered spot. One good way to ID a member of the sage family is to roll the stems between your fingers. All members of the sage family have almost square stems rather than rounded ones.

Number two is a but more tricky. Would help if i knew what sort of flower it has. Could be either a shasta/oxeye daisy (mostly large white daisy flowers), it could be an echinops (globe thistle) with blue globe shaped flowers or an eyringium (sea holly) with smaller blue or blue grey thistle like flowers. Both these latter have the tap roots your plant has. Definetly not a margerite or dandelion from what i can see on the photo. Any other suggestions would be welcome!

The third is alas as suggested, willow herb. This is a plant i would remove on sight and not allow to flower and seed. Once established it is difficult to get rid of.

Hope this helps

hellohelenhere · « **Reply #19 on:** January 19, 2009, 01:36:45 »

Thanks everyone for all the info!
The salvia cuttings I had, I spoke too soon; I'm not sure they made it through the cold snap - but I can get more, next time I visit my aunt. I'm amazed how many of my cuttings have survived the past few months. Many of them came with me when I moved house, and they've been sat out in the garden quite ignored. They got extremely soggy, I'm afraid to say - and then of course they all froze solid a few weeks ago. Then back to soggy. Today, I repotted them all into fresh, drier compost and I'm very impressed with their hardiness. Penstemmon, for example - doing great. Clumping geraniums, just keep on going; and sedum root cuttings that were practically standing in water - no bother.
All the buddleia cuttings look like they're doing OK, till upon repotting, it turns out they haven't made roots. I wonder if they will get round to that in the spring? The salvia lost its leaves and I'm not very optimistic, *but* it does have some teeny new leaves on it so it may pull through.
I realise that I could entirely fill my garden from the flower cuttings and seeds that I have - I have to remind myself that it's supposed to be a *kitchen* garden. Will run out of space for veg if I'm not careful!

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Author Topic: Border plants, ID help please :) (Read 3172 times)