Plant & Weed ID Megathread

Hippodrome Song Owl

What is this please? It's planted in my flower bed.

jaffa20

Some variety of purple leaved geranium (cranesbill) i'd say?

standardg60

Some form of purple leaved geranium.

Hippodrome Song Owl

Thank you! Do they flower at all?

standardg60

Yes it'll most likely have a pink flower

coillsaille

Hi folks, looking to identify this flowering plant growing in a nearby field.

IMG-20230728-WA0000.jpg

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910727#Comment_120910727

Some variety of bleeding heart (Dicentra).

Nice plant imo, easy to grow not that aggressive

New Home

I'd have thought It looked more like some variety of balsam, even Himalayan Balsam, which is invasive.

looksee

I agree about it being Balsam. Is the land wet, or is there a stream running through? It needs to be cut down before going to seed, it is very invasive and will choke waterways.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910989#Comment_120910989

Once it gets going it doesn't really need wet ground. I had it come into a housing estate in the topsoil and it grew just as well as on the riverbank. It hoes off very easily in garden conditions if you can catch it as the seed germinates but its much more difficult to control along river banks where you can't get at the seedings. Caught early its very susceptible to selective weedkillers but you can't use them along a riverbank.

looksee

That's where cutting it down before it seeds is helpful, it may take a couple of seasons but persistent cutting can get rid of it completely.

coillsaille

The spot in which it is growing is a bit marshy alright. The field in question is not mine so I will pass on the advice about cutting it down to the owner. It's a few hundred yards away from my place, on the leeward side of the prevailing wind, so hopefully that's far enough that I don't have to worry about it appearing in the garden.

A while back I posted a weed which has appeared in the garden, it was identified as a type of willow herb and I was advised to remove it right away or there would be a million seedlings. I followed that advice immediately but the prediction still came true as I was obviously too late. Our yard is surfaced in loose 804 chippings and literally hundreds of them sprouted all over the yard. I sprayed Roundup a few days ago so hopefully that will do the trick, have to wait and see.

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120903970#Comment_120903970

Thanks for the info on this previously. On further investigation it appears to be a "Midnight Reiter" geranium.

Any thoughts on why it hasn't flowered? I can't find any clear info on how much I should be watering it. We've had so much rain that I haven't watered it recently, but actually now I think the leaves seem a little crunchy, so thinking now it needs more.

It's beside a Hydrangea and Agapanthus, which are flourishing. These are watered well every few days. There's a geranium rozanne also which is doing really well, and I'm conscious of not having it sitting in soggy soil.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120938427#Comment_120938427

Those varieties can be a bit delicate and slow to establish so just give it a bit of time.

They prefer to be on the dry side so I wouldn't worry about watering it, it could do more harm than good.

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120939217#Comment_120939217

Thanks. Perhaps it is getting too much then? It's between hydrangea and agapanthus, and I was told they need good watering a couple of times a week, particularly the hydrangea. It was only planted in mid-June though, so maybe it's just slow to settle in.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120940052#Comment_120940052

Ah if it's only that new i wouldn't worry. Yes ease off on watering it in this weather, it should be getting more than enough.

They all should really, i'd only keep an eye on the Hydrangea if that's new too. Agapanthus are from South Africa so like dry conditions too.

I've a hedgerow out back which I leave wild enough and this plant has just taken over, in the past week. Any ID on it?

looksee

Sowbane?

One of the nightshades?

Great pic of the leaves but a slightly more distant view of the shape of the plant would be helpful.

MacDanger

A tree growing in a field locally, fairly sure it's something pretty common. Anyone able to put a name on it?

looksee

Goat willow I think.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120947734#Comment_120947734

...

looksee

I don't think that is sowbane, it has green stems. It could still be a nightshade - black nightshade maybe? Or something else entirely, I'd like other opinions on it.

The Continental Op

I know the stems aren't black but I'd call that Annual Nightshade http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.php?id_flower=484&Wildflower=Nightshade,%20Black

Kids, dogs, and horses. That will have to go, so. Disaster as it's all over the length of the hedgegrow

looksee

Black nightshade isn't the same as deadly nightshade.

Black is toxic to dogs and horses no?

looksee

I had to look that up and you are right. While I wouldn't recommend testing it, apparently other cultures than Europeans don't regard it as poisonous for humans. Always possible that we are not talking about exactly the same thing.

I was taught the dangers of deadly nightshade as a young child but that woody night shade was not as dangerous, but still not to eat it. Both were very common where I lived.

Hippodrome Song Owl

Any ideas on this mushroom, and what to do about it (if anything)? It's growing under overgrown leylandii that are scheduled for removal in October. It's quite big, maybe 4 inches across.

There may well be more - it's a very overgrown area I'm struggling to get into due to thorny vines everywhere.

looksee

I have varieties of fungus all over the garden in odd places, nothing I would eat but also nothing I would worry about. I don't do anything about them.

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120978297#Comment_120978297

Well I'd definitely have no intention of eating it - I absolutely hate mushrooms, I can't even stomach the thought of eating the regular ones!

My main concern would just be safety - mostly for my cat.

There are a few little brown mushrooms growing in the back garden lawn too, since we've had the wet weather. I wasn't really worried about those, but should I just mow them or pick them first?

I had actually found another huge white mushroom last week just sitting on the edge of the lawn as if it had been dropped. It looked like a big supermarket mushroom (perfectly smooth), and my first thought was whether my neighbour had thrown it in, then I figured it must be dropped by a bird maybe. I just lobbed it into the overgrown area, but now I'm worried I should have put it in the bin.