Mystery Plant

[theohara]

Comments

[fenchurche]

I don't know what it is... but I can pass on the bit of advice I got when we first bought this house: If it's a plant you hate and want to get rid of, it's a weed. It doesn't matter if it's actually some expensive exotic delicate flower... if you don't like it and don't want it in your yard, it's definitely a weed.

[conuly]

Agreed. Roses are weeds in cornfields. Dandelions are a boon in a salad, though.

[theohara]

Ordinarily I share your philosophy, but alas, this is my mother's garden -- I'm just in charge of maintaining it. As she endlessly reminds me, there are "thousands of dollars' worth of plants in there"... and I neither want to pull them up nor let a weed choke them out...

[conuly]

So why not ask her what the heck it is? Or ask her what's in that area of the garden, so you can find pictures of the approved plants.

[conuly]

Did it have flowers?

[theohara]

Either no, or not yet. Staring at it with my head tilted quizzically does not seem to encourage flowering, sadly.

[willowgreen]

It reminds me of Solomon's Seal:

http://tinyurl.com/36928x

which, according to Wikipedia, refers to the entire plant family Polygonatum:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonatum

but, based on the way the leaves are positioned on the stem, I don't actually think that's what it is. A relative, though, maybe?

[petzipellepingo]

It does look like Phlox :

[petzipellepingo]

My best piece of advice would be to pull out a clump and take it to the nearest garden center and ask them. And if it is an invasive weed they can advise you how to nuke it.

[aphelant]

It looks very much like a common weed we have around here. I'm almost positive it isn't phlox (that purple stuff in the background might be, though). I'm going to ask my dad if he knows what it's called. :D