

Monday, 18 April 2011

Weed or Wildflower

Ever have a plant in your garden you wonder... is that a weed? Or maybe a wonderful new plant has made it into the garden?

I was quite happy with a little plant with yellow flowers.... Lesser Celandine (thanks bloggers for helping identify this plant). Our local conservation charity calls it a wildflower however other websites call it a troublesome weed. I was content with my little 'wildfower' until this year - it has made its way into four different areas of the garden. Wonder do those little plants have legs that walk across the garden at night?
... so suddenly Lesser Celandine seems more invasive and less flower! The other day I dug out about 3xs the amount pictured. I've a feeling I'll be digging it out every Spring for the next few years.

So now I have another little plant, slightly prettier than the Lesser Celandine, coming up...
Any takers what this might be? Its in flower at the minute. Its leaves are slightly varigated, which don't show very well in the photos.

In my mind, its a lovely wildflower! But it has taken over a 'wild' area of the garden plus it's in one of the flower borders, happily expanding.
To weed or not to weed?


  1. A weed is any plant growing where you don't want it. You get to decide.

  2. I find it very facsinating that your corner in this earth that cheerful flower is weed. I think each gardeners have their own weed dictionary.

  3. I have a cute little yellow flower coming up. In the grass. It's a weed.

  4. Oh that little yellow flower is a PAIN IN MY SWEDISH flowerbeds!! I can't get rid of it! >( If you find a solution please let me know!

  5. If it is a PRETTY WEED, I don't much care! Unless of course, it takes over everything else! The leaf on that weed resembles mint which is an herb that takes over!

  6. I too think HelenB has given you a very good answer. The plant looks a bit like lamiastrum/lamium maculatum.

  7. That plant looks a little bit like Lemon Balm (Melissa), but I would think it is to early in the year for that to be flowering.