CLOSEUP OF HATED PLANTS

Looks very much like crocosmia, grows pretty much anywhere and can be invasive. But it gives lovely colour, red, yellow or orange in tall spikes late Summer/autumn.
The brown leaves can be pulled out, there are lots of new shoots comimg through.

Yes, I think your Hated Plant is crocosmia, Harli. It might equally be a type of iris, but this I think is less likely. As Andrea says, if it is crocosmia, then the dead leaves should pull away fairly easily now. This plant belongs to the group of plants we call herbaceous perennials. They differ from from everything else in that they put on all their growth in one season (spring/summer usually) and flower and then, when the winter comes along, all that years growth dies back completely to the ground. But they remain alive underneath the ground and come up again the following spring. Lots of plants do this and they are often the most showy of plants.

You really won't hate them when they flower, Harli! I have them in my garden in several places and they are very attractive plants. You can even split them to plant some elsewhere in your garden, if you do decide you like them after all! I'll look through my photos and post a picture on my page - let me know when you've seen it!

Spritzhenry ~ I would love to see a picture. I have 6 clumps of them, so may keep some of them.

Have a look at my page - I found a group and a close-up! I hope you like them, I do. I have planted more corms this month of a red variety called 'Lucifer' and I hope they grow!

Harli - where are you? We are all waiting for you to comment on the Crocosmia photos on my page!

Spritzhenry ~ Those are incredible, almost look like a tropical plant.
I have about 6 clumps of them. I do so hope mine are red.
Do you fertilizer them?

I do nothing at all except to pull off the dead leaves in the late autumn/early winter, and occasionally pull a few up that have 'walked' across one of my flower beds where I have a very precious plant! You can buy 'Lucifer' here at the moment as dry corms in a packet, or wait until they have grown and buy a potful at the Garden Centre. You will have to keep your eyes open if yours turn out to be orange. 'Lucifer' is a taller variety - to about 3'6" tall.

These look like they are going to be tall. So I should remove the leaves when they turn brown in the Fall? Do I just cut them off at the ground level?

Is there a good kind of pest control that I can use overall, or is there different things for different plants. Must be something my dog can't get hurt by.

You will find that the leaves are easy to pull off - not cut - but if your weather is very cold in winter you might be better leaving the tidying until early spring, when you can see the tiny spikes emerging. Not sure what you mean by pest control - do you mean greenfly, slugs/snails or bigger animals like cats and rabbits? If greenfly etc, there are lots of sprays that can be used on any plant you have e.g. 'Bugclear' but try soapy water first, that will sometimes get rid organically.

At that stage they could be iris, daylily, or crocosmia...what do the roots look like?

Hi Harli, having read your first post I am very envious of your environs... Since you are just beginning with your garden you have a wonderful opportunity... have you considered natural gardening?
Natural gardening is the name given to a movement among gardeners that is beginning to catch on. It is the green idea of enjoying what the natural surroundings of your home may be, whether desert, temperate, rain forest, mountain.(in your case) and planting or encouraging native plants, providing water and features that encourage wildlife to return to your backyard. It doesn't mean letting your already existant garden go, but will bringing back into it what was once naturally there. You can add features to it that encourage birds to nest, bees to forage, and animals to return.
If you're interested a quick google search will give you a better summary than I am able to here....Chapters or Amazon have lists of books on the subject. The books are full of many different ideas and some even have plans for the DIYer in the family for arbours and trellises, gazeboes, and water features...and lists of beautiful easy to grow plants, trees and shrubs...Or with info on your particular area of the world..and what's natural there... From what I read in your first post I thought that this might be something you would enjoy trying... Good luck in your efforts...happy gardening.
lori

Spritzhenry ~ We do have lots of slugs around here, but I remember Mother always talking about something called aphids.

Lori ~ I will check into that more, thank you. I have gotten so much great advice in here, and for the most part Im not going to do to much the first year until I know what Im doing and what to expect.
We have a family of racoons in our cedar tree Im enjoying but not be so fond of them when my raspberries and grapes ripen.

Hallo again - aphids are indeed greenfly and whitefly. You can 'squish' them by running your gloved fingers gently up the stem when you see them (If you are not squeamish) or else try spraying with soapy water several times in a week or so. If this doesn't work, then spray with some spray bought in like 'Bugclear'. You do need to deal with them as they suck the sap from e.g. rose shoots and buds and then cause deformed flowers or even none! Ladybirds, Lacewings and I think Hoverflies eat them if you can find any!! lol.

I agree with Lori, it is very difficult to say it is definitely Crocosmia at this stage from the 'photo, in real life much easier. Are the leaves thin and grasslike of just a little fleshy?

it does look very much like crocosmia to me, i know it is hard to say for sure at this stage from a photo, but i'd be willing to bet on them being crocrosmia. if it is Harli you could try digging it up and dividing it you will end up with lots more plants ofcourse, but now that you like them would'nt be a problem, you could always give them to friends. anyway getting back to the point if you do this in the spring it will promote better and more flowers, i did this last year to a clump i found in my new garden and they were absolutely fabulous all through the summer and then the most interesting seed pods which look good all through the autumn too, and are great for drying out and using in flower arrangements! - mine are orange and i liked them so much i have just bought some yellow ones!

I still say the answer is in the roots...what do they look like?If they are fascicled or rhizomes they could be iris or daylily, if they are bulbous they are crocosmia (montbretia). Yes?