oh dear, not what I expected. I thought I'd recognise it once it was named. Ive just had a look at my store of labels and was hoping it was one of the following: verbascum,Veronica, or even a funny sort of salvia. There are other things I hoped it was but can't find the labels, similar spikes of flowers to Veronica, I had a blue one and a pink one, wish I could remember the name. As far as I know I haven't planted any of the above suggestions. Really hope it's not a self seeded buddlia although I have several of these at the other end of the garden. As for willow, where would that appear from, neighbours?, I'll risk waiting for it to flower and then dig it out! Thanks everyone.
If it flowers at all they will be insignificant. Dig it out now before its roots get too happy as they spread far looking for moisture and competing with plants you want to nurture and encourage.
As Nut says, the plants you mentioned are all herbaceous perennial which mostly disappear below ground for winter and then shoot again in spring assuming that their crown and root system have survived.
Your best bet for identifying plants whose labels are lost is to go back to the place you bought them and see if they're selling the same ones then note down the name. Then you can look up the cultivation info on sites like the RHS to see how to care for them and keep them going from year to year but note that some verbascums are biennial (2 year life span) and others are short lived perennias but they'll self seed if you let them and this maintain your supply.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
MrsGarden, you are really meant to put the label next to the plant rather than keep them stored separately.
I agree with nut that this is almost certainly a tree which would have grown from a seed blown in by the wind or deposited courtesy of a bird dropping.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
I also think it's a stray. We have a big Sycamore tree about 50 metres away from our house and have so many saplings growing every year. All sorts of other trees and I think it's the birds dropping seeds from the neighbour's bird feeders and being blown in from wherever. If you didn't plant it dig it out as quickly as possible and I'm glad you've done that. Good reminder for me to get rid of some rogue Teasels that have taken residence in one of the borders. Otherwise I will be paying the price for the next 10 years.
Posts
oh dear, not what I expected. I thought I'd recognise it once it was named. Ive just had a look at my store of labels and was hoping it was one of the following: verbascum,Veronica, or even a funny sort of salvia. There are other things I hoped it was but can't find the labels, similar spikes of flowers to Veronica, I had a blue one and a pink one, wish I could remember the name. As far as I know I haven't planted any of the above suggestions. Really hope it's not a self seeded buddlia although I have several of these at the other end of the garden. As for willow, where would that appear from, neighbours?, I'll risk waiting for it to flower and then dig it out! Thanks everyone.
Definitely not a buddleia. All the others you mention are herbaceous perennials, they don't have woody trunks. This is a shrub or tree,
In the sticks near Peterborough
If it flowers at all they will be insignificant. Dig it out now before its roots get too happy as they spread far looking for moisture and competing with plants you want to nurture and encourage.
As Nut says, the plants you mentioned are all herbaceous perennial which mostly disappear below ground for winter and then shoot again in spring assuming that their crown and root system have survived.
There are hundreds of veronicas - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Results?form-mode=true&context=l%3Den%26q%3DVeronica%26sl%3DplantForm&query=Veronica
and verbascums - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Results?form-mode=true&context=b%3D0%26hf%3D10%26l%3Den%26q%3DVeronica%26s%3Ddesc%2528plant_merged%2529%26sl%3DplantForm&query=Verbascum
and over a thousand forms of salvia - https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Results?form-mode=true&context=b%3D0%26hf%3D10%26l%3Den%26q%3DVerbascum%26s%3Ddesc%2528plant_merged%2529%26sl%3DplantForm&query=Salvia
Your best bet for identifying plants whose labels are lost is to go back to the place you bought them and see if they're selling the same ones then note down the name. Then you can look up the cultivation info on sites like the RHS to see how to care for them and keep them going from year to year but note that some verbascums are biennial (2 year life span) and others are short lived perennias but they'll self seed if you let them and this maintain your supply.
MrsGarden, you are really meant to put the label next to the plant rather than keep them stored separately.
I agree with nut that this is almost certainly a tree which would have grown from a seed blown in by the wind or deposited courtesy of a bird dropping.
Its out!
Well done
In the sticks near Peterborough
I also think it's a stray. We have a big Sycamore tree about 50 metres away from our house and have so many saplings growing every year. All sorts of other trees and I think it's the birds dropping seeds from the neighbour's bird feeders and being blown in from wherever. If you didn't plant it dig it out as quickly as possible and I'm glad you've done that. Good reminder for me to get rid of some rogue Teasels that have taken residence in one of the borders. Otherwise I will be paying the price for the next 10 years.