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Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
+10
Goosegirl
AtlantaMarie
MackerelSky
sanderson
yolos
TCgardening
littlejo
Marc Iverson
momvet
Windmere
14 posters
Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
I've been tending to these plants that are among my borage plants. I planted milkweed in this area... also maybe four o'clocks. Anyway, I can't tell if this is one of those two things or just a nasty weed. Can anyone spot what these plants are?


Windmere-
Posts : 1425
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 54
Location : Fayetteville, GA - Zone 7B - 8A
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
It's been a long time since I had Four O'clocks but the foliage does look like them. Don't take my word. When in doubt, I let them grown until I know for sure! 

momvet- Posts : 146
Join date : 2015-02-09
Location : Southern California
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
They're marigolds!
Just kidding.
Just kidding.

Marc Iverson-
Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
I would say they are Four O Clocks. I don't know what milkweed looks like. If it doesn't bloom soon, and you decide to get rid of the plant, dig it gently and it should have a bulb under the dirt if it is a Four O Clock. If you started from seed, it takes a long time to get the bulb grown underground.
Jo
Jo
littlejo-
Posts : 1575
Join date : 2011-05-04
Age : 70
Location : Cottageville SC 8b
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Thank you all (you too Marc
). My wife and I grew up with four o'clocks around our childhood homes in California. You'd think I'd be able to positively ID it, but something just isn't right.. not sure what. I will let it grow for a while longer. I do remember the bulb on the established one littlejo. These would be too young though.
One thing that may be making me doubt is that I remember four o'clocks having blossoms a lot sooner. Hopefully this mystery will solve itself soon.

One thing that may be making me doubt is that I remember four o'clocks having blossoms a lot sooner. Hopefully this mystery will solve itself soon.
Windmere-
Posts : 1425
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 54
Location : Fayetteville, GA - Zone 7B - 8A
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Looks like Spanish Needles to me. If so a weed that really attracts butterflies & bees.
http://www.eattheweeds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-weed/
http://www.eattheweeds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-weed/
TCgardening-
Posts : 223
Join date : 2013-12-28
Age : 66
Location : Zone 10a Stuart, Fla
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Thank you TCgardening. That does look very similar. If it ends up being something like that, I'd be happy. That little section is dedicated to my wife for her love of bees and butterflies. I had to cut down a borage plant to allow light on a rose... and she nearly had a fit for the sake of the bumblebees! She is ok though, the rose is called "Love" and I planted that for her too.TCgardening wrote:Looks like Spanish Needles to me. If so a weed that really attracts butterflies & bees.
http://www.eattheweeds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-weed/

Meanwhile, I have like 15 or more borage plants all over the place. Given their prolific nature... I think we will be having them for decades to come.
Last edited by Windmere on 6/19/2015, 10:23 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : typo)
Windmere-
Posts : 1425
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 54
Location : Fayetteville, GA - Zone 7B - 8A
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Yea, my Four O'clocks have been blooming for a long time. If I can remember, I will take a picture tomorrow.
yolos-
Posts : 4152
Join date : 2011-11-20
Age : 73
Location : Brooks, Ga Zone 7B/8A
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
yolos wrote:Yea, my Four O'clocks have been blooming for a long time. If I can remember, I will take a picture tomorrow.
I would like to see that. I've read they poison bugs that come to feed on them,and am curious about using them for pest control. If they were pretty, that might push me in one direction ...
Marc Iverson-
Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
[quote="Windmere"]
I've found it very hard to germinate the borage seeds I get from Botanical Interests. Where do you get your seeds? I need a borage success story already.
TCgardening wrote:
Meanwhile, I have like 15 or more borage plants all over the place. Given their prolific nature... I think we will be having them for decades to come.
I've found it very hard to germinate the borage seeds I get from Botanical Interests. Where do you get your seeds? I need a borage success story already.
Marc Iverson-
Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Do you know where the problem lies with you successfully growing borage? Seeds from Baker Creek.
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
No I'm not sure I know where the problem lies. I grew some last year and when I transplanted them they quickly died. I used the same packet this year -- any seed should still be largely viable after a single year -- and so far, no germination.
I have read they're difficult to transplant because they develop a taproot ... but if I haven't even gotten much germination,then the transplanting for the most part hasn't even figured in yet. Anyway second year now and not a single successful borage plant. And the seeds seem kinda expensive.
Thanks for the Bakers Creek recommendation.
I have read they're difficult to transplant because they develop a taproot ... but if I haven't even gotten much germination,then the transplanting for the most part hasn't even figured in yet. Anyway second year now and not a single successful borage plant. And the seeds seem kinda expensive.
Thanks for the Bakers Creek recommendation.
Marc Iverson-
Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
At this point, can you just direct sow in an area where you can water daily?
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Sure I suppose. I've already done plenty sowing, but I could always try some more. Kinda bummed that the latest sowing in gallon containers did zip ... maybe I just got a packet of seeds that was mostly duds. Botanical Interests ... but they haven't been a whole buncha disappointment for me on other seeds ... oh well, gotta happen sometime I guess.
I wonder why no nurseries around here grow borage for transplants.
I wonder why no nurseries around here grow borage for transplants.
Marc Iverson-
Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
I think borage is one of those plants that is valued by veggie gardeners, but is not classically pretty in the modern flower garden. Maybe an "English or cottage garden," but not modern urban neighborhoods.
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
My Lady always seems to get a few 4-oclocks planted for me as they were one of my Mom's favorites as I was growing up. These went into the ground around the first of June but might give you a clue(or not)


