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Talkback: Weeds and wildflowers

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
Hi. Apologies if this is the wrong place for questions...
I am a gardening novice, and have experimentally sown Aquilegia, cornflower, poppy and Nigella seeds in my flowerbed. How, erm, do I know what are weeds, and what are my actual plants?? It seems to be the same seedlings coming up (or do ALL seedlings start with just two small leaves??).
Sorry if it sounds a silly question. (Feel abit intimidated being on the Gardeners World website!)
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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Hi Lizzie, Just have patience and wait and see what comes up. If it is a wild patch of garden then a few weeds shouldn't make all that much difference.But in a while they will all show their true colours and you can pick out what you don't want there. good luck.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I know it's a little unusual, but I think that sometimes, dandelions can be really beautiful. Where we live, there's a field just behind our house that's full of the things, so trying to get rid of them is a futil exercise, and they make the lawn so pretty.. not so keen on them in the beds though!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I bought 2 bags of Miracle Gro organic peat free compost to plant my vegetable seeds in. The firt bag grew seeds brilliantly the second also greww goos little plants BUT they are surrounded by tiny fungi why is this and is it alright to use the plants in the affected pots?
    Will they spore and infect everything else they ar on my kitchen window sill at present.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    The weeds I pull out in the Botanic garden are pounced upon by my colleague - an American lady. She finds a lot of them quite beautiful and takes them to her allotment to cultivate. This has me searching my wildflower book for their names as she likes our common names as well. I agree,Pippa,familiarity does breed contempt and we should treasure what we have. Luckily for us we have a new wildflower meadow to look forward to in the Garden.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    hi lizzie just wait a bit longer as the plants you are growing will all be obvious that they are the same few types.it might be easier if your new to gardening not to weed at all till the plants flower then you will know the leaves you want next year and the ones that are out of place and more likely to be weeds.have you got a friend that lives near by who enjoys gardeing and can hopefully point you in the right direction.everyone starts off gardening as a novice so dont feel intimidated on this site or any other.the fact is you have made a start now so very soon you will hopefully be hooked on growing alsorts.you could make it easier next time by only sowing in blocks of straight linesthen if something is not in the stright line they will be more obvious that they are a weed.dont worry that your seeds will look silly in stright lines,they wont look as soldier like when they start to thicken out.good luck.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    all plants start with two leaves called the cotyledons, I believe, and it is possible to start to recognise them, especially when the second pair of leaves arrive, which look different from the cotyledons, and look like what will follow. I am a beginner also, but find the following website good, as it shows the plants in the early stages. Like one of the others said, watch all your seedlings/weeds grow, and learn what they are, and enjoy
    http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I grow lots of valerian in my garden which is regarded by some as a weed, but I love its profusion of pink flowers and think it looks good in a herbaceous border.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Since I was a little girl (I´m 65 now) a have adored Dandelions!
    They look like little suns and they always make me smile! Sometimes I put a bunch in a little vase... and they are allowed to grow in my lawn!!! I just pick the dead flowers before they set seed.
    I wonder why nobody has cultivated them into a "real" big gardenflower??!!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I like dandelions too. My four-year-old son loves puffing at them when they reach the fluffy seed stage. He calls them blow-flowers.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I always let some dandelions flower to provide an early nectar source for emerging Comma and Peacock butterflies, as well as the various bumble bees. I always tell myself to dead head them before seed production, but some always get away! Never made dandelion 'coffee' yet, but did cultivate a plant in a pot in my kitchen (covered with a pot to exclude light)to add flavour to winter salads.Very good chicory substitute.
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