What's this?

Got this from the same friend who went tiptoeing through her woods and gave me all the weeds. This one, however, looks rather intriguing. Is it?

It looks like a dollar plant to me...

Lunaria annua ?

I'd definately go with the Lunaria.

Checked with her today and she confirmed dollar plant. It is something worth working with or is it another weedy thing that just happens to be interesting looking?

They are biannual so you have to wait two years for a bloom, they look a lot like wild phlox, the ones that bloom early in the spring . They grow in the edge of my woods wild, most people grow them, for the dried part you have, for dried arrangements.

From your photo, it looks like the silver dollar nearest the camera is loaded with seed - depending on how old these are (I don't know how well the seed keeps) it looks like you may have the start of your next sessions growth.

And the green on them stays through the winter like a foxglove. They have nice foliage.

Laurie...the seeds are falling out of the pods. My friend just collected this from her forest this past week. I plan on germinating and see what happens. I believe she also gave me a division of the same plant she dug up. I have this passion for germinating seeds just to see if I can do it. I've had gaillardia germinating for way too long...gotta try something new. I finally have 3 watsonia seedlings, which took a couple of months to sprout, but they are ALIVE!

Excellent Outta! You gardener, you! (smiling smiling.)

Watch that one, Sheri. It's think really aggressive around here. This is a southeast europe native that has naturalized in many parts of the U.S., including this state. That doesn't mean you shouldn't grow it, just don't let it get away from you. I had it at my last house and wished I had known better. Just don't give it too much of what it wants and it might behave better for you. And I would consider NOT letting the blooms go to seed in the garden. Sorry to be a downer, but better to know now, mostly to save yourself aggravation later on.

Melissa ~ That's exactly why I posted the question. I want to know before I do anything foolish. I love the friend who has been giving me all these plants from her forest. She is a bit of an old hippy (like so many of us) and flits through her forest digging things for me saying "oh...these have the prettiest little purple flowers." She did give me some good ones, a lupine I am assuming is lupinus polyphyllus and viola adunca. I'm still waiting to see what else comes up from the stuff she gave me. But thanks VERY MUCH for the heads up about the plant. It's very interesting looking but maybe I'll keep it in a pot instead!

I purchased a couple of plants (the variety called Variegated Honesty) from Bluestone 2 springs ago, and another couple last spring. I love them!! So far they haven't been invasive, but I'll watch for that. I did harvest a bunch of seeds, and started them. They're doing great! What I really like about them is the triple punch ~ very pretty foilage, pretty purple flowers, and then the very showy seed pods. I have lots of seeds left if anyone is interested!

Sanna

The variegated varieties of many plants are not as aggressive as the regular variety so it's possible that yours will not be trouble. I wonder if it does come true from seed. Have you tried it?
Sheri, it's the seeds you have to beware of so keeping it a pot may or may not make a difference.Also, I am not completely familiar with the horticultural conditions this plant love the most. I think it may be very easy going about where it is planted. But if it particularly love sun and moisture, for instance, growing it on the drier side in a shadier spot would help control it. You might not get as many flowers, though.

If you are very worried about it (how much of this plant did your friend have? That's a good way to get an idea of how it grows in your area) ask yourself what you like about it and find another one that gives you that same thing.

Sanna ~ thanks. I believe she gave me a plant as well...I'll pot it up and see what happens. The one I have is a native dug up from a friend's forest ~ that may be why Melissa is warning me off. Maybe the cultivars are a bit less intrusive than the natives?

Yes, and the fact that it looks like a 'native' is a bit of a clue as to its invasive qualities. This plant is not at all native to this area. It's from southern europe.

Pix ~ we crossed. I haven't seen the area from where she dug it. She lives in Oak Bay/Chimicum near the water and I believe she dug it up from fairly heavily treed areas, so I think part shade and moist. I looked in the Robson book and didn't find it. I seem to have temporarily misplaced my field guide but will look it up as soon as I find it.

