A little background, I've been renting a house on the Columbia River near Portland OR for several years now. It came with a lot of potted plants, probably from a nursery. Most of these gradually died off (plants in pots do not do well if you forget to water them for a week in August). So as these weeds sprouted up, I decided to encourage them instead. Native species and all that. I don't know what they are called. Weed_1: Grows in sand. Big patches of it on the edge of the river. Never gets more than 2 feet high, Don't recall it ever flowering or looking different than it does in the picture. It may die in winter and grow again in the spring. I think the roots are all connected underground. Weed_2: Much the same story, I think the roots are connected on this one as well, and it may grow up to 6 feet or so. Weed_3: This one is a survivor from when I first moved in, so it may have come from the store. Weed_4: This one may be a 'mullein', an invasive weed from europe. The leaves have a fuzzy appearance and have nasty little fibers that get under the skin and irritate it for a day or so. Was told it's a biannual, and it seems to be. It looks like this the first summer and the second sumer it grows stalks 2 or 3 feet high with little yellow flowers on them. But that one is on its third year now and is back to looking like this. (or it's a different one that grew in the same spot. Weed_5: The one by itself in the center. I think that's as big as it gets. Weed_6: These are all the same, I think that's about as big as these get to. Thanks to everybody, as you can tell I know nothing about plants...
3. Looks like Lavandula. Common name Lavender. http://images.google.com/images?hl=...esnum=0&q=Lavandula&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
I looked at lavender, but I've never seen that plant flower or even look different from winter to summer. But looking at the lavender, I do have a plant that me be it that is flowering right now, so I went and took a couple pics of it. It's also a survivor so may have come from the store.
You can see the remains of the spikes on the tips of the Lavender where the flowers would have been last year. The blue flower, ( new pics) looks like a Lithodora diffusa. http://images.google.com/images?hl=...Lithodora+diffusa&btnG=Search+Images&aq=f&oq=
Thanks silver surfer, you really know your stuff. I was not paying attention so it could have flowered every year for all I know...
Yes, as Michael F wrote -- http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861631773
Thanks on the pronunciation tip. I actually keep that plant around so I can tell visitors not to touch it. Maybe I should grow belladonna so i can tell people not to eat it? I read up on the Lithodora. The article goes out of its way to mention how hardy it is, and in fact I almost killed it. I didn't water it during the summer and it was all dead except for a few leaves with some green in them in center, and it came back to how you see it in the picture now.
Bonus question, in the second new picture there is a dwarf pine tree of some sort to the right of the Lithodora. About 1/3 of the needles are always brown. It never seems to get better but but it never dies either. What is it? Is there anything I can do to cheer it up?
the thistle has to GO!!! it has a tap root, so be sure to dig down deeply to get the whole thing (it'll resprout from a tiny piece left in) and don't dare let it go to seed if you do allow it to flower (it IS a pretty flower). it goes from the pretty flower to seed almost overnight...and it puts out hundreds of seeds from one flower and they disperse the same way as dandelion seeds do and it will continue to flower (with no assistance from you) until the cold weather starts. so, that's the potential for thousands of seeds - and just about every dang one will germinate, too :( lol, it's a bit obvious i'm having an issue right now with it...one of the neighbors, whose yard abuts mine, put out birdfeeders. which is fine, i LIKE birds...he did a thistle seed one and now, my yard and the one next to it are full of thistle...and the one who put the feeder up (at the edge of his yard right by ours) doesn't have any of it growing...
joclyn: My interest is picqued now, I'll keep it around long enough to see what the flowers look like (I walk by it every day) then I'll send it to thistle heaven before it goes to seed. Macheel F: I've verified personally that these plants sting (trichomes?), a hot stinging sensation that lasts several hours from just a light brush against it.
areader, We feed all kinds of Birds. Which ment all sorts of mystery plants poping up all over. We now use cracked sunflower seed (no shells) for general birds that does not propagate, also a black thistle seed for the finches that has been treated and does not proagate. The birds keep coming so the food must be ok. Hint to your neighbor that maby he would like to try it out. DO get rid of the thistle. I looks like a Canada and I think they spread by dark magic as well as seeds, and are he-- to get rid of! barb
