Could it be echinacea? Does the foliage feel fuzzy?

By the way, tiffy, lovely hands you have!

Karen

Have no idea what that is, but the little lupines are cute!

Could this be a cluster of Sundrops (Oenothera)??

Carrie

What a pathetic bunch of garden geeks we are. Read all these "can you ID" threads. We keep trying. We google, check Trudi's site, check seed site, come back and check the thread. Gotta get it. Back to computer search, book search, don't give up...

Do we need to get lives? Just strikes my funny bone.

Karen the geek

I'm thinking some kind of Penstemon? Are the leaves a little leathery?

LOL Karen - Hey, it's all part of this addiction we have...

(I'll be checking this thread on a regular basis - I just HAVE to know what that plant is!! (I hope I can sleep tonight.....) :0)

Tiff..I have the same thing coming up..it's wild flox. (Don't know the Latin name). I see it here along the highway. Has a tall spire of usually lilac flowers, though can go to pink and white. I always let a couple come up, because the flower is quite pretty, and early!

Wendy

I'm with Wendy: it looks a lot like Dame's Rocket to me, which people here call wild phlox--and it does grow along some roadsides. Hesperis matronalis. I love it, although it's an invasive in this area, and I promised myself I won't let mine go to seed or grow it again.

http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/weeds/damesrocket/damesrocket.htm
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/188045/

Hi Tiffy: This looks like something I have in my garden which has been ID'd here as Dame's Rocket. However, I was told it was woodland phlox so I'll have to re-check. It puts on a beautiful show in spring but can be invasive. To control it, as soon as the flowers fade, I remove the flower stalk which is quite long and it behaves quite well. Otherwise it can become invasive. It grows well in the shade of my lilacs, and makes a good cut-flower.

It doesn't look like my woodland phlox - looks more like hesperis.

Tiffy I gotta vote for the Dame's Rocket!!
-B

Karen,

No, not Echinacea. Way too big for that in my gardens right now. Actually, the Echs are just starting to emerge. No fuzziness either in the leaves.

Been trying to garden with gloves and since I've been gardening without for decades it's difficult. :O)

Vera,
No not Pensteman. The leaves are too dainty. Not thick enough.

Carrie,
I have Sundrops coming up in another section of the gardens and since our weather is still cool they are a deep puprple. This plant is also too fluffy with leaves to be a Sundrop.

Dame's Rocket. Now that's a thought. I had it in another garden about 20 feet away, not sure if it's still there. In the other garden it grew among Phlox Paniculata. The soil was not as rich there, so the leaves were not that poofy and the plants not as robust. There doesn't appear to be any returning in that other garden and so it is difficult for me to even compare the leaf structure.

Well, it's staying put for now. There is another close by, up against the foundation of the house. It's going to stay too.

I'll keep you posted. Kind of hope it's Dame's Rocket - just for the smell of it!!