Steve Wolstenholme writes
On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:54:12 -0800 (PST), Phil
wrote:

Hi,

I found a strange plane growing in my garden, not sure if it's a weed
or not so left it for the moment.
Can anyone tell me what it is?


It's an invasive cranesbill. There has been some in my back garden for
years. My mother brought it but I don't know where she found it. Frost
is supposed to kill it but mine comes up every year in forever larger
bunches. It has overwhelmed some of the more attractive common blue
cransbill. People who like it take clumps of it away but it always
dies. There must be something it finds addictive in my garden.

To clarify - cranesbill is the common name for hardy geraniums.

You're very lucky if this one is invasive for you! It has quite large
flowers (three quarters of an inch) unlike its smaller relative Herb
Robert whose flowers are not much more than a quarter of an inch and
which seeds and spreads everywhere. There is also a white flowered
garden variety of Herb Robert which seems every bit as invasive.
--
Kay