OT - Gardeners: Is this a weed?!

GrateEggspectations

jtcBoynton

A weed is any plant growing where you don't want it.  If you don't want it there, it is a weed.  But, one person's weed is another's precious plant.

HeavyG

A weed is anything you don't want in your garden.

TN_Sister_State

Those look like some kind of perennial flower to me.

Gulfcoastguy

The groundcover looks like it might be asiatic jasmine. It looks a bit early to know for sure about the taller plant, maybe a ginger?  I am more familiar with plants that you eat. Warm climate?

gmac

The ground cover is vinca (vinca minor or lesser periwinkle). Does the other one have a nice scent?  First guess is Lily of the valley for the other.

GrateEggspectations

Gulfcoastguy said:

The groundcover looks like it might be asiatic jasmine. It looks a bit early to know for sure about the taller plant, maybe a ginger?  I am more familiar with plants that you eat. Warm climate?

I'm in Canada in a climate with extremes on all sides of the seasonal spectrum - very cold winters but hot, humid summers.

GrateEggspectations

gmac said:

The ground cover is vinca (vinca minor or lesser periwinkle). Does the other one have a nice scent?  First guess is Lily of the valley for the other.

Thanks. Nice to know what the ground cover is too. You're right that the leaves look like Lily of the Valley. 

There were some of these leaves in my garden garden last year but they are now invading!

Sea2Ski

gmac said:

The ground cover is vinca (vinca minor or lesser periwinkle). Does the other one have a nice scent?  First guess is Lily of the valley for the other.

I second this and can almost confirm with 100% certainty those are what both those plants are.  Both will spread and will do so quickly if conditions are correct.  Vics quicker than the Lilly. They both prefer shade and both can handle deep shade. The vinca will grow almost anywhere. The Lilly prefers a richer soul than the vinca. Both flower about the same time. The Lilly of the valley has a heavenly scent, blooms for 2 weeks and then is green. It will die back to the ground late summer/fall where I am The vinca is an evergreen, low-growing vine. Consider getting rid of it only if you are certain you can get something else to grow there.  I do not know of the conditions where it is, but it usually does need taming to keep it under control. Since you are in Canada, a shorter growing season may make it easier to keep it in check. 

Carolina Q

Looks like Lily of the Valley to me. Invasive, moreso the farther north you are. Also poisonous. Got any kids? Or pets?

Warnings About Growing Lily of the Valley

There are two reasons not to grow Convallaria majalis plants:

1. They are invasive plants in parts of North America (they are reputedly more aggressive in the northern section of their range than in the southern section).
2. They are poisonous plants -- a concern if you have children or pets in the yard.

Concerning the toxicity of lily of the valley plants, experts advise wearing gloves when handling them, lest any residue be transmitted to your food (should you forget to wash your hands before dining).

All parts of the plant are considered poisonous if ingested. Symptoms of poisoning include stomach ache and blurred vision.

https://www.thespruce.com/lily-of-the-valley-2132623

WeberWho

Carolina Q said:

Warnings About Growing Lily of the Valley

All parts of the plant are considered poisonous if ingested. Symptoms of poisoning include stomach ache and blurred vision.

GrateEggspectations

Thanks for the help all. Any idea how to remove the Lily without also gutting the bed of periwinkle?

gmac

Best bet would be to mix up some Roundup in water and brush it on just the Lily with a cloth or brush being careful to avoid drips.  3 parts water to one part Roundup. But that is hard to get unless you're a farmer.  You can get premixed Roundup at Home Hardware etc but it's pretty weak. However it will kill whatever it hits if you put enough on. 
Basically it's called wick weeding and it was how farmers used to control tall weeds in soybeans 20 years ago. 

You can pull it but it will come back, I can't think of a non-chemical alternative except pull it and that will need to be done each year. Or leave it as it dies back after it flowers. It won't last long and it smells wonderful. 

GrateEggspectations

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input on this. 

I wasn't initially sure how to go about identifying the plants in my garden. But last night, I confidently snapped some photos for uploading to the forum, knowing full well that my brothers and sisters would deliver. My wife was skeptical. 

You guys rock. 

gmac

Wives....

Glad to be able to help out. 

FatTrout

Lillys, if I am not mistaken, have tuberous roots any part you leave in the ground can become another plant. Vinca is also an invasive species once it gets established it is hard to get rid of.If it were me I would spray a heavy coat of extra strength round up on it, saturating the top soil, and cover it with a plastic tarp  weighted at the edges for a couple of weeks.  Also don't water that bed and turn off or block all the irrigation that feeds it. 

gmac

What is the point of the tarp?  Also Roundup has no soil activity. The active molecule bonds to clay particles in the soil and is degraded in a couple weeks. The minute it hits the soil it is essentially inert.  Absolutely no reason to waste chemical saturating the soil. 

Gulfcoastguy

The points of the tarp are two: first to prevent the roundup from washing off the bed during rain and killing or stunting other plants in the runoff, and two the sun will heat up under the tarp and kill the plants and weed seeds and many diseases by a process called solarization(it takes a few weeks to be sure).

gmac

I was gonna write a longer reply but decided not to. 
Short reply, not necessary for killing the Lily of the Valley. The run off thing doesn't happen and its rainfast in about an hour. 
I think the OP wanted to keep the vinca so 2 weeks under a tarp isn't gonna do it much good. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Nope, it is not Weed.  However, it may be a weed.