Weed, wildflower or both?

[Disfordarkchocolate]

This is growing on the edge of a recently planted wildflower meadow and in some nearby pots. Does anyone know what it is please?

Willowherb. Lovely and great for pollinators but it does spread a lot if unchecked.

Some of the willowherbs are pretty (If a greater willowherb appears I'd leave it awhile and pull before it seeds) but that type with a few small flowers would always come into the weed category for me, there's nowhere I'd want it.

Thank you so much. We aim for a relaxed garden with not worrying much about weeds but it looks like this could easily take over my nice variety of flowers in the meadow. Time for a bit of weeding I think.

If you have a proper meadow, ie with grass, it will have a hard time spreading into it by seed. It's a nuisance in gardens because it seeds into bare soil between plants in a flower bed. Once settled, it is a perennial, and grows into a clump. I would concentrate on keeping it out of your pots and flower beds, but don't worry too much about your meadow.

Thank you. It's a very new meadow, very small and still some gaps. The one on the meadow are on the edge and grew a little bit before the everything else. I must admit it's very exciting, everything is new.

I don't think its willowherb - could it be Polygonum persicaria - Redleg?

It's not polygonum, the leaves aren't right for that, I'd go with willowherb.

Probably this one 'The specific Latin name of "parviflorum" means "small flowers".'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilobium_parviflorum

You lot are fab. That one doesn't sound so bad.

Its willowherb definitely.

I agree it's willowherb. It's not rosebay willowherb, but there are other kinds and that definitely is one, as first poster recognised.

I don't think its willowherb - could it be Polygonum persicaria - Redleg? Why don't you think it's a willowherb? It's got the typical willowherb flower at the end of it, with the long embryonic seed pod.

Very liekly to be Epilobium ciliatum which is common in gardens. There's quite a few of mid-range Epilobiums and to distinguish you need to look at things like leaf bases and whether the stigma is 4-lobed or club shaped.

Yes... that looks closer than my pick.

One of the 'weedy' willowherbs, anyway.

Or E. montanum. Forgot about that one, till someone mentioned it elsewhere.

I did once id all the willowherbs in my garden. Forgotten which was which now.