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Gardening

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

What is this?

17 replies

crowsflyinghigh · 25/04/2026 19:34

Does anyone know what this is please? I’m thinking of digging it up as it looks awful and grows quite quickly.

What is this?
OP posts:
InertBird · 25/04/2026 19:56

Hard to say just from the foliage but it could possibly be iris foetidissima - I can see old flower stems, can you remember what they looked like?

Jellybean23 · 25/04/2026 21:36

How big does it grow?

Don't have anything in your garden that doesn't bring you joy. Get rid of it if you don't like it.

cantgardenintherain · 25/04/2026 22:19

Phormium?

Agapornis · 26/04/2026 08:32

Agree it's an iris of some sort, it seems to have the thickened middle of the leaf.

SylvanMoon · 26/04/2026 11:06

Agapornis · 26/04/2026 08:32

Agree it's an iris of some sort, it seems to have the thickened middle of the leaf.

What can you do with the leaves once the iris has bloomed? I also have these in my garden and never know how to deal with them. Can I cut them back?

TonTonMacoute · 26/04/2026 11:13

If you break the leaves do they smell like meat? If so it's wild iris and can be dug up and replaced with something nicer.

InertBird · 26/04/2026 11:47

They do get quite scruffy don't they, but when the seed pods split open to reveal the red seeds, they're quite decorative and bulletproof in shade. I'd just cut the foliage back at any time if it's offending your eyes. This plant is tough.

crowsflyinghigh · 26/04/2026 15:40

Here’s another picture. It’s about 3-4 feet high and wide.

What is this?
OP posts:
InertBird · 26/04/2026 16:21

crowsflyinghigh · 26/04/2026 15:40

Here’s another picture. It’s about 3-4 feet high and wide.

Oh probably not iris foetidissima then! That's only about 1 foot high.

Oriunda · 04/05/2026 02:18

Siberian or winter iris?I have a huge clump that looks like that; it only produces a few flowers now, so really needs splitting up.

B0D · 04/05/2026 10:09

I think it’s Iris foetidissima too. A lot of leaf for very nondescript flower.

I have one in my garden in a shady spot under a shrub. It appeared there on its own - maybe a bird dropped it in.
PP’s will it spread on its own?

I’m going to dig it up and move it this year or chuck it

TonTonMacoute · 04/05/2026 14:15

crowsflyinghigh · 26/04/2026 15:40

Here’s another picture. It’s about 3-4 feet high and wide.

Have you smelt the leaves? That will confirm that is stinking iris or not

MabelAnderson · 08/05/2026 22:27

I think it’s a type of native Sedge When you run your hand along a leaf blade does it feel rough/sharp ?
They like moist ground and can be thuggish, they seed around easily. Not too tricky to pull up when small but a beast to dig out when they get large.

mamaduckbone · 10/05/2026 18:44

I have this in my garden - pale purply yellow quite unexciting iris flowers and loads of leaves, probably up to about 3ft tall. The red seed pods at the end of summer look pretty but self seed everywhere so I get rid. I knew what it was but hadn’t ever done the leaf sniff test and yup, sure enough they smell like ham. Very weird…
The only reason I haven’t dug it out is because I have massive borders and would have to fill the gap with something huge. I’ll get round to it one of these days.

mamaduckbone · 10/05/2026 18:45

B0D · 04/05/2026 10:09

I think it’s Iris foetidissima too. A lot of leaf for very nondescript flower.

I have one in my garden in a shady spot under a shrub. It appeared there on its own - maybe a bird dropped it in.
PP’s will it spread on its own?

I’m going to dig it up and move it this year or chuck it

Yes, it does spread. Look out for the little double leaves and pull them out else you’ll have it everywhere.

Edictfromno10 · 10/05/2026 19:59

Looks like pendulous sedge to me!

GloiredeDijon · 11/05/2026 01:10

Does it get nodding seed heads?
Looks like bloody carex pendula if so which spreads like wildfire and is as ugly as it is invasive.
Dig it out and look out for a million tiny seedlings.
My neighbour has it out of control and so all of us in the vicinity suffer.

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