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Can’t remember what this is, any ideas?

JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
in Plants
I have several thick clumps of the plant in the photo. I guess I must have liked it as there are several dotted around. Apparently Lilly beetles love it too as I have just dispatched a bunch I found nibbling the new growth. Any ideas what it is? Also there is new growth both on the original stems and underneath, should I keep both or cut out the old growth?
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,906
    Could they be Fritillaria imperialis shoots? Does the plant have a foxy smell?
    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I think they look like Sweet Williams.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    I know they are not fritallaria as I gave up some years back with them, got eaten before they ever had a chance to flower, plus the old growth on these did not die back over winter. Perhaps sweet Williams, although my orange ones are more “woody” and already in bloom. These seem to have a more droopy than upright habbit 
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • Chrissy the gardenerChrissy the gardener Posts: 1,072
    It I think they are sweet William, that’s how mine look right now.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I thought sweet williams too, but I wouldn't have thought lily beetles would go for them.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Sweet Williams are grown as biennials, but I have found that they can last longer than that, except when they get older they get straggly.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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