How did these get all over my garden

[bishbashbosh99]

Pic attached... am very interested to know how come I didn't have these last year and now they're EVERYWHERE. I assumed they were weeds but now I've done a search and turns out they are these quite pretty actually but don't understand where they've come from. They're even in the grass and between pavings

Bird poo

It's a native plant. Think back to last year when the Council weren't cutting verges and everywoman and her dog were creating wildflower meadows ...

My garden is covered in Lunaria (Honesty) this year. I have never had this plant in my garden ever and yet there must be hundreds of plants popping up like weeds all over. I have no clue why.

@Clymene

Bird poo

Jesus. Is that true?!

Bird poo
Jesus. Is that true?!

No, she's just messing with your mind. We all know that really it is the fairies sprinkling magic dust.

@senua

It's a native plant. Think back to last year when the Council weren't cutting verges and everywoman and her dog were creating wildflower meadows ...

The OP is showing a picture of Anchusa capensis, which isn’t a native plant.

@bishbashbosh99 are you 100% sure of your identification? Anchusa capensis grows to a metre or more and flowers later in the year. It’s more likely to be the very similar green alkanet, Pentaglottis sempervirens, which is in flower now.

But even that is a big plant, 30cm or more high, and I’d be surprised to see it in cracks in paving.

Would you like to post a picture of your actual plant so we can see what you’re dealing with?

If it's the plant pic at the bottom of the screenshot, it's green alkanet, which is bloody horrible; has roots thicker than your arm and takes over an area disturbingly fast. The leaves are prickly, too and can give you a nasty rash. The only saving grace is the pretty blue flowers, which the bees love. Can you tell I have it in my garden? There's an twat idiot on eBay who sells it as a 'rare plant' for a ridiculous amount of money, but I've never found a way of reporting it to eBay, as it's not covered in their restrictions.

Are you sure it's not this:

www.gardenia.net/plant/geranium-pyrenaicum-bill-wallis

www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/view_seed_item/650

Geranium pyrenaicum is a hardy geranium with low spreading foliage and small bright blue flowers. It is incredibly invasive. I have managed to remove all of it from my garden, but it has self-seeded to the grassy bits of a gravel drive and I continue to dig it out as I find it before it flowers. It will spread into lawns, as well as grow in crevices between walls and paving or paths.

Better photo here:

www.sarahraven.com/flowers/plants/perennials-spring-summer-planting/geranium-bill-wallis.htm

It’s more likely to be the very similar green alkanet, Pentaglottis sempervirens, which is in flower now.

But even that is a big plant, 30cm or more high, and I’d be surprised to see it in cracks in paving.

I'd take a bet it could grow from seed in a crack but then might be stunted to some extent.

They might be violets - the seeds are sent out explosively by the plants so get everywhere.

I have a problem with that hardy geranium too. Appears every year in buts of gravel etc. Not in flower beds though! Pretty easy to pull up.

And Forget me nots are in flower now, they spread like buggery and seed everywhere. Might be that?

@senua

Bird poo Jesus. Is that true?!

No, she's just messing with your mind. We all know that really it is the fairies sprinkling magic dust.

@mewkins

I have a problem with that hardy geranium too. Appears every year in buts of gravel etc. Not in flower beds though! Pretty easy to pull up.

Yes, it pulls out easily when the plants are small. But we've have a few we'd missed grow to about 10" high with larger leaves and these had developed long taproots which were harder to dig out. It's a pity it is so invasive, as it's an otherwise attractive plant.

OP: if your plants aren't currently in flower, can you compare the leaves on your plants with these:

www.picfair.com/pics/06455535-hedgerow-cranesbill-geranium-pyrenaicum-bill-wallis

Also the petals of my Geranium pyrenaicum have a thin white ring around the centre of the flower which can be clearly seen in the image above, though some varieties are all blue. The seeds are very fine and would be blown about by the wind, so you may find your neighbours also have them or you might find them growing in nearby grass verges.

We really need a photo of the actual plant, ideally with leaves.

@ShrinkingViolet9

We really need a photo of the actual plant, ideally with leaves.

We do. My best bet that it will be the garden form of wood forget-me-not, bug (for a forget-me-not) blue flowers, same family as Anchusa capensis and green alkanet, so same flower shape and thus likely to be misidentified by plant apps, grows readily from seed, and thus easy to go from "I didn't have these last year" to " now they're EVERYWHERE"

I have some kind of purple viola flower popping up in the front and back garden. It's impossible to root out as it entwines itself around the base of established roses and lavender or just establishes a spot of its own.
I thought it was an African violet ( it looks very similar) which is an indoor plant I think but the garden centre horticulturalist said it was a viola.

@neilmomareglas

I have some kind of purple viola flower popping up in the front and back garden. It's impossible to root out as it entwines itself around the base of established roses and lavender or just establishes a spot of its own. I thought it was an African violet ( it looks very similar) which is an indoor plant I think but the garden centre horticulturalist said it was a viola.

Might it be Labrador Violet? That has heart-shaped leaves, which are sometimes quite dark and hard to spot when they emerge, and typical 'violet' flowers. It is one of those plants which looks shy and unassuming but is a bit of an invasive thug, I think it spreads but also seeds freely. I've got quite a bit which I'll probably regret not rooting out especially on the rockery. I've got a clump seeded under the seat in the arbour that I like, together with forget-me-nots, flowers are going over now but more elsewhere. Free bonus photo of the dog posing in the flowerbed. The pulmonarias he's sitting on were pretty much done.

Are you sure it’s not forget-me-nots, OP?

ErrolTheDragon thank you for replying.
I thought it might be the common dog violet but the leaves of the plant in my garden are much darker than photos of dog violet I've googled.

Thank you so much everyone. Lots to look at, especially the bird poo haha! God I don't know why I wanted to get a house with a garden, I'm really not cut out for it at all. Clueless

About to get a photo of the plant...

Literally EVERYWHERE