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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Is this a (beast of a) weed?

39 replies

MeOnSea · 24/07/2020 18:47

Hello, I’ve tried a few plant identifiers to no avail. We have a wild bit at the bottom of our garden, a mix of weeds and wildflower seeds. This beauty is narrow and very tall - about 6 feet at the mo - and just wondered if anyone knows what it is?

Is this a (beast of a) weed?
Is this a (beast of a) weed?
OP posts:
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HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 24/07/2020 18:50

Technically most wildflowers are considered weeds when they grow somewhere the gardener doesn't want it. So do you like it or not?

I'm not sure what it is but I have something that looks similar in my wildflower 'meadow' area. Leave it and see if it flowers, it might be easier to identify then.

MeOnSea · 24/07/2020 19:02

I have no problem with weeds (we certainly have more than our fair share) but after a couple of years of battling ground elder since moving on, figured it would be good to know if it’s horribly invasive

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TheSpottedZebra · 24/07/2020 19:11

Poss a willowherb, but not sure which one. The jagged leaves are confusing me!
Mere will know...

yamadori · 24/07/2020 19:17

If that's rosebay willowherb, which I think it is, then woe betide you if you let it flower and set seed. You will have a hundred thousand of them next year.

They look sensational as massed ranks of them all together in flower on a railway embankment or waste ground, but you don't want that in a domestic garden.

merryhouse · 24/07/2020 19:27

Google suggests it may be a sedge - possibly Canada Goldenrod?

BlahBlipBloopBlop · 24/07/2020 19:33

I have some alot in my garden and cant decide of their weeds or not

NomDePrune · 24/07/2020 19:46

Maybe let it flower so bees can enjoy it and you can identify it, and pull it up before it seeds if you want rid of it.

Bluemoooon · 24/07/2020 19:47

Rosebay willowherb have straightsided leaves and don't usually fork so they just have a single stem.
Horseweed ? which I think is found in the uk - my search engine brings up mostly US stuff.

Is this a (beast of a) weed?
LiveintheNow · 24/07/2020 20:27

Could be great willowherb though not sure leaves are right for that.

LiveintheNow · 24/07/2020 20:29

www.seasonalwildflowers.com/great-willowherb.html

Strawberrycreamsundae · 24/07/2020 20:31

Willow herb, seeds itself like nothing else around here 😡😡

MeOnSea · 25/07/2020 00:12

Thanks all, have been googling the suggestions, can’t quite see that one’s the right fit yet, but no flowers as of yet. Looks more like the horsetail picture than the willowherbs, from googling...

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ErrolTheDragon · 25/07/2020 08:41

It looks familiar but I don't think it's any of the plants mentioned yet - those jagged leaves rule out quite a lot. Does it look like it's got any flower buds developing?

Stanislas · 25/07/2020 08:49

Could it be a form of goldenrod? There’s a giant version I think.

babblingbumblingbandofbaboons · 25/07/2020 08:59

Using your second picture (the close up one) the app called “Picture This” comes up with Guernsey Fleabane. I know very little about gardening, which is why I have this app in the first place, but have attached the description and photo from the app - hope this helps :)

Is this a (beast of a) weed?
Is this a (beast of a) weed?
ErrolTheDragon · 25/07/2020 09:02

@Stanislas

Could it be a form of goldenrod? There’s a giant version I think.
That looks to have smooth edged leaves too.
MereDintofPandiculation · 25/07/2020 13:53

@MeOnSea

I have no problem with weeds (we certainly have more than our fair share) but after a couple of years of battling ground elder since moving on, figured it would be good to know if it’s horribly invasive
It would have invaded by now if it were
MereDintofPandiculation · 25/07/2020 15:34

@MeOnSea

I have no problem with weeds (we certainly have more than our fair share) but after a couple of years of battling ground elder since moving on, figured it would be good to know if it’s horribly invasive
It would have invaded by now if it were
catwithflowers · 25/07/2020 15:36

We have this which looks remarkably similar. It's in our cottage bed and neither of us remember planting it. 🙈. It's about 3 feet and about 18 " wide. I'll all for getting rid of it but my husband wants to let it flower before we bin it!!!

Is this a (beast of a) weed?
catwithflowers · 25/07/2020 15:37

MeOnSea. Do you think it's the same as yours?

MeOnSea · 25/07/2020 15:43

Oh It’s hard to tell, leaf shape looks similar but overall shape seems to differ: yours looks fuller at the bottom, whereas mine has been growing straight, very pole-like, until the last few weeks when it’s ‘expanded’ a bit more at the top...

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wohmum · 25/07/2020 16:05

catwithflowers yours looks like an aster - small blue or purple daisy like flowers

catwithflowers · 25/07/2020 16:53

@wohmum can asters get that big? This is going to be enormous, at least 5 feet tall 😳

goingoverground · 25/07/2020 17:03

It would have invaded by now if it were (invasive).

It hasn't flowered yet so it hasn't has chance to invade.

Come back with a photo the millisecond it starts to bloom @MeOnSea and it's easier to identify. Then we can tell you if you need to raze your garden to the ground before it takes over actually that could make it worse if it's a pioneer plant Grin

wohmum · 25/07/2020 22:13

Ah - that does seem a bit big, ours get to about 3ft