I was given a couple of these plants by my brother, who told me it was a form of iris? Can anyone verify this for me and tell me exactly what it is? I always treated it like a weed....:( Thanks!!

Hi Peggy and ! The picture doesn't expand too much but it looks like spider wart to me. I don't think it's related to irises. I could be wrong, I have been wrong one time before.

Can you post a larger picture? Thanks

I think Tom is right. Spider wort seeds itself around the garden here too and can get a little weedy sometimes.

I agree with tom and Neil, Looks like spider wart to me.

I think we're to dry here, I've never had them reseed.

Thank you, all! I think it is spider wort. I heard someone say that once before but didn't remember what they said, DUH! lol Is that related to the iris family? I'll have to check. I didn't really like them at first, but they're "growing" on me......I put them in random areas that aren't really part of the garden, but where I needed "filler".

@PeggyB

Peggy, I adore your avatar photograph. Look at those faces...

The symmetry and veining made me think it could be in the iris family, but its actually family Commelinaceae.

We've had a lot of rain the last couple of summers and I think that's why I'm seeing more seedlings around. Otherwise they've been pretty well behaved garden plants. During dryer summers they usually go dormant in mid summer, which I like- rather than a non blooming plant taking up space I often set a pot of annuals in the spot.

When mine go dormant I cut them off and they grow back and start blooming again. I don't like how they look when they go dormant.

I think the heat keeps them from bouncing back here, although its usually drier in summer, so could be the extra rain we've gotten has kept them going. They are ugly when dormant, so I cut them back to the ground when they get ugly and they don't seem to mind.

The slugs 'helped' me cut them back to the ground this year, same with the Polemoniums next to them, so now I just have a bare patch in that border. The positive spin on this is that the Forget-me-nots, which self-seed throughout that border have room to grow and will look great next spring.

Thank you, Debra! The "three amigos" are all my daughter's rescue dogs - spoiled rotten, and loved like crazy! Currently, the big babies are living in Anchorage, while my son-in-law is in the Army. Hopefully, home to the lower 48 sometime within a year.

@ Peggyb

Peggy, thank your son-in-law for his service to our nation.

Many thanks to him from here also.

I agree with the above posts, Peggy, and add a to your daughter for rescuing those three guys.

I'm agreeing with the for the service to our nation -- and for rescuing dogs!! for that one too.

Lilly - I Forget-me-Nots. Is there a prettier shade of blue in all of plant-land?

I them too! I let them self-sow everywhere and just move the ones that are in the way!



They were one of my grandmother's favorite flowers, so they came with the garden in great numbers!