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Old 07-05-2010, 09:58 AM
dogscoff dogscoff is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: May 2010
Posts: 5
Default Help with plant identification

Hi. Newbie here (both to the group and to gardening, really.) I live on the south coast of England and have a very small garden that I try to get some food out of. My wife grows some flowers & lavender. Last year I grew (with my father in law's help) some squashes and a few potatoes. This year I have spuds, onions and garlic going. I'm really enjoying it. The whole garden is in danger of being completely colonised by an outrageously fecund fennel plant/ triffid that I put in the ground a few years back.

Anyway, I have all kinds of unknown weeds and things growing, but I don't like to dig stuff up unless I have to in case it turns out to be something interesting, something that has somehow propogated itself from last years plantings or even an escapee from the compost bin (I actually have a brussel sprout plant growing thanks to a discarded sprout stick from the compost bin!). Anyway, there's one particular plant growing in my garden that has me really curious. I'd love to know what it is but don't know how to identify it. I was hoping someone here could help.

The plant is a small collection of leaves coming out of the ground in a shady spot between some rubble and a fence. There is no appreciable stalk that I can see. The leaves are dark green on top, and some of them have a red underside. They are a bit jagged at the edges, quite soft to the touch and probably only a centimetre or so long. The really interesting thing, however, is that they have a really strong smell, very much like citronella or lemongrass or something.

Does anyone have any ideas?