is growing in our garden. We don't remember planting it (that's OK as we are in our 80's) but we must have. It is 3-4 ft high, 2 "thick stem and seems to propogate by running root stock. It has umbels of pink flowers and just started blooming. We will be removing it as it doesn't suit our little garden but are curious as to what it is.
Balsam That's a kind of Balsam (Impatiens) looking very similar to policeman's helmet (Impatiens glandulifera), see e. g. my photograph http://www.flogaus-faust.de/e/impaglan.htm. But I cannot see the typical stalked glands at the edges of the leaves. So it could be a related species or, may be, your images are just not sharp enough to recognize these glands.
Looks like Impatiens glandulifera to me too. A common invasive weed - chances are, the seeds found their own way in to your garden.
It is very invasive. It seems to spread when the flowers drop. is taking me all summer to try to get rid of it. It comes up with the root attached very easily, but don't do this when it is in bloom or you will end up with babies coming up everywhere. Make sure you put the entire plant in the rubbish bin or you'll find it coming up somewhere new. It is a very pretty flower though.
Impatiens glandulifera; is an introduced, invasive annual. If you pull it out regularily, before it flowers, you will slowly gain control over it, the seed bank(Length of time the seeds,are viable in the ground.) is short-lived. It needs moisture to thrive. The explosive seed pods, can give you quite a welt around your eyes, if you do not wear eye protection around them.
thanks for the warning about the eyes. I thought I had them all up last spring, but even in the place where there in no moisture they are coming up???? Underneath an overturned boat that is behind a garage. Nothing else is growing under there. There is no soil, just drainage sized stones.No soil. It is always dry as a bone under there. Unless there is enough moisture in the air for them??? A shame though as they are really pretty and the bees and the humming birds appear to love them.
