These have appeared and are growing fast. OH wants to leave them in case they're something interesting!
Did you have any fennel growing it last year? Might be a re-seed. Guessing a bit here.
Mmmm those leaves don't look like fennel to me. but the stem system is interesting, it does seem to be more of a crop than a weed? Any ideas, anyone? It's quite pretty if that's a comfort!!!
BTW like the definition that a weed is something growing where it shouldn't. One of the plotholders where I am decided I didn't know how to garden and came over with a shovel and dug up a whole patch to show me how. And in the process he dug over these quite beautiful purple flowers - OK they were definitely a weed, but not a very invasive one and I thought they looked quite nice. But I didn't have the guts to say to him don't dig over those weeds. Didn't have the guts to say Don't dig my dirt period, I guess :( But I think I looked distinctly cheesed off so he hasn't tried it again. My allotment patch is full of old fuddy duddies that think you can do it one way (i.e theirs) and no other - they frown on organic stuff which is obviously too new-fangled. So if I start leaving in my weeds, Lord knows what they will think!!!
Looks like celery to me??
What had you in that spot last year?? parsnips by any chance?
rub a bit of leaf and have a sniff. Maybe it smells of something. Does look Parsley Family-like
Quote from: antipodes on April 11, 2007, 16:48:27
BTW like the definition that a weed is something growing where it shouldn't.
My allotment patch is full of old fuddy duddies that think you can do it one way (i.e theirs) and no other - they frown on organic stuff which is obviously too new-fangled. So if I start leaving in my weeds, Lord knows what they will think!!!
Tee hee. Every site has it's hard boiled my way or the high way-ers! They know what they're on about though. Just not keen on anything new.
One of the first things someone said to me was "If you're thinking you can get away without spraying you're mad. You'll never grow anything down here if you go for all that organic stuff" Well, i'd not said a word about spraying or organic, i'd just about said hi. He is my bud now though he's seen how hard we work!
The definition of a weed in my garden is a plant somewhere I don't want it, at the lottie it's a whole different set of rules! None are spared.
Thanks all.
Quote from: Tee Gee on April 11, 2007, 16:55:15
Looks like celery to me??
What had you in that spot last year?? parsnips by any chance?
Last year was our first year. The whole area was neglected so we double dug and cleared before putting in the frames. That corner had Lovage in it but it doesn't look like the lovage coming up in the pot at home - the stuff I've grown from seed. As suggested I'll break off a bit and give it a sniff!
you could try tasting it
if it tastes of lovage, then it's lovage
if it tastes of celery, then it's celery
if it tastes of angelica, then it's angelica
and if you feel excruciating pains in the extremities, which spread through the whole body, followed by paralysis and death, then it's hemlock ;D
Quote from: Rhubarb Thrasher on April 11, 2007, 17:49:30
you could try tasting it
if it tastes of lovage, then it's lovage
if it tastes of celery, then it's celery
if it tastes of angelica, then it's angelica
and if you feel excruciating pains in the extremities, which spread through the whole body, followed by paralysis and death, then it's hemlock ;D
;D ;D ;D
I vote lovage, it looks just like my clump in the garden.
Quote from: Rhubarb Thrasher on April 11, 2007, 17:49:30
you could try tasting it
if it tastes of lovage, then it's lovage
if it tastes of celery, then it's celery
if it tastes of angelica, then it's angelica
and if you feel excruciating pains in the extremities, which spread through the whole body, followed by paralysis and death, then it's hemlock ;D
RT .... you are the very last person I will consult before chewing on some unknown plant ...
you brought tears to my eyes thanks
Mikey
Could be parsnips? It's surely an umbellifer.
Quote from: Rhubarb Thrasher on April 11, 2007, 17:49:30
you could try tasting it
if it tastes of lovage, then it's lovage
if it tastes of celery, then it's celery
if it tastes of angelica, then it's angelica
and if you feel excruciating pains in the extremities, which spread through the whole body, followed by paralysis and death, then it's hemlock ;D
I may have a philosophy degree but Socrates I ain't ;D
PS for you doubters out there here is a sample of the graffiti in the Philosophy dept loos...
To be is to do .. Immanuel Kant
To do be to be .... Jean Paul Sartre
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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do be do be doo .. Frank Sinatra
I'll get me coat
I'm Pink therefore I'm Spam...
I'm with DebP on this as it looks exactly like my Lovage clump as well..
;D
That's certainly lovage. does anyone know how to eradicate leaf miner as my lovage gets it every year
Thanks so much! I've got a clump or two and thought they were rhubarb when they first started coming up. I'd forced them for a few weeks before I realised the leaves weren't at all rhubarb-like. :D
Steve.
Quote from: isbister on April 12, 2007, 09:00:31
That's certainly lovage. does anyone know how to eradicate leaf miner as my lovage gets it every year
Mine gets leaf miner too, I just pretend it's an interesting variegated variety..... ;D
Doesn't bother me too much, so haven't tried to get rid of it!
since it seems to be lovage, can I ask a question? What do you use lovage for? We used to chuck a handful of leaves in the bath instead of Radox or whatever, but that was about it. Do you grow it just because it looks good, like most of the umbelliferous herbs? or attract insects??
Yup -definitely lovage. We use it when we make sausages for something unusual on the summer barbie, otherwise lots of young leaf bits in salads or pimms if the borage is looking bald. Look forward to hearing what else we can do with it.
I use it mainly for flavouring soups, stocks and gravy/sauces as an alternative to celery. Hadn't thought of salads or Pimms - will give it a try :)
Quote from: Mouseski on April 12, 2007, 10:31:00
Yup -definitely lovage. We use it when we make sausages for something unusual on the summer barbie, otherwise lots of young leaf bits in salads or pimms if the borage is looking bald. Look forward to hearing what else we can do with it.
I bake most of our 'daily bread', nothing clever ... just good and wholesome and I know exactly what is in it.
I use White / Brown and sometimes 'special' flour (e.g. Spelt flour to make Roman Centurion Bread).
I often add 'stuff' to the fresh dough, before first rising, freshly chopped Sage, Rosemary, Chives, Garlic etc. I have used Lovage, I like the slight Celery taste.
I only add one particular Herb to each baking, not them all ;D
Mikey
Lovage works particulaly well in soups, I eat it with cheese and biscuits and also bung it in salads.You don't need a lot of it, mine is quite strongly flavoured.
Had a sniff then a nibble - no question but it's Lovage. Well done the spotters.
It''s the redness of the stems that fooled me. The stems are green when grown from seed.
In fact now it's opened up a bit it's becoming fairly obvious.
OH will be disappointed, she was hoping for something exotic.
The hoverflies that love the big flat flower heads will love you for keeping it though! ;D
Lovage, see the image in Kerry's garden in Kentucky
www.kerrysgarden.us/img/2006/lovage-spring.jpg
Looking healthier than my lovage :) Growing it for the first time this year as OH wants more herbs for cooking, and at home rather than on the lottie.
Leaf miner? - a whole new pest to look out for then ::)