Plant identification

extremetaz

Howdy folks,

I've completed a new build on a greenfield site and I'm approaching the point of starting to sort out the grounds. It's a big site and the area to the back of the house will be kept as traditional lawn, so no big deal there; but the area to the front I'd like to convert to a wildflower meadow.

I've been through the resources on wildflowers.ie and there's some very good info there but before I go killing back everything that's already out there I'd prefer to take stock of what I've got and see if appropriate promotion of what's already there, ahead of the grasses, might be an option.

To that end I present what I hope will be a bit of entertainment for the more familiar of you out there, as well as being a great use to me.

So - can you identify these plants?

1:

2:

3:

4:

5:

and finally, (there's a few in this one) 6:


Apologies for the enormous images, I'm not aware of any easy way to link to google drive photo's, so I've had to copy in the full location URLs without any embed options...

macraignil

I think picture 1 is called silverweed and picture 3 is a type of willowherb.

looksee

Pic 5 is chickweed I think, pic 6 the pink stuff's name escapes me, its a rampant thing that is grown on roundabouts and embankments, I am not sure that it qualifies as a 'wild flower' but I wouldn't worry about it! The stalky things in the bottom left are plantains and the feathery seedpods in the background are more rosebay willowherb.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Wild flower meadows are difficult to get right. What you have there are all fairly rampant weeds that enjoy recently disturbed ground. They won't make anything like a decent wild flower meadow. Best to clear them - difficult now they have seeded - and source wild flower seeds that suit the location (open meadow, shaded woodland, dry, damp etc).

magicbastarder

extremetaz wrote: »

I'd like to convert to a wildflower meadow.
...
but before I go killing back everything that's already out there

just mow it, leave the cuttings to dry out for a week or two and drop seed, and then lift the cuttings.
wildflower meadows were not created by killing back everything that was already there. lifting the cuttings means you're reducing the fertility of the soil and allowing wildflowers to compete with perennial weeds which will outcompete them in fertile soils.

New Home

The pinky ones with a "tail" - could they be Himalayan balsam (invasive, alien species)? I'm a bit iffy because I thought the leaves were different.

looksee

I think the second one might be common centuary, I always think it is very pretty in a quiet sort of way. Number 4 is annoying me as I should know what it is, and that roundabout weed is still escaping me.

looksee

No, Newhome, that was my first thought, but the HB is a much clearer and more open flower than that. I have a feeling its a herb but I am getting confused with boneset, which is not pink or even similar.

Edit - Knotweed, the pink one in the last pic. I knew it was a not very pretty name!

Edit again - Comfrey I was thinking of for the hooded pink one, but it isn't that.

New Home

You're absolutely right, I looked it up 'cause something didn't sit right with me, and yep, the HB isn't hairy or as hardy-looking as this one, it looks way more delicate (appearances can indeed be deceiving).

The knotweed is NOT the infamous Japanese knotweed, though, is it?

extremetaz

That's a big help guys thanks!

I'm in agreement on the knotweed alright (2&6), I'd been looking into it and it was about the only one I'd had any measurable confidence in. It's not the japanese knotweed thankfully, I'd identified it as 'smartweed'. Seems it's actually edible.. although I'll not be trying it just yet. :P

Cheers for the silverweed (1) ID - some reading informs me that that's actually and edible too...

Willowherb (3) is another good hit, cheers for that. Seemingly that one *is* actually a native so that's nice.

Chickweed (5) then, also a native and also an edible. Seems to indicate damp soil, which actually fits well with the part of the site where I'm seeing it.

So 4 is the only sticking point then - I'm happy to call that a good result. Very much appreciated folks.

magicbastarder, that's pretty much exactly what I'd been hoping to do alright. I couldn't reconcile myself with the idea of killing everything back despite that being the most common advice. What's there has come from the turned ground being allowed to grow wild for the last 2 years or so. I topped it early this season and have been cutting it at transport height with the ride-on every other week since then up until about 5 weeks ago. I've been collecting at all times up until now. The plan at present is to cut it down in about a fortnight to try and let any flowering plants turn to seed first, and as you say, I'll leave the cutting for a couple of days before collecting.

The question which surrounds this process then is with regard to dethatching/scarifying - there's a fairly serious grass thatch in there which is certainly going to hinder the proliferation of anything but grasses so I need to get that gone. Is that best done before or after I do the above?

Right now I'm thinking dethatch, cut, collect, then wait for some decent rain, roll, and scatter some wildflower seed towards the end of October. I'll likely repeat that process annually for the next few seasons, and keep the grass cut short in the near term to give the flowers a chance. I'm conscious that trying to keep the grass down, and still letting the flowers grow is a bit of a quandary though so I guess it'll just be a case of cutting close up until I start seeing the flowers trying to grow and then holding off until after they flower and seed. Then do a cut without collection, and collect the few days later allowing any seed to drop as advised above.

macraignil

As to the question about photo 4, I think it could be a form of broom rape (link to images). There are over 200 species according to the Wikipedia page and it does have some similarity to some of the photos.

looksee

I kept coming back to broomrape, but I think it does not grow as a clump like that? Any that I have seen in real life has grown as separate stems growing in a group rather than a clump. The flowers are also more waxy and 'dingy'. I'm open to correction though as I am not sure.

looksee

Is it an acanthus mollis? I know I have seen it before - aka bears breeches? Its annoying me now! Though it doesn't look like an acanthus leaf, if the spear shaped spotted leaf I can see is the leaf.