We crossed again, but that would explain why it's not in the Robson book!

There you go! Yep, that's why it's not in the book.

I don't think it is too terribly invasive. It pulls out easily. It is also all over at heronswood and I was weeding it and was told it was one of Dans favorites and not too pull it. The variegated white one looks beautiful in the part shade. Heidi

I don't mind over agressive plants if they are easy to pull out. If they are really pretty you can just leave them where you want them and pull the rest. Then If you deadhead them they will go away. Like lycnis, dollar plant, mullien, and a wild thing I have that comes in white and pink that I love. I know, I will take a picture of it.

I'm going to start a few of the seeds and see what happens. If they live, perhaps I could interest a few of you in some of them? Hmmmm?

I should try to get a picture soon of my seedlings. I have two sets right now ~ some I started indoors in the early part of February. They have been transplanted outside and already have true leaves. The second set of seeds I started using wintersowing in a container. They too turned out great. Actually, I think they turned out better - a lot of my indoor stuff gets leggy. The WS ones are also transplanted already, but are still very small. Again, I have seeds of the variegated Honesty, if anyone wants them! Love this plant.

Sanna

Sanna ~ I agree. Many of my indoor starts are leggy and I'm seriously thinking about restarting (good thing so many seeds come in the packet, huh?). A few more weeks here and I should be able to sow outdoors. But I may start this lunaria indoors in a few weeks as well. I think I may have a few places in the yard for one or two.

Good luck with them! They seem to be pretty easy.

Owww, Heidi - I'm so glad you said that - I quite like some of the plentiful annuals - both because they let me dip into the dirt often, and I like the way they self-seed in places I wouldn't have thought of. I do this verbena bonariensis and it looks marvellous wandering around the beds on its own.

Um, I'm not sure about this - the jury's still out for me.

I loved tanacetum (feverfew), but it's getting a little irritating. And the lychnis as well. It's a tough plant for tough spots, but it's a pain pulling those little seedlings out when there are so many. As a matter of fact, between the lychnis, the lamium and the bishop's weed, I'm redoing 1/2 of one of my front beds this year.

Now the violets - they are okay. LOL

violets are rampant self seeders here - but I do like them. Lamium, that's not one of my favourites, and the lychnis seems terribly well behaved - but I have to say we do mulch pretty heavily around them. Libertia and sisyrhincium are pressing it a bit - I can still smile and move the libertia, but the sisy is beginning to p+** me off a tad.

Katie I do agree with you on the others. I the wild garden they are fine like a relaxed woodland. In a flowers bed I might not place them. At heronswood they were at the back of a bed where the natives were and they were just their till they bloomed and were pretty but on the edge of a wild garden. Heidi

Yes. And they are all pretty (and I admire their skill at reproduction - sort of like ranunculus) - it's just when they're too easy that I get worried that that's all I'll end up with. Of course, the only ones I don't like are the ones I have. Now the libertia and sisyrinchium . . . that might be okay. LOL

So, Heidi, when you refer to the other, which of these did you mean? I didn't ever get to Heronswood.

At my rural digs, I have a couple money plants that are trying to establish themselves in the gravel of my unused side of the carport!!!!!!! No water - only gravel dust for soil - hardy beyond measure, me thinks.

Feverfew and rose champion or lychnis I also had a batch of out of control daisys. Heronswood is open this summer July 26th for the garden conservancy. You shold go it is awefully pretty. Heidi

I really do want to go - don't remember why I didn't go for the open house last year. It is legendary, so I should at least go for perspective.

I would love to see the tanicetum and rose campion naturalized. They are little patches of color and would be nice "way out". :-)

I like self-seeders too, to a degree. But I do like to know when I've got them so i can decide whether to let a plant go to seed or not. And I have so many weeds to pull that even when a plant's seedlings are easy to pull, sometimes I feel like it simply adds to my work. I think the variegated variety would be really nice.