We usually don't get blossoms 'til mid July or so.
Brad


We usually don't get blossoms 'til mid July or so.
Brad
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Windmere - could it be pokeweed? The leaves look similar, although a little more pointed... If you get white flowers in elongated clusters, and then dark purple berries, that's probly pokeweed. They are poisonous!
Borage is also used medicinally & in salads. Both leaves & flowers are apparently edible.
Borage is also used medicinally & in salads. Both leaves & flowers are apparently edible.
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
I got them from Botanical Interests. (SorryMarc Iverson wrote:Windmere wrote:TCgardening wrote:
Meanwhile, I have like 15 or more borage plants all over the place. Given their prolific nature... I think we will be having them for decades to come.
I've found it very hard to germinate the borage seeds I get from Botanical Interests. Where do you get your seeds? I need a borage success story already.

Windmere-
Posts : 1425
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 54
Location : Fayetteville, GA - Zone 7B - 8A
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Marc - I am with you on the success (lack of) with Borage. A few years ago I scattered an entire seed packet on my spiral herb bed, only to have 2 germinate. One died, leaving me with one plant for the entire season. Knowing that it proliferates easily by spreading its seeds far and wide, I contented myself with that - only to have NO volunteers come up the following year from seed-spread. I bought the seeds at a local store.
Goosegirl-
Posts : 3435
Join date : 2011-02-16
Age : 58
Location : Zone 4A - NE SD
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Could also be a member of the Pigweed family.
Scorpio Rising-
Posts : 8612
Join date : 2015-06-12
Age : 61
Location : Ada, Ohio
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
After careful consideration I must answer.........YES
you are definitely doing one or the other.
After careful consideration I must answer.........YES



Scorpio Rising-
Posts : 8612
Join date : 2015-06-12
Age : 61
Location : Ada, Ohio
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Cappy
It's hard to disagree with your way of thinking!
Craig
It's hard to disagree with your way of thinking!
Craig
TCgardening-
Posts : 223
Join date : 2013-12-28
Age : 66
Location : Zone 10a Stuart, Fla
Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
Actually for us the fun part is picking something that volunteered and waiting to see what it turns out to be. A gardening thing we enjoy. Finding out what volunteered is a fun thing 

Re: Am I nuturing a beautiful flower or harboring a weed?
It has been so hot, humid, with lack of rain that I have just been able to water in the garden only. The flowers in outlying areas, around trees etc have been left to Mother Nature. I decided to check on my Four O Clocks, poke, etc and get some pics. My Four O Clocks don't look their best and are not blooming yet, due to no rain.



My poke has gone to flower already. I will say that my DH eats poke in the early spring when it first comes up, before it blooms. I know, I'm showing my age. Remember CCR had a song, about Poke salad . In the early spring only, when the plant is young, the leaves can be cooked like spinach or eaten raw. My DH cuts the plant off, peels the stalk(it is easy) and cuts into rounds, breads and fries like okra.
Poke is very poison, after spring, when it has any red coloring or after it blooms.
Jo




My poke has gone to flower already. I will say that my DH eats poke in the early spring when it first comes up, before it blooms. I know, I'm showing my age. Remember CCR had a song, about Poke salad . In the early spring only, when the plant is young, the leaves can be cooked like spinach or eaten raw. My DH cuts the plant off, peels the stalk(it is easy) and cuts into rounds, breads and fries like okra.
Poke is very poison, after spring, when it has any red coloring or after it blooms.
Jo

littlejo-
Posts : 1575
Join date : 2011-05-04
Age : 70
Location : Cottageville SC 8b
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