Can anyone identify there please?

jennyjelly

Would anyone happen to know what these three plants are?

I bought them for 50p each at a CBS today but the old lady selling them didn't have a clue - she said she has loads of all of them in her garden so they must spread quite well.







Thanks!

savemoney

1st one looks a little like a forget me not

amcluesent

IMHO 1st is Navelwort, 2nd an aster??, poss. a shasta daisy (guess!), 3rd one is yellow rattle

serena

The first one is a lovely plant - Omphalodes cappadocica (sp??) known as navel wort.

Not entirely sure at the moment about the second one, it looks familiar, but I can't think right now - definitely not an aster though, too early for that, and shasta daisy has a low rosette of very green leaves.

The last one is a Lamium, galeobdolon, I think, also known as the Yellow Archangel. Plant at your own risk, it spreads! Don't waste good soil on it, it's fine for dry shade.

My best Omphalodes has self sown into paving, so I'm guessing that it likes a cool root run, I've also seen it growing in light woodland.

jennyjelly

Thank you very much for your replies - I've googled the navelwort and yellow rattle and those suggestions are spot on, so that's 2 out of 3.

My mum thinks the middle one might be called Hesperis - Google shows this is Sweet Rocket and I think that's what it is. The pics I've seen have pink or mauve flowers at the top of the stem which would certainly fit as there is a little cluster of tight buds at the top of the stem I have. Can anyone confirm this?

Antispam

Found this on navelwort

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Navelwort
Omphalodes Cappadocica

Omphalodes Cappadocica - A new and brilliant addition that should be grown by all. The plant is vigorous habited, forming foot-high mounds crowded with rich gentian-blue flowers like a glorified Forget-me-Not. Delights in cool loam. A most beautiful and amiable plant, flowering in spring.

serena

Number three is definitely not Yellow Rattle - which is semi parasitic on grass, and grown in meadows to suppress the vigour of grasses. The leaves of yellow rattle are pointed, narrow and without a silver stripe. The flowers remain half closed and anre bunched at the top.

Check if your plant has a square stem - defining characteristic of lamium family. It's definitely Lamium galeobdolon. (I've just googled, asnd found one result that named it Yellow Rattle - not correct)

The second one could be Sweet Rocket - I didn't think of that as mine grows multi stemmed.

jennyjelly

Serena, yes, the stem is completely square so you're right.

It's funny, I googled lamium when you suggested it and the first result I looked at said it was also called yellow rattle - must have been the same one you looked at. I've just googled yellow rattle and it's actually called Rhinanthus minor which looks similar but not the same. Reading the descriptions I'm glad it turned out to be Lamium!

Antispam thnks for that link, I'm really pleased I bought it now, sounds like a good 50p-worth! It certainly is a very pretty little plant. The flowers remind me of Scarlet Pimpernel flowers (except that they're blue of course, I mean the shape!).

Thanks for your help both.

serena

I checked some sweet rocket young plants on the allotment, and they look exactly like the one on your picture! My ones at home are more like shrubs this year...

And I love Omphalodes. That one's particularly pretty I think. There's another commonish one, verna, but it straggles far more and never seems to make much of a show.

There's also an unusual annual one, Omphalodes linifolia, with the prettiest white flowers. It looks just like Broderie anglaise material.