[Jodi]

On my thread below about green onions, I mentioned two plants in my yard that I have no clue what they are. Several of you are offering me help in identifiing it. Can't post a pic because the digital camera has been misplaced since our move. I thought I'd move this to a new thread and I'm going to describe the two plants better. I hope.

In what was left of the former owners garden are two plants that came back up this spring. They are at opposite ends of the garden. They grew fast and are really big. The leaves remind me of rhubarb, large but not as pointed as rhubarb. The plant is not vining. It grew up in what looks like layers of it's leaves. It kind of reminds me of a firework, but in a plant. Right now they are about 3 feet tall. I looked at them more closely right now and at the ends of each group of leaves is a harder green thing....for lack of better way to describe it. Not sure if thats going to be a bud before some kind of veggie or what.

Several of you have offered me ideas of what it might be in my other thread.....it's kind of fun waiting to see what these plants produce. If anything. I don't think it's just a decorative plant since it's in the garden amongst all the green onions! The lady before me had tomatos and other things in between these two plants along with some herbs which I have identified.

Thanks....Jodi

 

[Guest]

Dont know the official name but around here, there is a weed we call elephant ears, very hard to kill. Best way I've found is to take a spade and stab it severing the leaves near the base about once a week.

 

[southerngurl]

Elephant ears aren't a weed! They are pretty and people plant them. If you were trying to get rid of them, you would have to dig up the bulb I imagine.

 

[Jodi]

OK, it's not elephant ears. I've seen those........but, thanks for the suggestions! I'll keep searching..

 

[uncle Will in In.]

While sitting out by our garden this evening I noticed some plants growing on the far border that are three feet high. The leaves are heart shaped the size of an 8 inch pie pan. The outer edges of the leaves are rough with a few points on them. They grow singlely on skinny stems off of the main center stem which is light green. On the very top, and here and there on the main stem little hard balls are forming.
If your plants look like mine, they are Hollyhocks.
If so, the little hard things are the flowers.

 

[Jodi]

Thank you, Uncle Will...I'm going to go look up a pic of a Hollyhock right now!


Jodi

 

[Guest]

there are two elephant ears
first the official one, Colocasia aka 'taro' of hawaiian vegetable fame.
they are planted in water gardens also and there are named varieties.

second- common burdock Arctium spp. which see.
th e plantis a hardy weed related to asters , thistles, and has pink fluff of petals, in a prickly green ball of a base tha t becomes the big brown burr that stuck to your clothes as a child.

 

[Jodi]

I looked up hollyhocks on the web. It's a little hard to tell as all the pics show them flowering, but I have a feeling what I have is indeed hollyhocks. Mine definetly have the little hard balls forming. And they have the height of a hollyhock.

If I get some beautiful flowers, then I know they're hollyhocks. If no flowers, then I'm going to speculate they are Elephant Ears.

The family we bought the house from still lives here in town. Next time I bump into them I'm going to find out once and for all what is growing!


Jodi

 

[MelissaW]

What we call elephant ears is actually caladium, and the weed sounds like what we call yellow dock. I thought you might be talking about horseradish at first, but it doesn't form little balls. If you think that might be it, though, you would only have to smell the root to be sure! I love mystery threads! It's so fun to read the guesses, and find out what it ends up being. It's also fun to learn the regional differences between plant names!

 

[babetteq]

It sounds a lot like what we call burdock up here. It's all over the place. if it is burdock, the roots in the spring are very good for you and can be chopped and dried and used in winter stew. very high in iron. However, they sort of take over.

Babetteq