maybe a butterfly bush?

has it flowered? and if so, what did those look like?

Sweet fern, Comptonia peregrina. It's in the bayberry family and the distinctive scent of torn or bruised foliage is the easiest way to ID it.

It will spread through runners, though in my experience, not so fast as to make it difficult to control. I usually leave a few around the margins of my wilder shrub borders. No ornamental flowers - what you see there is what it looks like all growing season.

Thanks, nhbabs. I think I'll remove some of its spreading, but keep the mother plant and decrease its overall footprint in the bed. It is a pretty foliage plant!

That IS pretty! Very light and airy, and delicate.

Dee

I would remove it completely unless it's in a place where you don't mind if it bullies the other plants. I made the mistake of planting mint in what is now a perennial bed. I ripped out all I could find but of course it will probably be there forever. A couple of weeks ago I left some of the gingermint in place because the variegated foliage looked so nice with the other plants. If I check on it today I'm probably going to kick myself.

I have sweet fern that I planted here, and have had no problem with it taking over anything, unlike mints. I don't have the reference at hand, but I've read that it doesn't compete well in good soil, which is why it's so often seen in poor soil where it's not bullied. It does spread by rhizomes, but slowly, and it's easily contained. One of my favorite little shrubs.

Claire

I also have no issue with it overtaking other plants, unlike mint. Mine is among mt. laurels, Fothergillas, and deciduous rhododendrons among other shrubs and has been coexisting peacefully there for a bunch of years. It really isn't aggressive in its wandering.

It has the ability to fix nitrogen, so that is why it does well in poorer soils, including gravely, peaty, or sandy soil.

I think it's pretty too. Does it like shade, and does it prefer wet areas? Nice to hear from you again, Deanna.

I didn't realize it fixes nitrogen, a very useful trait. I found the site where it says the Comptonia doesn't compete well in good soil. Full sun to part shade.

another fact sheet saying likes dry soil

I just trotted out with my camera to see how my sweet ferns are doing. I have them near a patch of Grey Owl junipers in mostly sun. That's a wild cherry branch overhead. I noticed that a clump of Siberian irises is encroaching on them. Granted, not much can fight off Siberian irises, and I'll have to move the irises to protect the sweet ferns.

I was amazed though to see what I thought at first was a bur growing in the sweet ferns. I looked closer and the burs are attached. It turns out that these are the sweet fern fruit, I just never noticed them before.

pictures of flowers and fruit

Claire

My current sweet fern is growing in average moisture in better than half day shade. It's common on new road cuts where it's steep, dry, and sunny. I've never seen it in damp soil, and it is not listed as having a wetland rated at all on USDA plants, so I think it wouldn't be happy in a damp spot.

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA plants

I'll have to keep an eye out for some. I know it's been talked about here before, but I had the idea it was an acid soil plant, and only hardy to zone 6. It sounds like I was wrong on both counts.

It grew in OH as well as here, and our soil wasn't acid there, though it is here in central NH.

I have read that it doesn't transplant well, but perhaps Claire can speak to that since it sounds like she may have planted hers. Mine is a volunteer, and I've had in volunteer in almost every NH garden I have had (all rural and bordering on old field and woodlands where this would grow on its own.)

I've only seen it locally for sale once, and that was at Katsura Gardens a few years ago. I bought their whole stock (five or so pots). Haven't seen it since.

Claire

nhbabs posted while I was still writing my post.

I planted them from pots I bought locally. My mother had a nice patch here, probably volunteers, but a relative tried to transplant them because she didn't like where they were and they didn't take. The patch was essentially lost, and I wanted to reestablish sweet ferns here. The original patch was on a sunny, sandy, hillside; the new ones are in much better soil.

The ones I bought were probably potted up by someone very knowledgeable.

Claire

Claire, thanks for posting those burrs. I've never seen them before but will have to look closer.

I have some in full, blazing sun and some in half sun/half shade. Full sun is a drier situation than the shade. It definitely likes the full sun, dry conditions better.
As others have said it is very easy to keep under control if it rambles too much. I though about ripping it out in the border in my backyard but lucky for me it's growing in the sandier soil all around my buried septic tank hiding it nicely. Wasn't that so thoughtful of the fern? LOL!

Oh, I'm really glad I checked this thread, if belatedly. I just noticed a small volunteer of this plant, and now I'll make sure I take care of it. Maybe it's not so hard to move when small - that's my hope, anyway. It has such a nice foliage texture.

This spring I tried to move a little plant that had come up in the middle of a grass path a few feet from the main patch. I don't think it survived - the leaves are gone but I'll wait and see if maybe it recovers.

Claire

Ooo. Now that you've said it's not a good transplanter I'll be careful about pruning. So much good info here!