two-plants-to-identify
I asked about these two earlier in the year but no one had any suggestions. They've now both flowered, so maybe that'll help.
Plant 1 is in pots around the garden, and has self seeded itself freely following last year. It's very straggly though, and I'm not sure if it's meant to be! The first photo was taken in late June, the second was taken today.
Plant 2 is most likely a weed that has come from the bird seed, but I can't work out what it actually is. Again, the first photo was taken in June and the second taken recently, though it's been flowering for a few weeks now. The flowers are about the size of a 1 pence coin. Its roots have exploded out of the pot and are everywhere, but since I'm sure it's a weed I've just left it to struggle. It may have gotten bigger if it'd had more room.
Thank you for any suggestions you can offer.
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The one with the very pretty furry feet in the picture is,I think, niger seed for the birds.
Hehe, the furry feet follow me everywhere!
I think you're probably spot on with the niger seed suggestion. I might take pity on this poor specimen and put it in the ground now that I know what to expect from it. We have a dedicated niger seed feeder for the local goldfinches and the messy lot throw half the seed on the ground. The grass underneath is 90% niger seedlings with the odd strand of grass poking through. Of course it gets mown so it rarely gets past seed leaves. PFAF says niger plants can be used as green manure, so maybe the grass will benefit eventually!
Now, any bright spark know the first plant? My googling is turning up nothing.
I think you have another bird seed plant maybe. Look on the packets and see if there is any thing unusual mentioned. I know what you mean about mess from the feeders. I understand that niger seeds come from Ethiopia (i always thought it would be Niger) and in Ethiopia they grind the seeds up and make a bread from them, They look pretty inedible to me, but I suppose it's all a matter of what your mum cooks tasting good, isn't it?
Not sure I'll be adding the niger seeds to my diet! The birds can keep 'em!
I don't think the other plant is a bird seed plant. It's in several big display pots around the garden, quite away from the bird feed stations, and my mum thinks she remembers buying it, but not what it is or where or when etc. This one and another pot full survived the winter, but a third died, having thrown dozens of seeds into a neighbouring pot where they are currently fighting with a fuchsia. I don't know whether to massacre them or carefully pot them up!
Well, if you like them and they aren't out to conquer the world, I'd just enjoy them.
But the mystery! I've been googling images similar to the flower photo I posted and I've come across three that look about right, and every single page is in Japanese! And they tend to just be big posts of various flowers with no identification. One did possibly say it was a pink (Caryophyllaceae Dianthus).. what do you think? The petals are slightly frilled, but I've always known pinks as being skinny blueish leaved things. Could it have big glossy green leaves?
I dont know what they are but they look lovely Panoply! Especially the top one - the leaves look a bit rhodederony. (I've grown niger grass in the past (unintentially) so it isnt that though - niger is a fine leafed arching grass that is a dark purple, grows about 2 to 3 feet tall, very elegant & dries well for flower arrangments)
I was just about to say it didn't come from niger seed! Whilst searching similar images to the top flower Google threw up a Russian plant page, which when translated informed me that it is actually Bidens tripartita, the bur marigold! This lovely page suits it to a T: http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/B/BurMarigold%28Nodding%29/BurMarigold%28Nodding%29.htm
Funnily enough, since the roots escaped from the bottom of the pot I've dumped it into an old washing up bowl to sit in a puddle of water. Just call me the plant whisperer.
Goodness, I hope it's not a rhododendron! Niger grass sounds lovely though. Might look into that. Need some more variety. Might go nicely with my cerinthe army!
Anyway, I must go for the night. The furry footed cat is demanding cuddles.
The pink flower looks like a creeping phlox ... but the leaves in the top photo look a bit larger than expected so I'm not sure. Is it low-growing and evergreen? When not in flower mine looks sort of like that spikey pond weed, so 'straggly' works (it is a bit unloved and probably in a totally unsuitable location).
It may well be evergreen (I never really paid it much due until I wanted to plant things in the pots it's in!) but it isn't low growing and I don't think it'd ever lend its hand to ground cover. I'd say the leaves are about 5cm long and it has these straggly arms of them which are about 30cm, at a guess. I may be a bit out with my estimates!
Actually, if I remember rightly, this particular plant was brought in in the worst of the cold this winter as it shares its pot with a jasmine (I take no responsibility for the crazy planting choices!) so it may well not be hardy. Another one died, and a third is small and miserable, but still going.
Problem is, you never know if it's behaving normally or if you've given it such bad conditions it's doing something odd (or such nutritious soil it's become a giant! though I don't think that'd be the case here, since it's been in these pots for at least 2 years)