Hello,

I'm a new user (and a new gardener), so sorry for my first post being one asking for help!

I have discovered one of the joys/pains of buying a house with a garden, and that is that as you go through your first spring, unidentified plants start popping up all over the place, not to mention the fact that any time I dig a hole for anything, I invariably put my trowel right into the side of a bulb!

My query is regarding this plant, I did see it at the tail end of last summer, but cut it back when it died off. I'm not sure if it's a welcome plant or a weed - all I do know is that it has spread, and seems to want to spread further still.

Any ideas what it might be, and whether I should welcome it, or not. There is a big raised clump of it growing right next to a site where I will be planting a single-U cordoned pear tree when it arrives in a few weeks. Is this some deep-rooted monster which will suck the life out of my new fruit tree, or should I keep it to attract friendly pollinators?

Here are the pics:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/...d56fb65a_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/...07967f64_o.jpg

In the summer, when it flowers, it has bright yellow flowers at the end of these shoots. Lots of them. when it first poked through it looked like some strange worm/snake hybrid coming up for air...

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Steve

I forgot to add... the flowers are like long "fingers" of flowers - like a foxglove shape, rather than flat 'heads' or flowers/single flowers.

I realise I'm using totally wrong terminology, but hey, I'm learning!

Steve

"EdinburghFifer" wrote in message
...

Hello,

I'm a new user (and a new gardener), so sorry for my first post being
one asking for help!

I have discovered one of the joys/pains of buying a house with a
garden, and that is that as you go through your first spring,
unidentified plants start popping up all over the place, not to mention
the fact that any time I dig a hole for anything, I invariably put my
trowel right into the side of a bulb!

My query is regarding this plant, I did see it at the tail end of last
summer, but cut it back when it died off. I'm not sure if it's a
welcome plant or a weed - all I do know is that it has spread, and
seems to want to spread further still.

Any ideas what it might be, and whether I should welcome it, or not.
There is a big raised clump of it growing right next to a site where I
will be planting a single-U cordoned pear tree when it arrives in a few
weeks. Is this some deep-rooted monster which will suck the life out of
my new fruit tree, or should I keep it to attract friendly
pollinators?

Here are the pics:

http://tinyurl.com/c2oz27
http://tinyurl.com/dc639m

In the summer, when it flowers, it has bright yellow flowers at the end
of these shoots. Lots of them. when it first poked through it looked
like some strange worm/snake hybrid coming up for air...

Many thanks in advance for your help.


I have some of the same plant, brought pieces from my last abode. I can't
recall the name and haven't the time to look it up right now, but it's a low
growing slow spreading plant that that dies back after flowering, least mine
does. I'm sure someone can say more.

EdinburghFifer wrote:

Here are the pics:

http://tinyurl.com/c2oz27
http://tinyurl.com/dc639m

In the summer, when it flowers, it has bright yellow flowers at the end
of these shoots. Lots of them. when it first poked through it looked
like some strange worm/snake hybrid coming up for air...


Maybe some kind of Sedum?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum

Cheers,
Arkadesh

On Apr 1, 5:28*am, EdinburghFifer
wrote:
Hello,

I'm a new user (and a new gardener), so sorry for my first post being
one asking for help!

I have discovered one of the joys/pains of buying a house with a
garden, and that is that as you go through your first spring,
unidentified plants start popping up all over the place, not to mention
the fact that any time I dig a hole for anything, I invariably put my
trowel right into the side of a bulb!

My query is regarding this plant, I did see it at the tail end of last
summer, but cut it back when it died off. I'm not sure if it's a
welcome plant or a weed - all I do know is that it has spread, and
seems to want to spread further still.

Any ideas what it might be, and whether I should welcome it, or not.
There is a big raised clump of it growing right next to a site where I
will be planting a single-U cordoned pear tree when it arrives in a few
weeks. Is this some deep-rooted monster which will suck the life out of
my new fruit tree, or should I keep it to attract friendly
pollinators?

Here are the pics:

http://tinyurl.com/c2oz27http://tinyurl.com/dc639m

In the summer, when it flowers, it has bright yellow flowers at the end
of these shoots. Lots of them. when it first poked through it looked
like some strange worm/snake hybrid coming up for air...

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Steve

--
EdinburghFifer

It's Lysimachia punctata, common yellow loosestrife. It is a very
common, if aggressively spreading, garden perennial.