plant/weed i.d. please?

17 years ago

Every year I find this growing in my shade garden and I yank it out. I'm pretty sure it's a weed, but it has these pretty nodding blue and white flowers, so I have wondered if it was planted on purpose by the PO's. Can anyone i.d. it?

Here it is growing through my Liriope:

I could also use an i.d. of the ferns if anyone has an idea about those. They also predate me. I think they are Bracken ferns maybe, but I'm not sure. This year has been a little too kind to them - - they're becoming quite invasive.

Any help much appreciated!

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Comments (4)

ginny12
17 years ago
The flowering plant looks like dayflower, Commelina communis. There are other species of dayflower--check Google and Google Images. It's hard to be sure without seeing the flower. It's an awful pest. My sad story is that I begged my Philadelphia SIL for a piece of this because I remembered a nicer version from my grandmother's garden. She warned me what a weed it was so I never planted it but it colonized part of my garden just from a paper bag on the deck. Hope I'm wrong about the ID of your plant.
paigect
Original Author
17 years ago
You nailed it Ginny. Thanks. And ugh. Between the ferns, this dayflower thing, and the creeping jenny, it's like a war of the invasives in this bed. Good thing it's surrounded by asphalt!
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runktrun
17 years ago
The fern looks more like Hay Scented fern than Bracken. A piece of that wretched dayflower hitch hiked it's way to my yard and it has become a real problem but I was happy to see that the deer love it so perhaps you'll have some help getting rid of it. If I am correct in the fern id asphalt will not stop it. kt
paigect
Original Author
17 years ago
KT, you are right of course. It is hay-scented fern. What do you mean asphalt won't stop it?

I honestly don't know what to do with this fern, it's getting out of control. I'm afraid of digging up the entire mat because it is surrounding my Nikko Blue Hydrangea. Any ideas?