A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am struggling to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

Plant 1
http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/t...=DSC_3744s.jpg

Plant 2
http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/t...=DSC_3748s.jpg

Plant 3
http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/t...=DSC_3749s.jpg

Plant 4
http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/t...=DSC_3750s.jpg

Weed or plant to keep?


Many thanks and I look forward to some replies

Rick

#

Hope this helps.

In message , rikwatson
writes

A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am struggling
to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

The pictures are a little small for ease of identification.

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Something in Boraginaceae. I think it's Alkanet.

Plant 2
http://tinyurl.com/cofz4e

Looks like a lilac.

Plant 3
http://tinyurl.com/dg7hp9

Pass.

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

I think that that's a Geum (Avens).

Weed or plant to keep?

Depends on whether it is the wild form or one of the cultivars, and in
the former case whether you like the wild form. I was at a plant fair
today, and among the many Geums was one of the two native wild species.

Many thanks and I look forward to some replies

Rick

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"rikwatson" wrote in message
...

A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am struggling
to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Plant 2
http://tinyurl.com/cofz4e

Plant 3
http://tinyurl.com/dg7hp9

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

Weed or plant to keep?

Plant 3 has leaves like a violet. Some of my violets have very large leaves
like this.

someone

On 2009-05-03 18:26:19 +0100, rikwatson
said:


A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am struggling
to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Brunnera macrophylla, perhaps

Plant 2
http://tinyurl.com/cofz4e

Syringa (lilac)

Plant 3
http://tinyurl.com/dg7hp9

Violets

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

Weed or plant to keep?


Many thanks and I look forward to some replies

Rick


--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

[quote='Sacha[_4_];842606']On 2009-05-03 18:26:19 +0100, rikwatson
said:


A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am struggling
to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Brunnera macrophylla, perhaps Definitely Alkanet [not mertensia]. A native Anchusa, vigorous and invasive. Lovely blue flowers in spring, but unless you are a herbalist not much use thereafter.


Rick

Correction to my previous identification [sorry]

rikwatson writes

A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am
struggling
to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Green alkanet, a member of the forget-me-not family (Boraginaceae). I
think it's a garden plants rather than a UK native, but it is quite
vigorous so you may or may not decide to keep it.

Plant 2
http://tinyurl.com/cofz4e

That looks like a lilac, both in flower form and leaf shape. Is it
scented?

Plant 3
http://tinyurl.com/dg7hp9

Violet, probably Dog Violet. They've finished flowering for this year,
but you may find small triangular-ish seed pods hidden among the
foliage. Desirable plant for early spring colour but spread vigorously.
I leave all mine and just dig them out of the paths or when I've got
something better to plant - I cleared about 2 sq metres of them
yesterday.

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

The leaf you are holding is most likely a UK native - Geum urbanum (can
never remember its common name). Small yellow flowers, readily seeds
itself around and quite invasive. Very difficult to keep just one plant!
But you could wait until it flowers to check that it's not a) the other
UK native Geum rivale, with larger drooping apricot flowers, which
normally grows in damper areas where it can be quite invasive, although
it is very pretty b) one of the garden Geums which can have single or
double flowers in shades from yellow through apricot to orange.

Weed or plant to keep?


--
Kay

rikwatson schrieb:

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Omphalodes verna

Plant 2
http://tinyurl.com/cofz4e

Syringa spec.

Plant 3
http://tinyurl.com/dg7hp9

Viola spec. ???

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

Campanula spec. ???



--
************ das GIFTPFLANZEN.COMpendium ************
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Benno Bös writes
rikwatson schrieb:

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Omphalodes verna

Could be, but it looks exactly like Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis
sempervirens. What are the distinguishing features between these two?

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

Campanula spec. ???

Are you looking at the blue flower (which looks like a (probably
spanish) bluebell)? - I think the id requested was for the leaf that is
being held between finger and thumb
--
Kay

In message , K
writes
Benno Bös writes
rikwatson schrieb:

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Omphalodes verna

Could be, but it looks exactly like Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis
sempervirens. What are the distinguishing features between these two?

Fide Stace, Omphalodes verna is rhizomatous and stoloniferous, and
Pentaglottis sempervirens isn't. Other distinguishing features are
corolla size (O. verna is larger) and height (P. sempervirens grows
considerably taller). It's (non-variegated forms of) Brunnera
macrophylla (also mentioned in the thread) that I would expect to find
confused with P. sempervirens.

