Can anyone tell me what this plant is that has appeared in my garden for the past five years or so? It starts off as two tiny leaves early in the spring, quickly growing to about eight feet tall with small orchid-like pink flowers and thick, sturdy, hollow stems:
This mystery plant is quite pretty so I let it fill a few bare spots at the back of my garden. It is very shallow rooted, so easy to pull out of any spots I do not want it. I am assuming it is a perennial as it shows up each year.
I would appreciate it if someone could identify this mystery for me…
It looks like it could be a species of Impatiens.
Well, I don’t know what it is, but I have it in my old garden too! And I’m trying to identify it so I can get some for this garden – it was such an impressive plant!
7 feet tall? Wow, Lorie! It’s lovely….whatever it is!
This is called a ” policeman’s helmet” and is EXTREMELY invasive, some states have it listed under their noxious weeds!
Impatiens balsamina
It is Policeman’s Helmet or Impatiens Glandulifera ( also called Himalayan Balsam)
The plant is an annual which profusely spits out seeds to china and you are saddled with thousands even in the grass. They are lovely plants. I had two names given to me and one is African orchids which I really doubt is the name. The other is Calleda Himalayan orchid which I came across your photo of this plant. I looked at all the image of this plant and only your photo is spot on. I just did some more research while writing this article and it is a Himalayan Balsam orchid. Enjoy. Now we can both rest
You have to transplant them early when they appear where you want them in the location of choice. I do this when they appear in February march here. They don’t like to be crowded and will not grow as high as much as they are single spaced. Check up Himalayan Balsam Orchid on the net to see if this name suits you. Be well
Yes I saw the comments after I posted. I am satisfied that Himalayan Balsam Orchid is the name of the plant. Yes I see by the comments that one person used a latin name and then the name I provided. Be well
The Plant (as previously identified) is the Himalayan Balsam; however it is worth noting that in the UK it is illegal to plant or cause this to grow in the wild.
http://www.alscontracts.co.uk/services/contract-spraying/specialist-weed-control/himalayan-balsam/