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Anyone know what this might be?

Graham174Graham174 Posts: 5
in Plants
Hi

We have moved into a new home and the garden was somewhat over grown. We are trying to keep as many of the plants as possible as it was obviously once a very loved garden with an emphasis on wildflowers. There are lots of ox-eye daisy and cornflowers but there are also plenty I can't identify.

This is popping up in numerous sunny locations around the garden. Does anyone know what it is?  And should I be looking to remove it?



Thanks in advance

Graham

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Geum urbanum. You don't want it.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Graham174Graham174 Posts: 5
    Thanks for the quick response; sounds like I can add it to my list of work items for the week.

    Cheers
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    It could also be one or more of the cultivated Geum varieties. I have a red flowered one I have propagated from seed from the first plant I got from the garden centre and it produces masses of nice flowers through the warmer months of the year particularly if the older flower heads are removed by deadheading to prevent them putting too much effort into seed production. The Geum urbanum has smaller yellow flowers and as the wild relative seems to self propagate more easily but I still leave this grow in parts of the garden as it seems to be popular with bees.
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    It rarely is the cultivated one. If you want to take a chance, don't whatever you do let the yellow one seed.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    edited March 2021
    Germ urbanum is the food source for the caterpillars of some of our native butterflies. It does self seed but I don’t find it too much of a problem in my garden
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited March 2021
    I'm firmly on the 'get rid' side of the fence with these.  The seeds have small barbs, and get tangled in pet fur and clothing:
    However, I would leave them until they start flowering for ID purposes and if those are small and yellow, it's G. urbanum and a pest.  There is plenty growing in every bit of waste ground in the country, so I'm 100% certain no wildlife will be at risk. :)

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited March 2021
    If you want to grow a native geum, G. rivale is gorgeous and while it’s happy to spread in damp ground, it’s not as invasive as G. urbanum

    https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/geum-rivale-marginal-aquatic/t78162TM


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Graham174Graham174 Posts: 5
    It is the yellow variety; I know from the backend of last year and we did let it go to seed. There is certainly a lot of it coming through! 

    We certainly want to keep the garden wildlife friendly; there are areas of marjoram, lavender and rosemary in the very sunny and hot parts of the garden plus other areas that are more "native" with ox-eye daisy, cornflowers, knapweed , scabious ..  plus a pond that was busy with dragon and damsel flies last year. 

    Thanks everyone for your ideas and suggestions. 
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I have just had GAZILLIONS of these come up in one of my beds. I wasn't sure what they were but was starting to move towards G urbanum and this has confirmed it, I think. Currently they're just at the stage of 2 cotyledons and 1 tiny adult leaf off to one side. In places they have come up as dense as cress so there must have been a plant going to seed in there last year!
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    And every one of those little plants will do the same. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
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