Any ideas?

What does ground elder feel like?

This is about 18 inches tall up to about two foot, has downward pointing bristles up it's stem-which is not ribbed, nor is it round-a cross section of the stem would be square-shaped, but the leaves feel very soft and downy.

It will be the first time I have ever had it in the garden if it is. When does it flower-I suppose I am relatively safe to wait and see what the flowers are like first aren't I? It's the seeds I need to be concerned with. I thought ground elder was shorter?


How on earth has it got in???

 

And something I just noticed whilst playing with the leaf reading the thread-the leaf feels slightly elastic!!

 

Ground Elder has three-lobed (or maybe five-lobed??) leaves, rather than opposing pairs, hence I don't think it is that.

I suppose it spreads by flower / seed, but its roots run like the devil (a.k.a. Bindweed ) so waiting would not be an option, and I would recommend careful application of Glyphosate rather than any nicety of assuming that pulling it up, or being "organic", should take precedence.

"How on earth has it got in???"

I was given a lovely weeping cheery plant, with a very respectable nursery label on it, last year. Wasn't sure where to plant it, so I let it sit in its pot whilst pondering, and watered / fed it etc. After a couple of weeks a mares-tail appeared :(

 

These definitely have ovate shaped leaves, in opposing pairs.


I am loathe to pull it out without knowing what it is.

 

I definitely recognise it, but I can't put my finger (or my ageing memory :( ) on it

 

Long shot : Jerusalem Artichokes?

 

Don't think so Kristen, driving me nuts now, I have spent ages trying to whittle it down to what it could be.

 

Thankyou Dee for the vote of confidence:D

Haven't got a clue on this one:lollol:

If you've not seen it in the garden before lollipop, then we can assume it was in the seed tray/pots you threw out.
Another option could be wild bird food seed.
It looks a bit like a "dead nettle" of some kind perhaps, but I dont think so.

I does look familiar but until it flowers it could well remain a mystery to us all.

 

We will wait until it flowers then and I will post up pics of it then.


Thankyou in the meantime everyone for your efforts.

 

It could be some sort of dead nettle, especially with the square cross section of stem. I was trying to google Lamium Garganicum but cannot find good pics of the leaves. This is the best one http://www.beyond.fr/flora/nettledead.html.

It could also be an Agastache, also has square cross sections of stem and serrated leaves. However, the leaves are often scented, I don't suppose you have noticed any scent Claire?

 

I think it is agastache, it is scented- a very fresh woodland scent is the best I can describe it~and it f its, I did have some seeds of that I thought hadn't germinated, so I did just toss the compost outside the back of the greenhouse. I do have deadnettle-the red one, but the leaves aren't quite the same as this plant-theye are more sharply serrated-just like a stinging nettle leaf.

 

I think we will wait until it is flowering before being absolutely sure it's agastache, but as you threw some seed there it it very likely is.... :D