Is this in your garden?

Take a photo and Garden Rescue will tell you what you actually have, and what it needs this week.

American Willowherb

Epilobium ciliatum

Also called Fringed Willowherb, Willowherb, Ciliate Willowherb

Weed Identified 1 time

This is a weed

Each plant releases thousands of tiny parachuting seeds. They germinate quickly in open soil and crowd out garden plants.

How to get rid of it

Grip the stem low down and pull the entire root out gently.
Bag the seed heads immediately so fluffy seeds do not blow away.
Put the pulled stems in general garden waste, not cold compost piles.

About American Willowherb

This is an opportunistic weed common across Irish gardens. It produces hundreds of fluffy, windblown seeds in late summer and autumn. I recommend removing it before those seeds blow across your borders.

Type: Herbaceous weed
Height: 1 to 3 ft
Spread: 1 to 2 ft
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Moderate
Soil: Any moist, fertile soil
Hardiness: Hardy to -10 °F
Flowers: June to September
Growth: Upright branching taproot
Toxicity: Not known to be toxic
Native to: North America, widely naturalised in Europe

How to recognise it

Slender upright stems branching near the top
Narrow lance-shaped leaves with fine teeth
Long capsule seed pods splitting into four curled strips
Fluffy white tufts carrying tiny seeds on the wind

Written by Garden Rescue from photo identifications, in US units. Local advice from your extension service or garden centre beats a general guide.