By Anndavies
Cheshire, United Kingdom
Can anyone help identify these plants and whether they are weeds or not?
- 5 Jun, 2011
Answers
They're only weeds if you don't want them. They all tend to rampage and spread liberally, so you can be quite tough with them.
I agree with Bamboo - first one is Vinca minor.
The middle one is Ivy-leaved Toadflax. Some people call it Kenilworth Ivy (or Linaria cymbalaria if they're being posh). I leave quite a bit of what pops up here as I like the little purple and yellow flowers.
No. 3 is probably Campanula poscharskyana. We have quite a bit of that too -
http://www.growsonyou.com/photo/slideshow/151165-campanula/member/beattie
5 Jun, 2011
Thanks for that, dont know if i am going to get rid or not, they are pretty!
5 Jun, 2011
You're welcome. :-) You can keep some and get rid of the excess where you have too much of a good(ish) thing. They all tend to keep coming back.
5 Jun, 2011
I have tried quite hard to get ivy leaved toadflax to grow on a wall - I just love it but it wasn't interested. The vinca is good ground cover in a shady place and in dry shade it doesn't spread too much. The campanula goes mad but you can just dig out what you don't want. Plants are only weeds if you don't want them.
5 Jun, 2011
top one is Vinca (periwinkle), middle one's a weed, bottom one with the flowers is Campanula, with a dandelion at its base.
5 Jun, 2011