What is this??

Richard.jones89

Completely novice gardener here and this may be a dumb question, but this is really bothering me now for reasons you'll see below.

Long story short, I decided to plant several cherry stones last autumn just for fun, not really expecting anything to happen.

I left the tub alone around the side of the house and, to my surprise, I've now got several MASSIVE plants growing. Which sounds good....only I'm not sure exactly what they are. The reason I say this, is because in my mind they don't look like something that would develop into a small tree? Worse still, I can't shake the idea that they may just be weeds, as they do look slightly similar to some that are growing near the house, in terms of general leaf shape, but I'm not sure of this is just doubt from me ultimately not knowing what I'm looking at? 

Ultimately, I have no idea what the hell these things are, and I'm hoping someone will be able to tell me if they're a weed or not, as I don't really feel like taking care of a tub full of weeds and potting them on so they have more roon etc.

Pics posted....anyone able to help at all please???

Buttercupdays

Lovely lush specimens of willowherb, I'm afraid!

Richard.jones89

Buttercupdays said:

Lovely lush specimens of willowherb, I'm afraid!

Excuse the ignorance but I'm guessing that's a weed? 

Novice23

Yes I'm afraid so, but can be quite pretty....

Richard.jones89

Novice23 said:

Yes I'm afraid so, but can be quite pretty....

Well at least I found out now 😂 thanks!! 

Richard.jones89

Muddle-Up said:

Looks like the annual willowherb, not the big Rosebay version.  Pull it out before it flowers and sets seed, Richard.  It's a pain once it seeds, you'll be pulling it up forever.  I know I am!

It's in a tub so tbh, as it's the only thing in there, I may just chuck it all, clean the tub and go for something else in there, maybe some veg or something...maybe keep it free for when my strawberries start growing runners? 🤷‍♂️

Stephanie newish gardener

@Richard.jones89 I've just seen your reference to this on another post which seems to be an aster. As I have loads of willowherb as well as asters I'm afraid sadly you have the weed and not the pretty plant. Well, the weed is pretty but as others have said, it self-seeds prolifically, and when it gets to a decent size it is really difficult to pull up. Mine is mostly on a steep and fairly inaccessible slope, hence having loads of it.

Take a close look at your pic and that of the aster and you'll see a difference in the stems, also in the size of the leaves. They do look similar, and when you're new to gardening it's an easy mistake to make.

No such thing as a daft question - I'd be in trouble if there was, so keep on using the forum, as the collective wisdom is immense! 😊

Richard.jones89

Stephanie newish gardener said:

@Richard.jones89 I've just seen your reference to this on another post which seems to be an aster. As I have loads of willowherb as well as asters I'm afraid sadly you have the weed and not the pretty plant. Well, the weed is pretty but as others have said, it self-seeds prolifically, and when it gets to a decent size it is really difficult to pull up. Mine is mostly on a steep and fairly inaccessible slope, hence having loads of it.

Take a close look at your pic and that of the aster and you'll see a difference in the stems, also in the size of the leaves. They do look similar, and when you're new to gardening it's an easy mistake to make.

No such thing as a daft question - I'd be in trouble if there was, so keep on using the forum, as the collective wisdom is immense! 😊

Aaah brilliant, thanks for the help!! 😊

I don't suppose you'd know the best way to clear out overgrown areas to make way for a no dig veg patch?? The area is uh.....a bit wild....

I've posted in the plants section but no replies yet.