Grass? Wyrd Weed? or... "IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE"

Discussion in 'Flower Gardening' started by Jerry Sullivan, Jul 7, 2020.

  1. Jerry Sullivan

    Jerry Sullivan Garden Experimenter Plants Contributor

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    As I don’t monitor every garden bed, time passes and the plants are on their own. Volunteers and visitors come and go. Some are welcome and others are dispatched as they are noticed. As in the 1950’s movie creature features perhaps an alien stopped by to admire the garden flowers and a seed fell from its boot. It is the only plant of its kind in any of the gardens and it does look wyrd . Has this alien visited your garden?

    IMG_4667.JPG IMG_4668.JPG

    Jerry
     
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  3. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    We have plants like that. They grow on the edges of rivers and lakes.
     
  4. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Same here Odif ! Maybe its a bit too wet so the plant likes that spot !
     
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  5. carolyn

    carolyn Strong Ash

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    I have found this around my yard and garden this year too. it is most annoying to get out. I have to stab, cut dig the stuff out. no pulling it. it is almost like one of my planter grasses I grew a few years ago. there were two in the mix they were called fusables. one was a straight grass the other a curly grass. twisted arrows or some such name.
     
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  6. Palustris

    Palustris Young Pine

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    That is a sedge.
     
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  7. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Mate, that looks like Juncus tenuis.
    If it is, I can't suggest how quickly you ought to get that creature out of your garden.
    This is a very tough plant that; once it has formed a serious clump, will be quite difficult to remove...and it will seed out.
    Here we see those in paddocks and as Odif said, near water. The Netherlands being low and moist, it is seen frequently.
    You are lucky that this beast is so small now. I would suggest that you remove it right away and if you want to keep it, try it indoors. It may be attractive there. Just keep it out of your garden. We say here--"An informed person counts for two", meaning that if one is warned beforehand he would be wise to take steps.

    Addendum:
    Here we call it "Tengere rus". In this case rus does not mean "Russian", it means "rush", and tengere translates to "slender", a reference to its slender, hollow leaves. The roots will become dense and formidable and it is this that makes it such a headache to extract.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2020
  8. Jerry Sullivan

    Jerry Sullivan Garden Experimenter Plants Contributor

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    Thank you everybody for the warnings. Despite the plant's uniqueness, it was extracted and will now be dissected. It probably arrived via a bird dropping. After my curiosity has been satisfied, it will be placed in its final resting place, a trash bag within a trash bag.

    Jerry
     
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  9. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Wise man that you are.
    This plant is a survivor and can sometimes be found in fossils.
     
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  10. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    That was an interesting discussion! Now I know what that plant is. I too have seen it in low lying damp areas.
     
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  11. Tooty2shoes

    Tooty2shoes Hardy Maple

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    Yup looks like Blue Eyed Grass to me. It's a wild flower and I have several growing in my flower beds.
     

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