Jenny P

It looks like my rudbeckia and echinacea seedlings, do you have Goldsturm rudbeckia or possibly coneflowers? Both are good at seeding about...

Helen.

I do have both, but I should have mentioned that these leaves are as big as, if not bigger than my hand. And they aren't Fuzzy? or hairy like echinecea or rudbeckia, they feel smooth.

Jenny P

I agree with Helen. Golddsturm isn't fuzzy like the hirta tpes of rudbeckia.

Your unidentified plant is a Stickseed, Hackelia virginiana. It is a biennial woodland plant that, when mature, has hundreds of nasty little seeds that stick to you like velcro.

OK, I took the largest leaf I could find off my echinecea's, and they do look very much alike, although the leaves in the picture, are 3 to 4 times larger than the largest leaf from my existing plants. Seriously, these leaves are as big as my hand, and most of them are much larger than my hand.

I HOPE it's echinecea, since I have had to dig out and destroy most of the ones I have, because of a stupid disease.

Jenny P

Jenny,

My Echinacea seedlings are not that big...nor are my goldsturm seedlings, so maybe not then, maybe it is that stickseed mentioned in the previous post.

I loose my coneflowers to Aster Yellows every year, some make it a couple of years, but that's it. I get new ones from seed each year by letting them go to seed on the plant. I don't get to choose where they are unless I dig them and move them, but at least I have them...

I guess I would leave one of the mystery plants in to see what it becomes and get rid of the rest in case they are nasty critters.

Helen.

^^Yep...the gardener's rule is that if you pull it up it will turn out to have been a flower and if you leave it to grow, it will be an invasive pest.

LOL, I am planning on leaving them until next year, or until I know for certain that they are unwanted.

Helen, I am going to let the flowers on my healthy echinecea go to seed, then I plan on planting those seed heads all over the place!!

It's funny, for some reason I don't have much luck with stuff reseeding. I hear stories people tell about Johnny Jump ups, Morning Glories, Flowering Tobacco and all those. If I get volunteers I consider myself as having a good year! LOL So I have to purposely spread seed and plants starts if I want something. I do winter sow a lot too.

Thanks
Jenny P

Okay...I just spent the afternoon in the garden, and as I was weeding under a bunch of stuff, I found lots and I mean LOTS of rudbeckia seedlings and some of them were very large indeed. Bigger than my hand for sure. They look just like your picture. Are yours kinda sharp and spiny (kinda) on the underside? Anyway, not to beat this to death, but I had to laugh when I found them....Helen.