Gardening

csziggy

(34,189 posts) Wed May 5, 2021, 08:27 PM May 2021

Help identify this mystery plant in my garden

It was a volunteer but I've never seen anything like it in my garden. I did get a load of topsoil last winter so the seeds may have come in that. It is low growing, the blossoms only are about 4" above the ground, but it has spread to cover about half a square yard. The foliage is delicate. When we pulled weeds and mulched I left it because it is sort of attractive, even if does have purple flowers.

9 replies

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Help identify this mystery plant in my garden (Original Post) csziggy May 2021 OP

My first reaction is that it's a weed. Chipper Chat May 2021 #1

Maybe a kind of phlox? Ocelot II May 2021 #2

Yeah maybe wild blue phlox? soothsayer May 2021 #4

No, the flowers are very small, less than half an inch across csziggy May 2021 #5

Kind of looks like some kind of verbena Kali May 2021 #3

It does - but most of the vebena varieties seem to have long upright stems csziggy May 2021 #7

i took a photo of your photo and put it on my app RicROC May 2021 #6

Looking at the leaves, I think that's it. Ocelot II May 2021 #8

YES! That's it! Doing my research now... csziggy May 2021 #9

Chipper Chat

(10,094 posts)

1. My first reaction is that it's a weed.

Reply to csziggy (Original post)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:29 PM

May 2021

A very pretty weed.
But I'm no expert.

Ocelot II

(121,497 posts)

2. Maybe a kind of phlox?

Reply to csziggy (Original post)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:30 PM

May 2021

soothsayer

(38,601 posts)

4. Yeah maybe wild blue phlox?

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #2)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:32 PM

May 2021

http://mywildflowers.com/detail.asp?photo=yrt9&p1=searchpage.asp&c1=Search&c2=Results&mode=search&searchin=sname&srch=Phlox%20divaricata&itype=fruit/seed%27,%27flower%27,%27leaf%27,%27bud%27,%27tech

csziggy

(34,189 posts)

5. No, the flowers are very small, less than half an inch across

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #2)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:33 PM

May 2021

I'm very familiar with the phlox varieties that grow around here in north Florida and further south in Florida. These are none of those.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Kali

(55,876 posts)

3. Kind of looks like some kind of verbena

Reply to csziggy (Original post)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:31 PM

May 2021

csziggy

(34,189 posts)

7. It does - but most of the vebena varieties seem to have long upright stems

Reply to Kali (Reply #3)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:42 PM

May 2021

For the flowers. This stuff has very low growth and the stems for the flowers are laid down:

RicROC

(1,230 posts)

6. i took a photo of your photo and put it on my app

Reply to csziggy (Original post)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:34 PM

May 2021

called Plant Snap.

Moss Verbena (Glandularia aristigera)

Ocelot II

(121,497 posts)

8. Looking at the leaves, I think that's it.

Reply to RicROC (Reply #6)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:49 PM

May 2021

csziggy

(34,189 posts)

9. YES! That's it! Doing my research now...

Reply to RicROC (Reply #6)

Wed May 5, 2021, 08:50 PM

May 2021

It's not native to Florida - introduced from South America and now naturalized in the Southeast.

But it's supposed to bloom all of the warm and hot seasons. I'll let it stay for now. If it gets too aggressive, I can always take it out, or move it up on our limestone walls since it is said to well there.

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