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

Campanula spec. ???

Are you looking at the blue flower (which looks like a (probably
spanish) bluebell)? - I think the id requested was for the leaf that is
being held between finger and thumb

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Stewart Robert Hinsley writes
In message , K
writes
Benno Bös writes
rikwatson schrieb:

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Omphalodes verna

Could be, but it looks exactly like Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis
sempervirens. What are the distinguishing features between these two?

Fide Stace, Omphalodes verna is rhizomatous and stoloniferous, and
Pentaglottis sempervirens isn't.

Thanks :-)
Well, we can't tell those from the pic.

Other distinguishing features are corolla size (O. verna is larger)

Flowers look the right size (compared with leaves) for P sempervirens. I
have the impression that not only are O verna flowers larger, they also
look larger compared to its leaves.

and height (P. sempervirens grows considerably taller). It's
(non-variegated forms of) Brunnera macrophylla (also mentioned in the
thread) that I would expect to find confused with P. sempervirens.

What's the differences between B macrophylla and P sempervirens? - the
ones that we'd see in the pic? Or is the answer 'not much that you could
tell from the pic' because your original answer IIRC was on the lines of
"Boraginaceae, can't tell which one, but possibly alkanet"

--
Kay

In message , K
writes
Stewart Robert Hinsley writes
In message , K
writes
Benno Bös writes
rikwatson schrieb:

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Omphalodes verna

Could be, but it looks exactly like Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis
sempervirens. What are the distinguishing features between these two?

Fide Stace, Omphalodes verna is rhizomatous and stoloniferous, and
Pentaglottis sempervirens isn't.

Thanks :-)
Well, we can't tell those from the pic.

Other distinguishing features are corolla size (O. verna is larger)

Flowers look the right size (compared with leaves) for P sempervirens.
I have the impression that not only are O verna flowers larger, they
also look larger compared to its leaves.

and height (P. sempervirens grows considerably taller). It's
(non-variegated forms of) Brunnera macrophylla (also mentioned in the
thread) that I would expect to find confused with P. sempervirens.

What's the differences between B macrophylla and P sempervirens? - the
ones that we'd see in the pic? Or is the answer 'not much that you
could tell from the pic' because your original answer IIRC was on the
lines of "Boraginaceae, can't tell which one, but possibly alkanet"

Brunnera has cordate leaves; Pentaglottis has leaves abruptly contracted
at the base. (Anchusa has narrower leaves.)
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On May 5, 3:08*pm, K wrote:
Stewart Robert Hinsley writes

In message , K
writes
Benno Bös writes
rikwatson schrieb:

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Omphalodes verna

Could be, but it looks exactly like Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis
sempervirens. What are the distinguishing features between these two?

Fide Stace, Omphalodes verna is rhizomatous and stoloniferous, and
Pentaglottis sempervirens isn't.

Thanks :-)
Well, we can't tell those from the pic.


Pentaglottis is quite a stiffly hairy/bristly plant? That is also
hard to tell from the picture but the poster can check that more
easily that the roots. Even as a field botanist, 30 years ago, I
could never make head nor tail of stolons and rhizomes (while on hands
and knees in the rain in dense vegetation) and it is a very
destructuve field character (having to pull up plant to see roots). I
go with Pentaglottis.

"rikwatson" wrote in message
...

A newbie to this gardening thing, I'm learning quickly but am struggling
to id a few plants in our new house's garden. Any help??

Plant 1
http://tinyurl.com/c389xn

Plant 2
http://tinyurl.com/cofz4e

Plant 3
http://tinyurl.com/dg7hp9

Plant 4
http://tinyurl.com/csx8lz

Weed or plant to keep?


Many thanks and I look forward to some replies

Rick


--
rikwatson


1. Alkanet
2. Lilac
3. Unsure .. poss. viola (leaf enlarged by shade)
4. Geum, prob. G. urbium aka Wood Avens. It's a weed to me .. I dig it up
on sight.
Wait for flower (tiny, yellow 4 or 5 petalled); if it is, I'd get rid of
it. However, there are many garden-worthy species and cultivars, so it's
worth waiting to see the flower.

Spider