And forget me nots. The absolute PITA is VB. It gets between paving slabs about 10 seedlings per inch. It gets inside and under every growing thing. Oh and wild tasteless strawberries. I should have killed the first one I saw but I believed their PR. Intensely tasty my foot! I've tasted better supermarket strawberries at Christmas and cucumbers have more taste. They get in everywhere as well.
"Willow herb! Pretty stuff but it springs up everywhere and then it's a nightmare when it seeds. Herb Robert.."
I don't think that many people grow them on purpose. I pull both out, myself.
I had a friend ask me for some Willowherb seeds as she was hoping to attract some hawk-moths. Any Herb Robert that's growing anywhere other than where I planted it gets yanked. I'm 80% sure I'm going to get rid of it completely though. I want to plant some wildflower plugs next year and Herb Robert doesn't really go with what I'm wanting.
I shouldn't say this but I would love some of these plants! My garden is north facing, shaded by two huge oaks on each side and has tonnes of slugs. We are also in the north so it's pretty cool and damp.
I just have to try and work with it really. I got some speedwell this year and lots of primroses but very little self seeds...probably the slugs. I think there might be an orchid, I'm trying to protect it but it'll probably be munched before it flowers.
Lords and ladies (native Arum) is the bane of my garden, at least in spring. And then (not strictly native) lemon balm which just seems to appear absolutely everywhere. At least it smells good when I'm pulling it up.
@Beebop164 I'm wanting to dedicate part of my north facing front garden to wildflowers but am not sure what to go for. I want to get a plug plant collection and some seeds but don't know whether to play it safe with a shade mixture or have a crack at something more colourful. With those two trees I think you're definitely stuck with native woodland wildflowers.
@borgadr I planted some lemon balm several years ago but it just gets big and messy. I've left it alone for the past couple of years which seems to have stunted its growth quite considerably which is handy as I want to dig it up. Just hope I don't end up in your position!
We have lots of thugs aka over enthusiastic visitors too. Ox eye daisies, forget me nots, foxgloves, woundwort, toadflax, herb Robert, evening primrose, Corydalis, lesser celandine, poppies, bluebells (English and Spanish), Alchemilla mollis
Second team- not yet classed as thugs here but I may eat my words in future Willowherb, buttercups, Californian Poppies, Welsh Poppies, Verbena bonariensis, Campanula percisifolia, Cats Ear, yarrow, honesty, wood avens, hedge garlic, sweet woodruff, Aquliegia, greater celandine, phaecelia
Ones I’m hoping will become more enthusiastic - heavens knows why as I will need to find way of expanding the garden Wild carrot, Sweet Rocket, pea vetch
Ones I try to keep to very defined areas - green alkanet, nettles and cleavers ( latter and the willow herb are to try and attract hawk moths)
We have far more bees and other insects in the garden since we started editing/curating what appears naturally - wild flowers and/or self seeding “garden” plants. It’s also been interesting seeing which cultivated plants cope with the competition. I’ve always liked very full borders, no bare soil here and lots of intermingling. We have lots of roses and it’s impossible to guess which will cope and which will sulk - Lark Ascending, Lady of Shalott, Morning Mist, Munstead Wood, Tottering by Gently are flowering their socks off despite, maybe because of, the wild flowers growing through them. Mutabilis and Lichfield Angel are sulking and will obviously need their own space.
@Beebop164 wild carrot, pea vetch, wood avens, hedge garlic, Welsh poppies, woodruff, honesty, aquilegia, herb Robert, corydalis, lesser and greater celandine all grow in shady spots here.
Interestingly, infuriatingly, my foxgloves always pop up in the sunniest spots and I can’t get them established in dappled shade at all 🙄
I must admit I hadn’t realised quite how many self seeders I have until writing this list, it’s amazing I can fit anything else in and not surprising that I keep wishing the garden was bigger 😂
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
Interestingly, infuriatingly, my foxgloves always pop up in the sunniest spots and I can’t get them established in dappled shade at all 🙄
Same @Butterfly66, I planted foxgloves on the shady side of my garden years ago and they have migrated to the sunniest possible areas. Have never seen a seedling on the shady side and if I move them they don't thrive.
@Butterfly66 very interesting to hear about your rose experience. I'm interested in Lady of Shalott, as it apparently also copes well with drier conditions and if I recall correctly (somewhat) poorer soil. This makes it sound even better! I'd forgotten about Campanula percisifolia (becoming a bit of a thug here) and Honesty. There's also Thalictrum flavum that I'm pulling out as it is too vigorous/spreading. A nice plant that gently self-seeds is Cerinthe purparescens.
Posts
The absolute PITA is VB. It gets between paving slabs about 10 seedlings per inch. It gets inside and under every growing thing.
Oh and wild tasteless strawberries. I should have killed the first one I saw but I believed their PR. Intensely tasty my foot! I've tasted better supermarket strawberries at Christmas and cucumbers have more taste.
They get in everywhere as well.
I just have to try and work with it really. I got some speedwell this year and lots of primroses but very little self seeds...probably the slugs. I think there might be an orchid, I'm trying to protect it but it'll probably be munched before it flowers.
@borgadr I planted some lemon balm several years ago but it just gets big and messy. I've left it alone for the past couple of years which seems to have stunted its growth quite considerably which is handy as I want to dig it up. Just hope I don't end up in your position!
Ox eye daisies, forget me nots, foxgloves, woundwort, toadflax, herb Robert, evening primrose, Corydalis, lesser celandine, poppies, bluebells (English and Spanish), Alchemilla mollis
Second team- not yet classed as thugs here but I may eat my words in future
Willowherb, buttercups, Californian Poppies, Welsh Poppies, Verbena bonariensis, Campanula percisifolia, Cats Ear, yarrow, honesty, wood avens, hedge garlic, sweet woodruff, Aquliegia, greater celandine, phaecelia
Ones I’m hoping will become more enthusiastic - heavens knows why as I will need to find way of expanding the garden
Wild carrot, Sweet Rocket, pea vetch
Ones I try to keep to very defined areas - green alkanet, nettles and cleavers ( latter and the willow herb are to try and attract hawk moths)
We have far more bees and other insects in the garden since we started editing/curating what appears naturally - wild flowers and/or self seeding “garden” plants. It’s also been interesting seeing which cultivated plants cope with the competition. I’ve always liked very full borders, no bare soil here and lots of intermingling. We have lots of roses and it’s impossible to guess which will cope and which will sulk - Lark Ascending, Lady of Shalott, Morning Mist, Munstead Wood, Tottering by Gently are flowering their socks off despite, maybe because of, the wild flowers growing through them. Mutabilis and Lichfield Angel are sulking and will obviously need their own space.
@Beebop164 wild carrot, pea vetch, wood avens, hedge garlic, Welsh poppies, woodruff, honesty, aquilegia, herb Robert, corydalis, lesser and greater celandine all grow in shady spots here.
I must admit I hadn’t realised quite how many self seeders I have until writing this list, it’s amazing I can fit anything else in and not surprising that I keep wishing the garden was bigger 😂
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Same @Butterfly66, I planted foxgloves on the shady side of my garden years ago and they have migrated to the sunniest possible areas. Have never seen a seedling on the shady side and if I move them they don't thrive.