Help a gardening newbie 😅 weed or not?

[Username24680]

Tackling the garden for the first time in our new house. Have never seen it in spring/summer so I have no idea what anything in the borders looks like when it’s not dead looking and twig-like 🤣 I’m hoping within the next few weeks I’ll know what’s coming back and what’s not 😅

I am in no way a gardener. Help me with these that are everywhere - weed or not? 😅

That looks like a primrose to me. I'd leave it to see if it flowers. It's a good idea to get to know your garden for a year before being too interventionist.

No I don't think it's a weed

I'd also agree that it's a primrose. They do self seed and spread over the years. Beautiful little flower.

It's got a different flower head to a primrose?

Definitely a primula of some sort, so not a weed, wait and see what the flowers are like. There are huge numbers of different ones and they cross with the primroses as well, they will look glorious soon if you have a lot.

Yep primrose/primula. Lovely

It'll be pretty whatever it is once it flowers. Leave it be and see what pops up. Anything that flowers is food for the bees 🐝.

@loafintheoven Thank you! Good advice 😊 I have literally NO idea what I’m doing with gardening 😅 so my plan was a general de-weed and clear up all the leaves etc from the borders just now, wait and see what grows over the spring/summer then as everything starts to die off we can take out anything we don’t really like and replace it next spring?

Sounds like a plan. My only addition would be that not all weeds are weeds - my garden is currently awash with violets, which spread like crazy, but I really like them. Also dandelions - proper weeds, but provide early nectar for bees. I just have to remember to deadhead them before they seed. As you may have guessed, I'm a low intervention gardener!

@Greentree1 seems to be quite a lot! Mainly surrounding bigger plants

I think it could be Primula denticulata aka drumstick primrose! The flowering stem will produce a ball of purple flowers, lucky you!

Visit garden centres as often as you can, and just go and look. You will soon learn what things are called from the labels, and then you will start to recognise things in your own garden.

A weed is just a plant you don’t want.
Some ‘weeds’ are very pretty and I let them grow.

Yes it's a Primula denticulata. They come in pink, purplish blue and white. Eventually it might multiply. One of my favourite spring flowers 🌻

And there's another one in the photo (bottom right)

I am a rubbish gardener so I love the ‘Picture This’ app, which I find is pretty accurate at telling me what a plant is…we’re about to use it a lot in our new garden as we try to work out what’s where!

It would really be more beneficial if you would leave everything alone for another few weeks at least. Insects and other creatures need the shelter of the leaves and dead stuff (read up on the insect population being decimated worldwide). Anything you can do to help them is worthwhile.

Plus, some of your perennials may still need cover. Just be patient. Spend this time reading, visiting garden centres and public gardens to see what style you like. You can get plant identification apps on your phone where you just snap a photo and it tells you what the plant is and what its care needs are, etc.

Consider reading about pollinator-friendly gardens and other things you can do to help wildlife, such as having basins of water about.

Not a primrose, but still a Primula, P. denticulata as @NanTheWiser says.

@Username24680 Will you post another photo when they're flowering? Would love to have the definitive answer!
I'd agree with @ZeldaWillTellYourFortune to leave fallen leaves. They are a great arthropod habitat, and will also be a good mulch by now.

Leaves look like primrose but blue flower head is like grape hyacinth 😵‍💫 Very odd

Thanks for all your help everyone 😊 you’re clearly all a lot more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to gardening 😅
We moved in the autumn into a beautiful street that is probably about 75% older retired people and they all take great pride in their gardens which is lovely 😊 it was just the front garden I was doing today - I think just about every member of the street has been out this week and I don’t want to be the talk of the street having a mess 😅🙈

@ZeldaWillTellYourFortune I really didn’t know that so thank you 😊 I’ll leave the back garden for now then! I already do have small water dishes out though 😊

@loafintheoven I’ll definitely come back and post another picture when they’re flowering 😊 maybe even of the whole lot 😅 I’m sure you’d all be faster to tell me what’s there than me trying to work it out 🙈😂

Now, the only thing that I do know is that I like Hydrangeas and Peonies...how are they for growing? High maintenance? I have some space out front that would look nice with a few big pots...would these work potted or should they be in the ground? Any other plants I should consider that are particularly low maintenance but will look lovely? If you guys don’t mind my ridiculous gardening questions 😅

I’m so jealous, OP, you are where I was last year.

We moved house in December 2021 and spent spring and summer of 2022 finding almost weekly surprises as the garden started coming to life.

It was just joyous.

Enjoy.

Defo leave it a full year to check what's what. I'd have lost some lovely plants if I hadn't taken that advice. Plus it will help you learn where things will work and not work.

I hadn't even noticed the flower head! What an idiot!

Forget-me-nots too. Lovely pretty flowers!