Solved Am l nurturing a weed?

.....I half expect I am .



Thanks

 

Well I never!! Thanks @JWK
Have say it does smell similar

What baffled me was the size..it's huge!!

All the others in the garden are a lot smaller and a brighter colour....here's one in the same border.



I'll get rid of the giants tomorrow.

 

Don't know what it is but it looks on the verge of flowering, I'd let it flower first and then get rid or not once I'd established what it was!

Nick

 

True...good idea Nick, why didn't I think of that! Might get rid of a few as there is loads in that border.

Thanks.

 

You might find that the flowers attract a lot of hoverlflies, whose larvae eat aphids.

Hoverflies are fussy, they really, really like Alyssum, and I seem to remember from last year that they like Feverfew as well. They quite like Erigeron karvinskianus, but it doesn't seem to be their very favourite. They did quite like Aubrieta, which is nearly over now.

I made the mistake of not planting enough Alyssum this year, I have some but not enough, so fingers crossed when the Feverfew buds open there will be more hoverflies to get rid of the aphids.

My Feverfew are at the same stage as yours, lots of flower buds but none opened yet.

You might like the flowers too.

 

@groundbeetle I didn't pay much attention to hoverflies at first but now I find them absolutely fascinating, the most successful plants with them so far have been Eupatorium cannabinum and Eryngium 'Blaukappe'. I'm growing lots of different eryngiums this year so it will be interesting to see how they all do with pollinators!

Nick

 

@Nikolaos, thanks for that information. I just looked them both up, as I haven't heard of them before. I will keep my eyes open if they are easily available. The Eupatorium cannabinum, Hemp Agrimony, looks beautiful, and maybe I can squeeze in one more big plant somewhere, or keep it in mind for next year. I just planted a few things especially with hoverflies in mind, hoping that they like them. They will be tall, with those many tiny florets that hoverflies seem to like, but I will have to wait a while to see if they are appreciated.

 

Oh I do have a lot of Feverfew already @groundbeetle had it for years, it's just that I've never had it so tall or in that colour shade before, that's what made me think it was something different.
Yes I do quite like it's flowers.

 

@groundbeetle Forgot to ask, but when you say hoverflies, what sort of thing are referring to? I ask because my interest in them in general was sparked by the Marmalade type. This...

Marmalade Hoverfly | Episyrphus Balteatus - The RSPB

They seemed to be particularly keen on my Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), quite an appealing plant to grow just because of its flower buds!

I don't think most people realise how diverse they can be, lots of variety there! I love trying to identify the little distinctions between them although I'm probably quite poor at it, such an interesting group of insects!

ID Guide Hoverflies – British Naturalists' Association

Nick

 

Ah Ok thanks @shiney ,we usually only have the golden one ,I keep a few that are dotted around the garden because I like the colouring...definitely not keen on the other one, most will vanish today.

 

Flowers are virtually identical...see below to show both plain and golden.

This is TANACETUM PARTHENIUM ...common name FEVERFEW ..taller straggly thing.




I love the golden one...TANACETUM PARTHENIUM AUREUM....it glows

 

This is Tanacetum vulgare Isla Gold...it also glows.
Foliage very ferny.
Flowers golden.

 

Wow thanks @Silver surfer .

Hmmm definitely not keen on this bigger one that we now seem to have. It's going!!

I love the little golden one ,I've never come across the 3rd one but I'm liking that one too.