Thursday, August 23, 2007

What is this mystery flower?

While we were camping, my mystery plant finally bloomed. I think that last year, I was hoping these flowers were 1st year coneflower seedlings. I was wrong, very very wrong, and now this vigorous grower is taking over my border bed. What is it? Can I easily be rid of it? It is crowding out the coneflowers and my beloved meadow rue, so it has to go.

5 comments:

Sugarcamp said...

Ali,
I think you have a type of tick seed. There are several. I have one plant of it that wasn't there last year. Coincidentally Kathy identified it for me just this week. She mentioned that it was invasive. If you don't like it I would pull it all out and burn it.When I find something I don't like and it is invasive that is what I do. Within reason. Mom

Anonymous said...

Hmmm - It may be tickseed, but I'm not sure. The flowers (especially the middle) look like some tickseeds, but the leaves look much more like a helianthus. I'm just not sure, though.

Anonymous said...

Looks like brown-eyed susan's to me. I believe they're in the same family as coneflowers. They're a common wildflower in Texas where I live. I love them because they're drought tolerent and the heat doesn't knock out the blooms. They can be pretty prolific in their reproduction habits :) But just yank out the ones you don't want to keep!

Kathy said...

That's tickseed. It grows voraciously in the south where I learned about it from my buddy Kate.

Anonymous said...

If you like the Meadow Rue, Heronswood Nursery has an outstanding variety called Thalictrum 'Black Stockings' with large flowers and chocolate brown stems, that you’ll love.