Weed or plant?

[Tweetypie]

Here I am again trying to establish if this is a weed growing in my wall, or some sort of plant. It's taking over and has suffocated my aubretia. Its deciduous. I can't recall if it flowers. Seems to have shallow roots. Hope someone can help as my Plantsnap app doesn't seem to know what it is

 

[Marigold]

At a glance, i thought campanula, but the flowers aren't bell shaped and the leaves aren't right.
A weed is only a plant in the wrong place for a gardener, so if you don't want it, pull it out. On the other hand, it's a lovely trailer, and if it's too vigorous for the aubretia, just cut it back. You're going to have to cut back the aubretia quite soon anyway, once it's stopped flowering, so this foliage might be nice to have.
After another look, I'm wondering if the purple flower in the pic belongs to the plant or is actually a stray bit of aubretia?
Was it there last year?

 

[MrsBiscuit]

I think thats a weed, its something which produces mauvey/purple flowers, but I can't for the life of me remember its name. It grows in walls and crevices and its not so invasive, so you can let it flower if you like it. The flowers are a bit like a campanula. If inspiration strikes me about its name, I will update what I am thinking!

 

[Tweetypie]

I have spent ages trying to get these things out this afternoon. They grow in almost no soil, so cracks in walls. They have been coming back year after a year and I always try to get rid of them. OH thinks everything green is lovely, but as I pointed out to him, it has killed off my purple and white aubretia and I am not going to keep forking out for more plants. If he thinks he will have to buy any, he will run a mile :lol:

I do have pink campanulas, which are also extremely invasive and I have to move clumps of it to different areas each year. Ive been putting them on a wall to create a nice pink fountain, once they are established there. They're semi evergreen, too, which is a bonus

OMG I just had a look on google and I think Marigold might be right...I initially thought it was a weed...
Look here on google..

 

[MrsBiscuit]

I think that is what I thought it was, its not what I know as a campanula, but that photo looks as though it could have been taken at my last house! It creeps and crops up all over the place, its quite partial to dark, dank and damp places, but easily pulled up.

 

[Margaid]

If you like it does it matter which it is?
If you don't like it or don't want it there it's a weed. One definition of "weeds" is plants growing where they aren't wanted ...

 

[LadyA]

You could send it my way!! I've never been able to get either campanula or aubretia to grow here! I've no idea why. I would love something like this to take over some bare spots and cover some ground!!

 

[Tweetypie]

I don't like it, as it invades all my other rockery flowers. If it kept itself to itself, I would leave it.
LadyA, isn't it typical that when you want something to grow, it doesn't. :-( I thought campanulas grew anywhere in any soil. Just shows how wrong one can be.

 

[Hen-Gen]

I looked through the Flora of Britain and Northern Europe and though there were about four species with similar leaves none of them fitted the bill.
Anyway campanula is not native so wasn’t shown. Most of these things are OK if contained. I quite like Japanese Knotweed though to hear most people talk you would think it snatched babies from their prams and devoured them. And what’s more dramatic as a foliage plant than rhubarb?

 

[bigyetiman]

And the rhubarb leaves make a wonderful insecticide.
I can think of some little darlings that should be snatched by Knotweed that are roaming the streets at the moment

 

[Marigold]

Campanula and aubretia both like well-drained, quite dry alkaline soil, so maybe yours is more damp and ericaceous, LadyA?

 

[LadyA]

Campanula and aubretia both like well-drained, quite dry alkaline soil, so maybe yours is more damp and ericaceous, LadyA?

It's well drained, in most areas, but yes, I think it's most like more ericaceous. most of it anyway. The soil isn't terribly deep here, and then there's rock underneath, I think. I have two hydrangeas in the front garden, one at either side. One comes out blue, and the one on the other side comes out pink! But I have a lot of evergreens, which I believe does mean the soil would be more acid.