Gardens Illustrated
A UK gardener was quoted in a recent Gardens Illustrated interview as saying, if you don’t know what the plant is, let it grow. And he’s right. You need to prevent accidents. If your plant identification skills fail you, then just leave the plant alone.
Or take the time to identify it. Many workers are happy to pull out their phones and start Googling plants. We did this recently, after running into a weed we knew had a massive taproot, but the botanical name escaped us. So, out came the iPhone.
In this residential garden, Rumex obtusifolius (Broad-leaved dock) is definitely a weed. But look at the bare bed. What is a weed supposed to do when there is so much competition-free room to grow. I was tempted to leave it alone.
The plant has a lemony taste, and its seeds can be used as gluten-free flour, according to my Google search.
Dry riverbed
Now, let’s go back to my dry riverbed location. It gets pruned and cleaned up once a year, in winter. We pruned and weeded, but then we discovered a huge patch covered by a plant. Was it a weed or did the owners plant it? We didn’t know its name, so we left it alone. But people love their phones, so we Googled the plant.
It was an annual Geranium (Geranium lucidum). It’s a herbaceous plant with small flowers and that means it enriches the soil. It may be considered invasive but in this location, I’m not sure we care. If we had spent hours scraping it off, it would have come back anyway, or another weed would have moved in.
Plus, I don’t mind the look of this Geranium. It’s a plant and it covers the ground, which is good enough for me. Learning the name of a new plant is also a huge bonus. I want to know them all.
Geranium lucidum.
Conclusion
If you don’t know a plant, let it grow. You might be pleasantly surprised.
