There is a plant in my garden which I haven't planted. It spreads like crazy, which makes
me think that it's a weed. It sends up runners all over the place, rather like a
buttercup weed and it has long roots like a dandelion. However, it looks very much like a
hardy geranium, and it has purple flowers in summer.

If someone could identify the plant, I've scanned in its image on this website:

http://www.v-b-elec.u-net.com/plant/plant.htm

Many thanks.

Tony,

I'm not sure which variety, but it's definitely a geranium. I've got
something similar growing in my garden although it doesn't sound as invasive
as yours. I looked in the RHS Encyclopaedia and there is only one with a tap
root ( G. farreri ) but it has pink flowers. A better match if they are just
long roots is maybe G.pylzowianum which it describes as ( no picture ) :

G. pylzowianum
Spreading perennial with underground runners and tiny tubers. H 12-25cm,
S25cm or more. Fully hardy. bears semi-circular, deeply cut, dark green
leaves and in summer, trumpet-shaped, green centred, deep rose-pink flowers.
May be invasive.

Martin.

Martin, many thanks for your reply. You've got it spot on -- it's a G. pylzowianum. I
searched google and found some photos of it, and that's the one.

I'll keep it in check, but won't pull it up completely.

Regards,



"Martin & Anna Sykes" wrote in message
...
Tony,

I'm not sure which variety, but it's definitely a geranium. I've got
something similar growing in my garden although it doesn't sound as invasive
as yours. I looked in the RHS Encyclopaedia and there is only one with a tap
root ( G. farreri ) but it has pink flowers. A better match if they are just
long roots is maybe G.pylzowianum which it describes as ( no picture ) :

G. pylzowianum
Spreading perennial with underground runners and tiny tubers. H 12-25cm,
S25cm or more. Fully hardy. bears semi-circular, deeply cut, dark green
leaves and in summer, trumpet-shaped, green centred, deep rose-pink flowers.
May be invasive.

Martin.

In message , Tony
writes
There is a plant in my garden which I haven't planted. It spreads like
crazy, which makes
me think that it's a weed. It sends up runners all over the place,
rather like a
buttercup weed and it has long roots like a dandelion. However, it
looks very much like a
hardy geranium, and it has purple flowers in summer.

If someone could identify the plant, I've scanned in its image on this website:

http://www.v-b-elec.u-net.com/plant/plant.htm

Many thanks.


Both hardy geranium and weed at a guess.

It's certainly one of the cranesbills (geraniums) but it doesn't look
like herb robert. That's got a much paler flower and red tinged leaves
and infests my garden. The closest in my Keble Martin is G. Pyrenaicum
(Pyrenean Cranesbill).
--
Cheers,
David Sinfield (Surrey, UK)