Weed or Plant?

[GardenGeisha]

Can anyone give me a good guess as to what weef/plant has beautiful large Bleeding Heart like foliage, and a blossom that looks like dill's?

My camera is out of state, or I'd post a picture.

 

[digitS']

That is a difficult guess, GardenGeisha.

There are 2 plants in my vegetable garden that appear something like that, if they grew to flowering:

Celery & Parsnips.

Steve

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks for the good guesses, Steve. The foliage is not as delicate as celery's or bleeding heart's.

When it first emerged, I thought for sure it was a poppy. It looks like Oriental poppy foliage but is non-glaubrous. It looks like the foliage of a good-sized Oriental poppy and bends gracefiully. It sent up a stalk reminiscent of emerging rhubarb. I was a bit disappointed when the yellow-flowering umbels appeared, but I'd sure love to know what it is.

There is only one in my whole raised bed, and I don't recall seeing it anywhere else, though it does ring a distant bell of some sort?

 

[GardenGeisha]

Correction: I meant to say that the foliage of my mystery weed IS glabrous or smooth and non-hairy, unlike that of an Oriental poppy. It is a nice dark green color They are sort of the shape of giant celery-leaves.

Looking at it just now, the flowers don't appear as yellow as I had thought.

I wonder whether it could be a cow parsnip? Guess I'd better not taste it. HAHA.

I don't think it's delicate or lacy enough to be a cow parsnip, though. It has a rugged look.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Oh, my gosh. Looking at photos, I believe it IS a cow parsnip. I always taste my weeds. Good thing I refrained myself this time! LOL.

I love Queen Anne's Lace and have always wanted to grow it in my garden with no luck, and this cow parsnip does remind me of it, ao I am going to keep it. Do you think it will reseed? It is growing in a bed of really bad soil where I can't get much else to grow.

Interestingly, though, everything growing there this year is similar in looks-- Carrot, yarrow, and cow's parsnip. Any theories as to why these types of plants (umbels) have taken to my bad soil while other things refuse to grow in it.

Do you think the carrots, yarrow, and cow parsnip might spread and totally fill in the raised bed? That would be fine with me. I'm looking for something to do so. And I think it's fun that they are all similar and lacy looking, yet different! Weird and Bizarre.

 

[GardenGeisha]

I wonder whether I could have planted parsnip seeds I don't remember a couple of years back? How would I tell the difference between edible parsnip and cow parsnip. I love parsnips! Yum!

 

[digitS']

I don't really know the cow parsnip well enough to recognize it easily.

The Umbelliferae family is huge.

Maybe, if this plant does well there - things like parsley, angelica, and lovage would grow well. Also, the annuals like cilantro, dill and fennel; as well as carrots and parsnips would all find a good home in that soil.

Steve

 

[GardenGeisha]

That is a very good idea, Steve. Maybe I'll try growing all those things in it next year. That would be a lot of fun to try. SOMETHING has to like that soil.

I can't decide whether my mystery weed is a cow parsnip, a wild parsnip, or hemlock. I think it's either a cow parsnip or a wild parsnip. Oh, well. It's really too pretty to eat, I think. I'll just let it go to seed in hopes it will make many more baby plants for next year. I can always buy parsnips at the store or fry up my dahlia tubers that don't set eyes. They taste a lot like parsnips.

Thanks, Steve, for mentioning parsnips. I don't know whether I would have made the connection with cow parsnip had you not mentioned celery and parsnips.

I did plant a whole bunch of cumin, but I don't think it has come up. I planted many carrots, but I think the carrots that have seeded in it blew in on the wind, from a giant volunteer carrot at the front of my walkway. It is everywhere this year, and I just love it. The neighbor keeps harping on stew, but it's far too pretty to dig up.

 

[digitS']

. . . fry up my dahlia tubers that don't set eyes. They taste a lot like parsnips. . .

Is that what they taste like?!

I have been curious about that .

Parsnips germinate more easily in my garden than do carrots. I just had the unfortunate (fortunate?) experience of thinning them :/. The only time I've really gotten into trouble with parsnips has been trying to grow them in a too shady a location and I must have picked a variety that didn't have a good flavor, one year. Except for that once, I've long appreciated their sweetness and realizing that I could grow them was great.

Steve

 

[GardenGeisha]

My mystery weed is growing in the shade. A vining maple sprang up over the garden and has grown like a weed. I can't bear to cut it down because it's such a fine privacy barrier.

I was reading that cow parsnips love growing in the shade, so maybe that is what I have.

Mmm, wouldn't a bowl of mashed parsnips be tasty for Sunday dinner?!