I have been using Firefox instead of Internet Safari this week, because for some reason it's set so the photos are larger on blogs. I forgot, though, that when I go to do a post, I can't type above the first photo. I allowed a few of these plants to grow across the street because they remind me of Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate, and I was thinking the flowers were going to be a similar color and shape. I was wrong.
Here's what the flower buds look like:
I've never seen this kind of flower before.
These photos were all taken of the same plant yesterday. Some of the flowers have matured and formed berries. I suppose it is some weed that I need to get rid of or else it will fight with the sumac and other weeds for control of the whole garden.
I remember when I first started gardening on the 3 lot yard of our first home, the original farm home of the neighborhood, there were some plants I let grow because I thought they were interesting looking. One day, a teacher my husband worked with came over and got all excited. She asked me why I was growing button weed. (I just looked for another name I've heard it called, and the buttonweed images were not the same as what I had. I did find the other name, and it is velvet leaf. I also found out it's a mallow.) She said she and her siblings used to get paid for each button weed plant they pulled out of their dad's farm fields, and couldn't believe I was letting it grow. I did pull it out.
Do you know what the name of this plant is?
Pull it quick! And get all of the tap root. This is a "poke weed". Look it up, it is quite a bugger to get rid of once the birds start eating the berries, and every itty bit of root left behind creates a new plant. Unless you want to try the extravagantly created poke salad, read up on it because it can be toxic if not prepared properly.
ReplyDeletenot sure - could be in poke family sandy
ReplyDeleteI was going to say it looks an awful lot like pokeweed. I don't allow it to grow in my garden as it can be very weedy.
ReplyDeleteForgot to say, I use firefox for my browser. When I upload photos what I do is add some spaces under the photos then drag the photo down so I can have some space to type. It should work for you too.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, that is Pokeweed, and it's very aggressive.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure until I saw the berries in the last post because the flowers are a bit different than the variety we have here. You other readers are correct. Pull it!
ReplyDeleteYep a very healthy poke salad weed! Its what we call them in alabama! Pull it quick before it grows more, although here the berries will turn purple, u can make a dye out it but its posionous once it gets to this point so be careful. But it makes a magenta dye color.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. I have lots of weeds to pull across the street, and will include these.
ReplyDeleteYikes! I have this same weed in my garden! I noticed that the birds were eating the berries, so like you, I have left it. Tomorrow it will be gone!
ReplyDeleteI didn't recognize the plant, having never grown it, but reading everyones comments had me singing the old song, "Poke Salad Annie".
ReplyDeleteOf course, One person's weed is another person's wildflower.
Native American cultures use Polk Salat root to treat inflamation rashes and skin conditions, while they berries made a brilliant purple dye for their yarn.
Hi Sue, it is pokeberry and most consider it a vile weed. I like to leave some, as though they could all be pulled HA, at the edges of the property for the birds. Cardinals especially love those berries. That is why they spring up all over I suppose. They are easily pulled when small but impossible when large to get out of the ground. There are worse weeds, like crabgrass. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Frances was right. I was not able to get the whole plants out that had gotten large, but will keep at them. I thought about letting one go, but I already have so many other weeds I'm fighting, that I decided I better not.
ReplyDeleteLooks pretty to me. But in our yard some of the strongest growth comes from plants that survive no matter what we do to them. weeds....
ReplyDeleteTake care,
SG
I don't know if any of you had subscribed to the follow up comments, but I came across this while looking for a different post where I had asked for help identifying some. I ended up letting this one plant continue to grow, and am pulling out any others that come up. There are lots of weeds in the garden across the street right now, but I am working to catch up.
ReplyDelete