New to this forum and hoping some folks can help! Found this clearing my yard. I have never seen this before. Looked in some of my BC wildflower books and online and can't find the name. It's about 30cm tall. Please help.
One of the mulleins Verbascum, my best guess Moth Mullein Verbascum blattaria. In BC, an invasive species from Europe.
Certainly not!* I have a magnificent specimen of Verbascum thapsus in my back yard, now over 6 feet tall. Each to their own taste---you may find Verbascum unsightly and remove it, as is your right to do. 'Invasive', perhaps, but not in the way that, say, garlic mustard is. Rate of invasion is one even I can keep up with. I like the monumental quality of Verbascum, esp a single specimen in a good spot. (Much like a tree that achieves its best when given space.) Bees like its flowers. Your V. blattaria has lovely ones. Yesterday I discovered that my cat (she visits daily) has found a shady nest behind its ground-level leaves. Cool and protected. It is a plant that can tolerate Ohio weather, from oven-like heat to pouring thunderstorms. Pretty pest-resistant too. And I am pleased that it chose to grow in my yard this summer. All the above rate an OK in my plant-book. Chop or not---your choice! *Unless, of course, there exists regulation that requires you to do so.
Thanks for your reply! I do Not want to kill it and thinks its quite beautiful! However on Vancouver Island we have many invasive species including the Scotch broom taking over so I do not wish to be part of an ongoing problem here! This one in my yard was quite overgrown and in dry sandy soil so its never going to reach the height of yours. However if i let it go to seed maybe I will have more next year. I have a few of the common mullein in my perenial bed and they seem to readily selfseed.
Your delphinium border is pretty One group of leaves I am looking at in the first photos you posted looks like “morning glory” or some people call it “bindweed” Does it have white flowers today now? I think they close at night You do not want to encourage it Or aggravate neighbors with it (this weed does not care about good fences and nice neighbors) Just a thought if you’re concerned about invasives incl broom. NB - likely you cannot dispose of bindweed in green waste system —- straight to garbage is what some communities require. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/e...guide_to_noxious_weeds_10th_edition_32619.pdf
Much as I admire Verbascum thapsus, I do not allow it in my Nanoose Bay garden. It is considered a probable invasive plant and my experience supports that position. Years after pulling the last V. thapsus in my garden, I still find lots of seedlings every year. Not a good sign. E-Flora BC List of Invasive Species in British Columbia
Thanks for the info! I have gardened many years and am all too familiar with this extremely invasive Weed. When I bought my house last year about half the neglected back yard was covered in it. I have slowly been clearing it and think i am winning the war. The vines i clear i leave to bake in the sun then into plastic bags out with the garbage. I have found Round Up to be margially effective but most effective is digging the roots which are usually quite shallow and making sure i get every single piece out. This is only the second summer for my perenial garden but I enlarged it hugely this yr so delphiniums are just from this year and hopefully will double in size each year.
