Looks like garlic mustard, a very spready weed.

Post this on the Weeds forum - there always seems to be conflicting IDs on this. I always thought this was the second year phase of one of the weedy Adenophoras - the first year being a rosette type plant "somewhat" similar looking to the wild violets.

This is a "plant" I battle every year. Pull it out QUICK since it's easy to pull at this stage. If it's what I think it is and you don't pull it, it'll produce a stalk of lavendar bell shaped flowers and a bazillion seeds (all of which seem to germinate).

this is definitely a weed.Go get it, kiddo!
mindy

I consider the lily of the valley to be a foe.

I get this weed in my shade garden too, I'm pulling it out all the time, I think I would get the upper hand if my neighbor wouldnt let theirs go to seed. I am curiuos what it is?

I still maintain it's Adenophora Stricta aka Adenophora Confusa or commonly one of the "Lady bells"... a biennial weed in the Campanula family. Does beautifully in shade but is equally as aggressive in sunny spots once it gets a toehold.

If you dig it up in the first year rosette stage - dig deep because there is a big thick taproot.

Trust me - lily of the valley has nothing on this scourge.

Or is it Campanula rapunculoides, the evil twin. I went looking for a thread where this was discussed but couldn't find it. It's my understanding that it is this Campanula not Adenophora that's the culprit. Does anyone remember this thread, someone pointed out their differences and how you tell them apart. I've been fighting this $%#&%$ Campanula for over forty years and haven't got rid of it yet.

Annette

I seem to remember that thread too now that you mention it... the only thing I can find now is C. Rapunculoides the Evil Twin discussed on www.coldclimategardening.com

They always picture just the flowers ... no wonder I'm "Confusa".

It will be a lifelong battle with just exactly whatever it is - seem to have fewer this year, but the season is young. Aside from digging and or pulling, the best defense is probably never letting one bloom out and setting seed. The soil must contain an endless supply of lurking seeds anyway!

its a weed for sure.. at that point i personally dont care what its name is ..

but if you do.. try the botanists over in the NAME THAT PLANT FORUM ... very good bunch at the name game .. though a bit humorless

ken

OMG - if it's Adenophora confusa, ,GET RID OF IT QUICK! It has confusa'd all over my garden and i'm having a heck of a time with it. I'm even resorting to Round Up, which has always been a no-no for me.

I wouldn't pull it yet. I have a perennial that seems to be the same thing, and it gets mauve blooms with four pedals, and it smells like a slightly peppery lilac.

Could you wait until it blooms?

I've looked at pictures of what people here have described, and I'd wait to see the bloom.

If I find out what mine is, I'll post it here. I sure hope mine's not a weed. It's very pretty.

Can anyone here think of what it may be?

Hi there,
I think too, that the foliage looks very much like that of the C. rapunculoides. You could easily test by digging up one plant carefully. The older roots of the Campanula are white-ish and carrot-like, often forked. You can find thin roots (rhizomes?) sprouting from the thick ends of a root, and those often have more, thick root-bits attached to them. In that way they spread far and deep.

Good luck and happy digging,

Lin

Adenophora confusa is a well behaved plant, I've grown it for years and it clumps out but is not wild.

Campanula rapunculoides is it's evil twin - looks almost identical but behaves terribly.

I still say this is garlic mustard - this has quite serrated leaves which adenophora does not have.

Here is a link to a video about how to ID Garlic Mustard
http://www.ipm.msu.edu/garlicmustard.htm
The weeds I have do look like Gardengrammy's but I don't think mine are Garlic Mustard, they are shallow rooted, I'll have to get a pic of the neighbor's when it blooms.

I think there's a good chance you've got Dame's Rocket. I had help on another forum and yours looks almost exactly like mine.

If you can wait until it blooms, which should be soon, check Wikipedia for a description and other web sites that you refer to.

I don't know - Dame's Rocket has lanceolate leaves that are somewhat hairy on both sides and will have a phlox-like flowerhead. The leaves in the weed in the OP's picture are sharply toothed. And wouldn't Dame's Rocket be in bloom about now in zone 5?

Google has good articles on Dame's Rocket with excellent pictures.

C. Rapunculoides and its Good Twin bloom a little later. If the OP is still interested, I'd err on the side of caution with this one and yank every one I saw. Let one go to seed and you might be setting yourself up for a world of gardening hurt.

Well, I'm pretty confused now, but I pulled most of it because I think it's Campanula rapunculoides...at least from the leaves. The roots are very shallow. Since I've seen the pictures, I do remember having one or two plants with the little bell-like flowers in that garden last year.
I have Campanula glomerata in another garden that has invaded two other gardens and is impossible to get rid of. The roots are very deep on that. Thank you all for your help. It was like sitting around talking about gardens...my favorite thing!
And, by the way, I too consider lily-of-the-valley a foe...
it's everywhere and choking everything.

I had bought a. confusa about 13 yrs ago. I can't get rid of it. Now I don't know for a fact that it's that plant, but I bought it at a reliable nursery and that's what it was labeled. I haven't let it flower in years...but it spreads by the roots. I did a search and found an article that show pics and tells the difference between the 2. So I'm going to let just one flower and check it out. Scroll down a little in the article and it'll have a link to click on that will tell the difference between the 2. I have the link below.

Kat

Here is a link that might be useful: Friend or Foe??