Hi , I am unsure as to what these plants are and consequently whether to regard them as friend or foe. All help much appreciated. oh....does anyone know the best way to manage pea Vetch infestations? (organically) ta MXB
The 1st one looks familiar but I can't quite place it. Not sure on #2. The 3rd one is Fireweed Epilobium angustifolium.
I. The pink/ lilac one is Phlox. Praps P.paniculata or P.carolina. Definitely a friend. Need a flower for the other sword shape leaf. 2. The yellow one is weed. Ditto for a flower of the other one. 3. Chamerion angustifolium syn Epilobium angustifolium. Common name Rosebay Willowherb, Fireweed. A weed.
Pea Vetch! Oh my bleeding thumbs. The best organic control method for those nasties is to pull them up, plant by plant, and hope that they haven't reseeded and that you haven't missed any significant part of the root system. Then all you can do is wait. Vetches will tolerate anything short of fully salted earth (which you don't want to do anyhow, as it eliminates the possibility of growing anything but Sand Ipomoea, and why replace one invasive species with another?) You can try spraying the soil with a high concentration vinegar, but you've only got a 50/50 chance that they won't like it.... Best of luck! Oh, and agree with Luddite's assessment on species. Number two shows a Sow Thistle or relative - pull it up before those flowers turn into little poofs, or you'll never be rid of it. In the background, that foliage appears to belong to Irises, if the dried flower head is any indication. The sword-shaped foliage in number one appears to be from a lily; possibly one the Saskatchewan lily-types.
The "sword-shaped" foliage in #1 is certainly not a lily, and is definitely not Lilium philadephicum, which is native to Saskatchewan; it may be a daylily (Hemerocallis).
many thx for the responses. I should apologise for not being specific where two plants are shown. The second picture has Iris in the background but what I really wanted to know was what the yellow flowered weed is. I'm worried that if I pull them out, I may be inadvertently disposing of a plant that native butterflies or other insects might be partial to. I'll keep the Phlox and the Fireweed. My bees love the Fireweed and it makes good honey apparently. Cheers MXB
