2 plants to identify!

[mittengardener]

Can we rename this section "weed identification"? lol

First is something I see in a lot of beds. Obviously a ground cover. This is in my neighbor's yard and creeps into mine, so I pull it. I assume it is a weed that isn't super ugly, so people let it take over.



Second up is a clump with heart shaped leaves. This is growing in a narrow area between my garage and fence that gets little to no sun. There are probably 4 or 5 other clumps near by.

[purpleinopp]

Can't see the first well. 2nd looks like Violets.

[mittengardener]

Can't see the first well. 2nd looks like Violets.

Violets would be nice!

You can click on the images to enlarge them

[purpleinopp]

I didn't realize that. It looks like some kind of weedy tree sprout, like cherry, bradford pear, something I'd pull.

[mittengardener]

I didn't realize that. It looks like some kind of weedy tree sprout, like cherry, bradford pear, something I'd pull.

Tree sprouts? No..this is a ground cover weed.

[!potatoes!]

#1 looks like a vinca of some sort. agreed on the second looking violet-y.

[MarcP]

Here is a photo of wild violets that took over part of my yard. As you can see, they aren't so nice if they get out of control. In the second photo, I think purpleinopp is assuming you're referring to that clump of leaves at the front, tenaciously forcing its way through the vinca minor. If so, it doesn't look like groundcover to me, either, but I don't know what it is. Like I said, the real groundcover is the vinca minor.

[watermelonpunch]

Yes #2 wild violets


I have these all over the place.
But I think the foliage is kind of pretty. So I let a few plants grow in various spots - but they're in spots that they're not really bothering anything and would be empty otherwise. I haven't noticed them invading lawn. (Just some sidewalk cracks.) In the lawn, I would pull them. They're not hard to pull at least.

I suspect the bunnies might eat them because they do sometimes disappear.
But most people I think consider them weeds.

[mittengardener]

Here is a photo of wild violets that took over part of my yard. As you can see, they aren't so nice if they get out of control. In the second photo, I think purpleinopp is assuming you're referring to that clump of leaves at the front, tenaciously forcing its way through the vinca minor. If so, it doesn't look like groundcover to me, either, but I don't know what it is. Like I said, the real groundcover is the vinca minor.

The clump of leaves is one of the many mulberry saplings I deal with yearly!

[purpleinopp]

Marc - yes. Sorry, in the first pic I thought you were trying to ID the singular plant at bottom right. Agreed, the ground cover is Vinca minor, an exotic that definitely does cover ground well.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VIMI2

The violets are native.

[mittengardener]

Marc - yes. Sorry, in the first pic I thought you were trying to ID the singular plant at bottom right. Agreed, the ground cover is Vinca minor, an exotic that definitely does cover ground well.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VIMI2

The violets are native.

The vinca never flowers. Is the normal?

If I plant bushes on my side of the fence and let the vinca fill in around them will it hurt them? I am thinking about red twig dogwoods

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, absolutely, the vinca will climb over them and kill them. It is an invasive exotic and a very aggressive one. People still plant it, because it covers ground fast and in the spring it has pretty blue flowers, but I would never let it in my yard.

[mittengardener]

Yes, absolutely, the vinca will climb over them and kill them. It is an invasive exotic and a very aggressive one. People still plant it, because it covers ground fast and in the spring it has pretty blue flowers, but I would never let it in my yard.

Will it kill mulberry trees?

[rainbowgardener]

Well, that depends. If it is a large, well established mulberry tree, it would take a long time for vinca to kill it, if it ever succeeded. A sapling or young tree, yes, the vinca grows a lot faster than the tree and it will kill it. Either way, I still don't want it in my yard.

[purpleinopp]

Anything you add over 18" or more should be fine. Vinca can't climb up or hold itself up higher than a few inches, the variegated can stand a little taller but does not climb up. The first patch is not endangering newly planted Azaleas or Hydrangeas, or the mature oak trees creating the shade for this garden. The 2nd pic is a patch that's in full sun at a nearby fast food place, the taller shrubs are in no danger, it has looked like this for years, I took the pic yesterday. If Vinca killed trees, a lot of forests would be long dead.

[rainbowgardener]

PlantFiles: Common Periwinkle, Creeping Myrtle, Flower-of-Death
Vinca minor

Have it and can't get rid of it! My mother thought that since the flowers were so pretty, we should plant it in the front flowerbeds...huge mistake! It choked out a young hibiscus tree and my five-year-old winter daphne..
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/174/#ixzz2VF6RnTOo

vinca - vigorous vines often overgrow and gradually kill nearby trees and shrubs. above ground as you
Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs: An Integrated Pest Management

it is not as bad as ivy for climbing and smothering full grown trees, but in the right conditions it will smother shrubs and young trees. Note its other nickname "flower of death."