Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Is this one of our stinging nettle plants???

JetmorganJetmorgan Posts: 79
in Plants

I'm trying to find out what this plant is...it's come up in my back garden this year, I haven't noticed it before so I assume it's been brought in on the wind or by a bird.

I'm wondering if it might be a stinging nettle although I've cut it back and recieved no stings so I wonder if it's the dead stinging nettle.

I'm looking to revamp the back garden and want to attract the birds, bees & butterflies so if this is a stinging nettle then I might just keep it but make sure it doesn't get out of control.

image

 

image

 

«1

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Has it got a very pungent smell when you handle it? It looks like hedge woundwort, Stachys sylvatica

    It's not a stinging nettle



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • JetmorganJetmorgan Posts: 79

    I have to say I couldn't smell anything when I cut it back...but then I have also been handling butter this morning so I smell buttery at the moment...and as it's getting warmer now I know what a chicken feels like being basted now!!!

     

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,477
    I have this in my garden. It was identified for me by the site sages. It spreads all over the place but it's easy to pull out where you don't want it. With young plants that you want to be sure about before pulling out ,rub a leaf and it will have a fairly unpleasant smell
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • JetmorganJetmorgan Posts: 79

    Many thanks for the help...thinking about things I think it's going to have to come out completely as I have to rebuild the raised beds that it is in. and the beds will be much higher than they are now so it would get buried. So out it comes and have a look around for other good plants for butterflies

     

  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,697

    Its hedge woundwort, stachys sylvatica.

  • gardenninggrannygardenninggranny Posts: 803

    Yes, the rampant stachys - the roots spread along just below the surface so to try to dig along the root to eradicate, otherwise you will end up with little plants popping up a short distance away from the original, and it will keep spreading, like butteercups do.

  • JetmorganJetmorgan Posts: 79

    Thanks for that Ceres & Gardenning Granny...I pretty sure now it's going to all come out and I'll just have to find something that the butterflies will like

  • JetmorganJetmorgan Posts: 79
    philippa smith2 wrote (see)

    A good plant for the wildlife but spreads happily.  Easy to tell a stinging nettle....just touch itimage

    But aren't there stinging stinging nettles and non-stinging stinging nettles???

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    There are lamium, the deadnettles. They're not related to stinging nettles. Lamium are in the same family as the hedge woundwort, Lamiaceae. Stinging nettles are in another family, Urticaceae. All they have in common is a similar shaped leaf.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Think I'm right in saying that lamiums all have a square stem ...


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





Sign In or Register to comment.