Seedling Identification Help Thread

It's that time of year again. Things are beginning to grow in our gardens, and even with the most careful planning it's sometimes hard to identify whether that seedling you're looking at is a desirable plant or a despicable weed.

I thought I'd start a thread so that we can help each other sort things out. Here's how it will work:

1. Take a close-up photo of your garden "unknown"
2. Post it here with a description of where it's growing in your garden and which known plants it's growing near.
3. Give the photo a number so that folks can reference it when replying with an answer.
4. Once your seedling is absolutely identified, add its picture to PlantFiles! (Thanks for the suggestion, ecrane3!)

I'm about to fire up my digital camera and get the ball rolling. Let's see if we can identify some seedlings!



This message was edited Apr 7, 2008 8:51 PM

Kayly's unknown #1

Update: Identified as Monarda seedlings

This is growing at the base of my monarda ('Marshall's Delight'). The monarda looked nearly dead last summer and I ended up clipping it way back. It was its first year in my garden, and I pretty much assumed it didn't like the conditions and hadn't survived. Am I wrong? Is this baby monarda?





This message was edited Apr 7, 2008 9:21 PM

Kayly's Unknown #2

Update: Identified as salvia

This one's growing in one of my what-the-heck-did-I-plant-there spots. My guess is that it's salvia, but there's nothing left of the original plant that I can find, just this stuff poking up through the mulch.



This message was edited Apr 7, 2008 9:22 PM

Kayly's Unknown #3

Identified: Common evening primprose

I have a feeling this one's an invader. Whatever it is, it's scattered throughout my garden. it's crowding up next to my daylilies, which are just emerging, and it's also near my rudbeckia and my coneflowers. It's kind of pretty for a weed, whatever it is, but my first instinct is to make it go bye-bye.

Anyone know what this pervasive little fellow is? He apparently invited several friends to my garden party.



This message was edited Apr 8, 2008 8:43 AM

Another look at contestant #3...

And I would suggest once you get your unknown seedlings ID'd, go post your pics in Plant Files. Some plants there are good pics of seedlings, but for many plants there aren't and it can be very helpful to have those in there.

Yes, great idea, ecrane3! I noticed some of the plants in PlantFiles show seedlings and it's very helpful info. :)

Send a pic of Contestant #3 to the Plant ID forum, then come back and report back ('cause I think I have some of that, too :))

The first one is Monarda. the second is Salvia. The Salvia is an easy check: fondle the leaves and then sniff your fingers..if it smells stinky, then it's Salvia. I think the species is the same one as 'May Night' because I grew that and your looks just like it.

Monarda might have a scent to the leaves, too, I don't remember. I grew it years ago, took it out because it got too big, then rebought it last year.

Suzy

Thanks for the IDs, Illoquin! Looks like I'm going to have a lot of monarda on my hands--there are a ton of seedlings! I may want to thin those babies out a bit. :)

Monarda has a wonderful scent (at least to me). It smells sort of citrusy and minty. But I couldn't get close enough to the seedlings to get a whiff.

Just pick a leaf, rub it, and then smell it. :))

Are those necessarily seedlings? Could they be the crown of the plant coming back? They are kinda far apart, though, aren't they? Guess they are seedlings. You could alwyas plant them real close together, or elave the where they are, to get what would look like a bigger plant. Then at the end of the year, pick the ones you like the best to keep and pull the rest. (I guess it depends on it you want a large plant or not.)

Suzy

Pick a leaf! Why didn't I think of that? Duh. hehe

I rescued the monarda plant from Wal-Mart last year and it had just three withered stalks. It was pathetic looking and I was convinced it was a goner. Monarda spreads by runners, doesn't it? I'm thinking I may have weeded some of these seedlings out last year thinking they were invaders. Such is the life of a gardening newb.

Well, you might be a newbie, but you must have some talent if you're buying half-dead plants and bring them back to life! :)

Suzy

3 is for sure a wild evening primrose. I have them every year. Oenethera something

I don't think 1 and2 are seedlings either- I agree they are the plants you said, coming up from roots.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/137821/
Are you sure there are none in the area/? I bet there are some in the field and you just haven't noticed. Above link is my picture and/or the plantfile listing. I usually have at least one lelft to mature somewhere in my yard ,and get just a few seedlings here and there. I don't feel its horribly invasive. But they do seem t o just pop up in no particular relation to where the plant was! Maybe just random dormant seeds.
I kind of like it , for a weed, and even noticed it seemed to be a good trapcrop for attracting Japanese beetles so I could handpick them.

sallyg -- I've never seen one anyone near here. Very weird. Maybe there were seeds in the mulch I laid down late last summer? I have no clue. I'll mark it as identified, though. And I think I'll weed them out. Maybe I'll relocate them to a "wild" area of my yard that's far from the garden.