Comments on: Mystery Plants

By: RuthieJ

RuthieJ — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:28:13 +0000

Hi Robin,
I thought "Lamium" to myself also about the first one, but never checked further to verify my thoughts. Then I read about plant #2 and Lucia your "garden fairy" and just had to laugh.

I keep very poor records myself. I have a couple of documents I created on my computer listing perennials I put in my butterfly/hummingbird gardens, but when they die and are replaced, I usually forget to update the file, so I never know the date (or year) a new plant is added.

By: Layanee

Layanee — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:06:33 +0000

Robin:

Isn’t it great how you can get an answer from the blogging community! As for record keeping I remember them until I forget them…I need a better system now that I think of it!

By: Robin (Bumblebee)

Robin (Bumblebee) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:25:15 +0000

It’s difficult to think of the lamium in my garden as invasive. So far–at least–this plant has a tidy clumping habit.

I also have several dead nettle (horrid name) that have spread slowly without becoming overly aggressive. I love their variegated leaves and tiny flowers. I may have to post a photo of these fabulous antique fu dogs with the dead nettle in my front flower bed.

–Robin (Bumblebee)

By: Andrea

Andrea — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:18:36 +0000

Gotta agree with both IDs. Lamium can be pretty invasive in my neck of the woods, so keep your eye on it!

As for your other question, organized I am NOT. But I do use my blog as a way of keeping mild control. Although there’s a group of bloggers who photographs everything blooming on the 15th of each month ("Garden Blogger Bloom Day"), which seems like a pretty swell plan to me. I’ll try it if you will!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:57:06 +0000

I agree with the id’s of both plants. As for record keeping, Susan Harris of Takoma Gardener had a post about it quite a while back. She just staples the tags to a sheet of paper, and files them in a 3-ring binder. I tried finding it using Google and couldn’t, so why don’t you ask her? Carol at May Dreams recently made a reference to it, which is why it came to mind. I remember it being easy to do and easy to remember to do.

By: julia,charles co.

julia,charles co. — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:59:22 +0000

#1, Lamium,album #2 Begonia grandis usually pink flowers, there is a white flowered form, reseeds freely. Completely hardy, great foliage plant. Deer food

By: Robin (Bumblebee)

Robin (Bumblebee) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:20:45 +0000

Thanks Maggie. I did a Google search and lamium was just the clue I needed. Mystery plant #1 is here -- called a yellow archangel.

http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/urban/beyond/dir_yellowarchangel.html

Thanks so much!

Robin

By: Muum

Muum — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:17:54 +0000

yea, the first is a type of lamium , the second? don’t know, intriguing???

By: maggie

maggie — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:09:22 +0000

I know the first is a form of lamium, not sure about the 2nd