What is this? (Pics attached)

[ilovewinterpansies]

Pretty sure this is a common weed as it's spread all over my garden but I saw some tiny flowers on one....any ideas?

I planted some bee bombs a couple of months ago and my garden has gone a bit mad......starting to regret it tbh!!

It's not something I recognise as a UK wildflower. Unless perhaps a Michaelmas daisy

No, I cannot identify this either, although concur with MereDint that it does resemble a Michaelmas daisy or another Aster species - is any of it flowering now and, if so, any chance of a close up of the flowers or flower buds?

There’s an app called PictureThis which identifies plants, it tries to prompt you to pay but you can just close it and use the basic features for free- might help!

I had Michaelmas daisies in my bee bomb

Unfortunately plant id apps are far from infallible and frequently mis identify things. However, I suppose if it comes up with an id one can always cross reference it by doing a google search to compare google images of foliage, shape, form, flowers and seedheads with the plant one is trying to identify. Still not 100% reliable though!

Did your 'beebombs' purport to be wildflowers or simply pollinator friendly species OP?

I thought Aster at first glance too. Looks like they’ll flower so you’ll soon know!

It's looks like the jasmine we have, I can take a pic tomorrow for comparison .

Herb Robert?

Sorry, meant willow herb (nodding off in bed, v tired...)

Willow herb weed - self seeding annual. It gets everywhere in my garden. Pull out as much as you can before the flowers set seed.

I am not convinced that it is a Willowherb or Epilobium species, although, granted, the leaves are very willow like! It is certainly not Rosebay Willowherb ( which is not actually an Epilobium anyway), Broadleaved Willowherb, Great Willowherb or Hoary Willowherb, unless it is a non UK species or a hybrid.

No it's not a willowherb. I'm trying to pin down why, but it's all very vague to do with leaf texture, stiffness, colour of stalk. Together with the little detail that it would be in flower at the moment.

Willow herb weed - self seeding annual. They're perennials, not annuals.

In that case I've been referring to a self seeding weed which looks like that with tiny pink flowers then a fluffy seed head in my garden as willow herb when it isn't.
The thing I've got that looks like that is definitely annual not perennial and springs up everywhere - in tubs, rockery, veg garden, cracks in paving etc.

So sorry for triplicate postings! It said it hadn't posted & did I want to retry!

@Ruralbliss - what you are describing sounds very much like Hoary Willowherb (Epilobium parviflorum) or Hairy Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum), both of which are perennial and, yes, very invasive! Where it pops up in hostile places like cracks in paving or in very arid soils it tends to be stunted, but can, in ideal conditions, reach 6 feet. Neither of these, though, are what is in the OP's pictures and, despite much thought, I still cannot identify it, though it is very familiar and is niggling away at the back of my mind!

Still think it is an Aster of some kind

Hi all thanks so much for your posts.

Googled willow herb and I don't think it's that. Willow herb seems floppier somehow...?

Am away on holiday this week but back on Friday....will take some more close ups and post then.

In a way I'm comforted by everyone being somewhat stumped as I've never seen this before either. And starting to think it's not the bee bombs as it's gone so wild in places I didn't scatter them:

www.beebombs.com/what-is-in-my-beebomb

Googled willow herb and I don't think it's that. Willow herb seems floppier somehow...? Yes, precisely. that's what I was saying up-thread. Also, willowherbs have their leaves in opposite pairs, yours has alternate leaves.

No, there's nothing in your bee bomb which looks like that. (assuming you got the £7.99 beebomb - haven't looked at all of them)

I’m still with Aster although I had some doubts briefly as the leaves also remind me of one of the St Johnswort (hypericum) that I had.

I would agree it's an aster, only because I have some that look exactly like that and last year when they flowered, they were definitely asters!

Hi again - ok here are two photos of the tops which have flowered.

Any ideas?!

Am happier now they've flowered though - look less like weeds

Looks like an aster...? (Just googled)

Although the asters I googled were full of lovely purple daisy like flowers whereas mine are very sparse and mostly green stalks and leaves!